I’ve done many book signings, from Seattle to Fort Lauderdale, but nothing like the book signing this week at the U.S. headquarters of Falcon Jet, in Teterboro, New Jersey. As you can see from the title, my latest novel—Falcon Seven—is named after an airplane. I know that’s unusual, but the Falcon 7X in my book plays a fairly important role.
I asked a friend of mine, who is the general counsel of Falcon Jet, if I could name the book after the airplane, and he was excited. Not only did he like the idea, but he arranged for the art department at St. Martin’s to have access to their images to pick the best image to use on the cover. And, he said Falcon Jet would love it if I visited Teterboro, toured the airplane, and did a signing for the Falcon Jet employees.
Last week, while in New York to meet with my agent and editor, I went to Teterboro to the Falcon Jet headquarters. I was given a tour of the Falcon 7X by Ken “Drummer” Dromgold, the chief pilot, technical, of the Falcon 7X. He was terrific, and his enthusiasm for the jet was infectious.
In my novel, I called the Falcon 7X the best business jet in the world; after finally seeing it in person, I am doubly persuaded that it is, indeed, the best. It is larger than I expected, and can carry sixteen passengers, not counting the flight crew. It’s hard to describe how luxurious it is. The cream leather interior feels like that of a fancy sports car. Buttery. The cabin is pressurized to a greater degree than many other jets, allowing passengers to land feeling more refreshed than they would in other jets. It has a galley, a restroom, and fold out beds. It can fly non-stop from Los Angeles to Paris. Its range was one of the reasons I chose to us the Falcon 7X in my book. I needed a jet that could fly non-stop from Pakistan to Holland.
After the aircraft tour, I met with about a hundred employees, and told them how I came to write Falcon Seven. They were interested in the writing process, the editing process, and where book ideas come from. I’ll write more about those topics later, but for today, the focus should be on the incredible airplane made by Falcon Jet, and what a wonderful time I had visiting with them in New Jersey. One reader emailed me last year and asked if I got paid for naming certain products in my books. For example, in Marine One I feature a Volvo SUV. He thought I must get placement money, like movies do to feature Coke, or a certain motorcycle.
Here’s a link to the Falcon 7X website. http://www.dassaultfalcon.com/aircraft/7x/. Look around for yourself if you’re interested in airplanes. Dream about what it must be like to have the ability to climb into your own private jet and fly to Paris.
I asked if I could put a deposit down on one for myself, and they were pleased to do it, but thought fifty dollars was probably not a good indicator that I’d be able to put the other funding together.
I think they’re probably right.
A big Thank-you for autographing a copy of Falcon Seven with ‘TomCats Forever’ for my son Marty, while you were here at FalconJet on 06/22/10. He loved it.
I couldn’t resist replying. The Falcon looks and sounds great; my best friend used to fly an earlier version for Texaco, and even named her dog Dassault. But now that she’s married to a Global Express pilot, household favor is leaning toward Bombardier. The Global Express has an equally buttery interior and, more importantly, longer range. ;o)
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