In the last ten years, I have written two books: Safe Skies (Adult Fiction, 2005) and The Guardian Angel (Non Fiction, 1996).

Safe Skies Adult Fiction
The reasons I write about the Third World and/or civil aviation development are, first, these are fields in which I have had a good deal of experience (I lived in Third World countries for 20 years and visited more than 50 countries for professional work), second, no country can develop effectively (that is materially and socially) without a safe air transportation system and, third, although about 1.6 billion people board an aircraft annually, in fact most have little idea of how civil aviation functions, especially in some countries of the Third World. And if they have a normal, lively interest in what is going on close to their lives, the range of what might be termed readable literature tends, unfortunately, not to be of good quality – sometimes it is based on a degree of ignorance or possibly on misinformation.

Why have I written Safe Skies? Basically, I wanted my readers to have the benefit of a good story. What could be more contrastingly dramatic than a story which alternates between the exotic, little known Himalayan Buddhist Kingdom of Bhutan and the sophisticated city of Chicago? I also committed myself to the required research to ensure the narrative would be authoritative. I set out to address a wide readership; my book is ‘For All Those Who Board An Aircraft’. With feedback received from housewives, to a CEO of Flight Safety, to university professors, and to the director of a literary festival, my aim is, apparently, being realized. Please see the reviews in the section below.

My moment of decision to start writing Safe Skies came in the late nineties. I had just read two books – one an aviation novel, the other an African travelogue. Both authors were good, with excellent, strong publishers. My problem was the incredible depth of ignorance of the aviation novelist and the descriptive inaccuracies of the travel writer (I strongly doubt that the author had actually travelled as he claimed to have done). My reaction was, ‘Is this the best the publishing industry can do – why do, apparently, other priorities take precedence over knowledge and truthful representation?’ After completing my manuscript, I was fortunate to find Troubador Publishing, certainly for me the perfect publisher in all respects.

So now we have Safe Skies. Safe Skies is fiction. But the background to the story is authentic, and the knowledge described and explained is accurate; the background substance has been praised for ‘its accuracy in every detail, something rarely found.’ As an eminent university professor has written, "This is a novel. It is not a textbook… whatever our role in life, there is an enormous amount to learn from its pages… Colin Everard... has written a masterpiece."

Safe Skies has been described as ‘riveting’, ‘wonderfully thrilling narrative’, and as a novel ‘that should keep any reader on tenterhooks.’

The Guardian Angel – Non Fiction
In 1996 my ‘remarkable’ The Guardian Angel was published. The first part of the book recounts how techniques were developed and successfully applied to overcome the scourge of the ravaging desert locust in Africa. I wrapped the true story in accounts of personal experiences. The second part 'Wider Horizons' is devoted to international civil aviation development, especially challenges which have to be faced by the Third World in developing and maintaining safe civil aviation. The last chapter is called, ‘A Search For Reality - Truth and Progress in the Third World.’ It was in this chapter that, ten years ago, I wrote: ‘History has taught us that where the gap between rich and poor is wide, trouble awaits us around the corner’. Yes, unfortunately, look at our world of today, ten years on!

Reviews

Some extracts of review comments follow:

Forbes Management Book Club, U.S.A.
Member Book Reviews
*****
"There has been plenty of very positive feedback on this title. It varies from 'wonderful' to 'fantastic'. Amazon UK gives it four stars. Enjoy! But remember, this is adult fiction.'

Housewife, Austria
"….A truly excellent book – don’t stop writing!"

Housewife, Austria
"You have written a marvellous book. It is very well researched and full of the most interesting information. How could you possibly have found all this detail? It is extraordinary. I want to congratulate you."

Professor of Business Management, University of Nottingham, England
"….a pretty fast-paced novel… When Everard does talk about the details of making flying safe for you and I, it’s very obvious he knows what he is talking about, and it’s pretty educational stuff. It’s a very human book too, with passion, love, deceit, tragedy, joys and disappointments all making the story gripping and true to life…. Everard describes the pressures and politics of big organisations with such detail, you know he has been there. And that holds equally for his sensitive descriptions of life in the mountainous, bucolic kingdom of Bhutan… an unusual and fascinating novel with twists and turns that should keep any reader on tenterhooks."

British Ambassador to Austria – John Macgregor, CVQ
(Introductory remarks at the Safe Skies publication party, held at the British Bookshop, Vienna, on 17 May 2005)
"I have always liked novels which have a point. Colin Everard has written a novel that has a very important point. He manages to weave into this riveting novel the whole idea, over a long period of time, of the development of the concept of air safety. At first glance, this may seem to be a combination of curious themes, but it works very well. Bhutan is the main place which figures in this novel. The book has inspired me to look at the later-life possibility of visiting Bhutan. I would like to pay tribute to Colin because he is a bridge-builder – a bridge-builder between fiction and fact, between technology and readability, and he is a bridge-builder between peoples. He has lived in numerous places; one way and another he has spent a lot of his life building bridges between peoples – and this comes through in his book, which I thoroughly recommend."

Chief Executive, United Kingdom Flight Safety Committee
(Extracts from a letter addressed to the publishers)
"The technical content of this story is accurate in every detail, something seldom found…. The writer skilfully interweaves a delightful story of management power, arrogance and intrigue with passion and love… it was at times difficult to put the book aside."

Schoolmaster, England
"…I was worried about Tashi, but was glad that what might have remained a marshmallow character became a man of steel at the interview between ‘good and evil’. It is a wonderful achievement..:

Professor of Transportation Logistics, Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration - Austria
University of Applied Sciences, Department of Transport, Erfurt – Germany
"…what is reiterated in various ways throughout the book, is that there are rules to be followed which serve to enrich our daily lives… So why do we so often feel we ‘know better’ and ignore these simple rules, and in consequence complicate our lives – and frequently pay the price? He has the gift of succinct explanation covering complex subjects. The author’s accounts of the decision-making process, including its abuse, can be applied to the whole of mankind. To cite an example, we observe a chief pilot under Tashi’s watchful eye…. the pilot decides not to follow the rules properly. The pilot seems to be in a position of power. But the reader knows better; by now he knows that if the rules are not followed, disaster looms. And when the worst actually happens, we are all surprised! In a much wider sense, does mankind learn from its mistakes? Or is disaster looming? The author’s analogy is clear enough… This is a novel. It is not a text book…. But whether we manage or are managed, whatever our role in life, there is an enormous amount to learn from its pages… Colin Everard has written a novel that uniquely rises high above the general mass of sameness which pervades the globe. He has written a masterpiece."

You may also be interested in the link below.

http://morewn.com/Wed806herb.htm

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