Have you ever had that moment when you have the perfect title for a book, and then all of a sudden, you search Amazon and you find…someone just took that title. Beat you to it. Even in the same genre.
No? Just me? Well, even if it has not happened to you, I recently had this happen with a client I am working with. So, we need your help to come up with a new one.
Here’s the backstory, and some ideas and suggestions we’ve already had.
Help us choose a title, and you could win a $50 Amazon gift card and even a mention in the acknowledgments of the book!
Fly it Like You…
The original idea was Fly it Like You Stole It: From Blue Angel to Hollywood Stunt Pilot. That subtitle will probably stay the same, but…
Some dude snagged this title for a book he released recently, in the same aviation/memoir genre.
But this is not his story. This story belongs to Scott “Intake” Kartvedt. Here’s the short version.
Top Gun to Maverick
“Intake”, like many of us, went to see Top Gun when it came out in theaters. He and several of his friends went more than once.
He and his friend Bob both declared they were going to do it–go fly jets. But so did a whole bunch of us, right? Bob went to San Diego State through the Air Force ROTC program, Scott went to Pepperdine, majored in accounting, and then Bob called. He’d chosen jets and was going to fly for the Air Force. Not to be outdone, Scott called the Naval Recruiting office in L.A.
About a year later, he got accepted into the aviation program and started what would be an incredible career filled with highs and lows, literally and figuratively. After a tour as a Blue Angel, thousands of hours in an F-18, and rising to high levels of Navy command, Intake retired and entered the civilian world.
He Didn’t Stop Flying
While running the Fleet Week Air Show for United, Intake was again invited to fly on a demonstration team, this time a civilian team knowns as the Patriots. Through that opportunity, he got the chance to train some of the actors in the new Top Gun movie, Maverick, and prepare them for their roles. (Not Tom Cruise, he had is own trainer, and is an accomplished pilot already).
Thinking that was pretty cool, and the end of his involvement, Intake went home. But then he got a call. The studio needed two pilots to come out and film the last flight sequence of the film, the one where Rooster and Maverick steal the F-14. And he said yes.
He went from watching Top Gun and dreaming to making that dream a reality, and then flying as a stunt pilot in the movie Top Gun: Maverick.
You can learn more of his story by checking out the video below.
Some Title Ideas (We Need Yours)
So we have some ideas floating out there, including Living at High G and Intake at High G. We’ve even thought of the single-word title, Intake, followed by the subtitle above.
But we want to know what you think. Drop your title suggestions in the form below the video (up to three per person) and you’ll be automatically entered into our contest.
If your title is picked, you’ll receive a special package of prizes as well. Good luck! We can’t wait to hear what you come up with.
Troy is an editor, book coach, author of over 32 novels and several works of non-fiction, and the education lead for Plottr. He lives, works, and plays in Boise, Idaho.
Passionate about writing dark psychological thrillers, he is an avid cyclist, skier, hiker, all-around outdoorsman, and a terrible beginning golfer.