Lynn (Skip) CarterAfter graduating from high school, I joined the Navy to see the world, most of which is covered by water as I soon learned. I had always been drawn to flying. My father and uncle were both pilots during World War II, so I was delighted to earn my wins as a Naval aviator. After a tour as a flight instructor in the advanced jet training command, I transitioned to fly the F-8 Crusader, the Navy's first supersonic fighter. I made several deployments to the western Pacific aboard the USS Hancock and flew sixty-eight combat missions. I then earned a master's degree in Aeronautical Engineering before transitioning to the F-4 Phantom, a two-engine, two-person fighter aircraft. Most of my flying in Phantoms was aboard the USS Independence in the Mediterranean, the western Atlantic, and the Caribbean. I was one of two crews my squadron selected to attend the Navy's Fighter Weapons School, commonly referred to as the "Top Gun" program. While in the F-4 squadron I published two articles in the "U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings" magazine, although at the time I had no thoughts of becoming a writer. I left my squadron in Genoa, Italy and went to the US Naval War College's Command and Staff program, then transferred to the Naval Air Systems Command in Washington, DC. where I worked on several weapon systems the Navy was developing, one jointly with the Air Force, the other jointly with the Air Force and the Army. Before either project was completed, I transferred to a composite squadron in Sigonella, Sicily, to fly T-39 Sabreliners and flew VIPs throughout the Mediterranean, Egypt and the United Kingdom. While in that squadron I visited many Greek and Roman ruins which profoundly influenced my later decision to write a historical novel set in the third century Roman Empire. I finished my military career at the Navy's Aviation Safety School in Monterey, California. After retiring and a brief exposure to commercial enterprises, I returned to aviation and flew as a first officer then as captain of Boeing 747 aircraft for Atlas Air, a cargo company based in New York city. Why is someone whose careers were in the navy and in aviation writing about an era that depended principally on land forces? I was intrigued with a father and son who became co-emperors almost by accident. The thirty-five-year-old son was given command of the western half of the empire, told to maintain order, keep barbarians out, and protect against revolts by ambitious generals and provincial governors, an all-to familiar occurrence since the time of Augustus. My major interest in this man relates to how he managed both internal and external threats while dealing with issues of trust and betrayal. These challenges are what made his story resonate for me, and I hope will for you.I have three daughters, one son, two grandsons, one granddaughter and live with my wife, Pam, in Bedford, NH. Read More Read Less