Posted by Elfriede Copple
It’s Friday again! Where does the time go? Does the time fly by for you, dear reader, as it does for us?
It’s been a busy week! Mike put his back out and we had to make a few unexpected trips to the chiropractor. We are so blessed to have a great chiropractor in our small town—the next big city is three hours drive away.
Speaking of Mike, there are quite a number of people asking us over and over again what inspired him to write the novel “Calling from the Sky” – A novel inspired by true events!
In short—this is how Mike would describe it:
“CALLING FROM THE SKY was prompted by the deep gratitude I have for life. Experiencing many “close calls” mostly during seventeen years and over 2000 parachute jumps, my oldest son, Don, said to me, “Dad, you should write those stories down so they don’t get lost.” This began an autobiography which evolved into a more exciting thriller (since I didn’t think anyone would want to read about me, Mike Copple). So the truth became faction (fact/fiction). Part of the fiction are the Russian spies who try to take revenge and kill “Luke” by sabotaging his parachute.
With 26 years on active duty in the US Air Force, I experienced parachute malfunctions like being a “hung jumper” outside the aircraft, in a deadly seesaw night jump entanglement with another jumper, and in an 85 mph wind shear. The latter almost took my life.
I hope that you, the reader, will find the detailed descriptions of the malfunctions and their resolve exciting and will, to some degree, answer common questions.”
It is a fast read! Actually the story keeps you so hooked that one of our friends read the book in one sitting because he just couldn’t put it down and wanted to know whether Luke would survive and live!
It’s a Christian book in which the story leads into Mike’s testimony to how he came to the Lord.
I just want to quote one review we received on Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars The “Top Gun” Equivalent of USAF and USAF Academy Parachute Operations – Did it happen or not?
As an Air Force F-15 pilot and member of the USAF Academy “Wings of Blue” Parachute team, I found this book compelling in challenging me to wonder if these events really happened or not. We all assume the stuff in Top Gun was true as the story unfolds. In a similar way, Mike Copple as a senior NCO Air Force leader and Combat Control veteran ties a sterling career of service to our country together with an intriguing skydiving adventure story. The real lesson is one that many of us have learned in life much later than we should have, and that is that family and faith are the core values that sustain life.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a fascinating fast read “novel” (or it is true?), those interested in the Air Force or Air Force Academy, special operations, or skydiving enthusiasts. For Christians looking for a written witness from an amazing leader, this book is it.
We received feedback that this is a great gift for non-believing friends who enjoy reading thrillers with a true background that also touches on romance and mystery; and all along it takes a deeper look at faith.
Are you ready to dive into an exciting spy novel? Or do you have a friend who needs a testimony that when asked God will forgive even those terrible, bad mistakes we think are unforgivable?
Let us know what your thoughts are about this story, and whether this week flew by for you too.
Thank you for reading and following. Blessings!
Michael (Mike) Copple 