Clear to Lift: A Novel by Anne A. Wilson Pages: 320
Published by Forge Books on July 12, 2016
Navy helicopter pilot Lt. Alison Malone has been assigned to a search and rescue team based at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada, near the rugged peaks of the Sierra Nevada, and far from her former elite H-60 squadron. A rule follower by nature, Alison is exasperated and outraged every time she flies with her mission commander, "Boomer" Marks, for whom military procedures are merely a suggestion. Alison is desperate to be transferred out of the boonies, where careers stagnate, and back to her life and fiancé in San Diego.
Alison's defenses start to slip when she meets mountain guide Will Cavanaugh during a particularly dicey mission. Will introduces her to a wild, beautiful world of adventure that she has never known before. Stranded on a mountain during a sudden dangerous blizzard, Alison questions every truth she thought she knew about herself. When Will braves the storm to save her life, she must confront the fact that she has been living a lie. But is it too late to change course?
Full of action and adventure, dangerous and heart-stopping rescues, blizzards and floods, family secrets and second chances, Clear to Lift by Anne A. Wilson is a thrilling woman's journey as she finds confidence, truth, love, and herself against the majestic backdrop of the Sierra Nevada.
Today, I am happy to have the author of Clear to Lift, Anne Wilson here to talk about her book and about her very exciting life!
Welcome Anne 😉
Describe Clear to Lift in a tweet (140 characters or less)
When a female search and rescue helicopter pilot is assigned to an anything-goes squadron, her rigid, rule-bound life takes a dramatic turn.
What is something we would be surprised to learn about Alison and Will?
Even though Alison flies dangerous search and rescue missions, she loves to do cross-stitching at night to wind down after a pressure-packed day. Will is always up for trying something new. When he’s not rescuing ice climbers on 13,000-foot peaks, he’s learning to play the trumpet.
Your character, Alison is a rule follower. Are you a rule follower as well?
I used to be. I was always the teacher’s pet in elementary school. I did everything I was told and obeyed the rules to a T. That continued for me into the military. But now, maybe it’s because I’m older—I just turned 50!—the line between rules and guidelines seems to be getting just that bit fuzzier. . . .
You seem to have led a very exciting life. What is the most thrilling thing you have ever done?
I think being short-hauled beneath a helicopter is the most thrilling thing I’ve done. You are hooked to a rope and hanging fifty feet beneath a helicopter as it flies around hundreds of feet above the ground. What. A. Rush.
I see you used to be a navy search and rescue pilot, just like Alison. Are any of the situations in Clear to Lift pulled from your real life experiences?
Two of the rescue scenes in the book are composites of several mountain rescues I was involved with while stationed at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada. The last rescue scene is the closest to matching something that actually happened. My crew and I rescued thirteen people from the Walker River in the one hundred-year flood that affected the area surrounding Reno, Nevada, and Yosemite in 1997. It was a tricky rescue in real life, but of course, I bumped it up a few notches for the book!
If we had an author talent show, what would your talent be?
I like to play the piano, so I would probably do that. For sure, that does not mean I’m talented. But I take lessons and enjoy playing when nobody is home.
Author @Anne_A_Wilson stops by @BookBriefs to talk about (& Give away) her #book Clear to Lift @torbooks Share on X
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About Anne A. Wilson
Being short hauled sounds like quite a ride and though I do love to read about adventure, my thrill seeking is quite a bit tamer. LOL
sherry @ fundinmental
Hi Sherry, That was a crazy ride for sure! You just might read about something like that in CLEAR TO LIFT. 🙂 Thanks for reading the interview!