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Author Spotlight

April 2009 --- Randy Arrington

Randy Arrington’s naval aviation action novel Kerosene Cowboys: Manning the Spare, was recently made into a major motion picture directed by Mario Van Peebles and starring actors Shane West, Rachel Leigh Cook, J.C. Chasez, and Bill Pullman. Arrington, a naval instructor pilot himself, served as an executive producer and made a cameo appearance in the movie. Kerosene Cowboys is scheduled for worldwide release in April 2010.

 

What inspired you to write your novel, Kerosene Cowboys: Manning the Spare? 

I was extremely privileged in my earlier lifetime to serve the United States as a naval aviator, flying numerous tactical jets off the pitching decks of four different aircraft carriers.  Therefore, my primary motivation for writing the Kerosene Cowboys series of novels is to humbly pay tribute to all of these squadron mates in particular, and to the small fraternity of naval aviators in general.  True heroes each and every one of them, and they are the pride of this nation.

Over a seven year timeframe, while raising five children, working as a full time interceptor pilot for U.S. Customs, earning a Ph.D. in political science, and moonlighting as a professor at several universities, I wrote Kerosene Cowboys: Manning the Spare; my first installment in a lineage of “faction” novels about naval aviation.

How much has your real-life experience as a naval aviator influenced the book?

The basic premise behind Kerosene Cowboys developed during my tenure as the Landing Signal Officer of Attack Squadron Two Zero Four.  The “River Rattlers” of VA-204 are an elite and talented light attack squadron (now Strike-Fighter) home ported in New Orleans, La.  I just had to find the time to put my calloused, “hunt and peck” fingertips to a computer keyboard. 

Then late one afternoon in January 2006, I received an “emergency recall” message directing me to return immediately to the Customs Air Branch.  One of our young pilots, Steve Freeman, had just died in a tragic aircraft accident in Ketchican, Alaska.  As the recently trained Family Liaison Officer, it would be my responsibility to manage every aspect of this tragedy with Steve’s family, one mission that I truly didn’t want to engage in. I told Steve’s widow, Sherry Freeman, that I would dedicate Kerosene Cowboys: Manning the Spare to her husband.  It wasn’t until that moment that my writer’s block subsided, and I enthusiastically devoted myself to completing the final eleven chapters of the book.

How did you come up with the book’s title?

On my final sortie flying the mighty A-7E Corsair attack jet, I was the flight leader on a “War-at-Sea” training strike against the battleship New Jersey, steaming 75 miles offshore in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.  While zooming along at 550 knots, 200 feet above the ocean swells, I heard the following radio transmission on the “Air to Ship” frequency: “You kerosene cowboys can come back here any ole time.”  From that moment, I knew that an appropriate main title had been born for a sequence of books about the valiant, although somewhat arrogant, exploits of America’s naval aviators. 

Kerosene Cowboys was recently made into a major motion picture. How did your movie deal come about?

I sent a copy of the novel to a Hollywood producer who had also been a stunt pilot for many years.  He called and asked me to send him ten more books, and then called to make me an offer to purchase the screen option rights to Kerosene Cowboys: Manning the Spare.  I quickly agreed, and we made the deal for the movie. 

Along with West, Cook, Chasez, and Pullman, the movie also stars Cam Gigandet (Twilight), Jason Gray-Stanford (Monk), Troy Garity and Jacob Vargas (Flags of Our Fathers), Mario van Peebles, and myself.

In what other ways were you involved with the film?

I was hired as one of the executive producers on the film because I was the author of the novel and knew the material better than anybody else. Additionally, the production initially encountered a few bureaucratic problems with the Navy and Department of Defense. I was able to use my various high-level contacts in Washington, D.C., to solve most of the problems we encountered. Making a major motion picture is a series of triumphs and set-backs on a daily basis during pre-production, principle photography, and post-production phases.

What kinds of experiences have you had, due to Kerosene Cowboy’s success? 

A major motion picture was the experience of a lifetime, and a great blessing.  I highly recommend this path for all authors. Book signings are a real treat now because of my newly established celebrity status. I also now have a Web site (www.randyarrington.com). 

Mario van Peebles, the director of the film, cast me in a cameo acting role as the Chief of Naval Operations. He was gracious enough to allow me to write my own dialog for the script, and I sat right next to Bill Pullman for the scene. When the movie premieres worldwide next year, I hope these experiences (author, executive producer, technical adviser, cameo actor, and stunt pilot) will catapult my status as an author and film maker.  I think I will enjoy that dynamic. 

What do you have in store for the future? 

Kerosene Cowboys will be a series of 8 -10 books. I am currently writing the sequel entitled Kerosene Cowboys: On the Road Again.  I am also actively involved in the post-production phase of the movie “Kerosene Cowboys.”