Over the Shoulder — Createspace

The lead story, Almost Defcon 1, is about a day in October, 1962 during the Cuban Crisis when a young 3-man flight crew of a B-47 bomber, while executing a plan designed by higher authority, came close to starting nuclear war. Through the crew's navigator, 1/Lt. Jesse Kelley, the reader feels the personal emotions and professionalism of the crew as they execute their duties on this special mission during a tense period of the Cold War. Other stories find Jesse Kelley in various stages of his life reacting to flashbacks and fantasies. Weaving throughout three stories are relationships that ended unsatisfactorily but are surprisingly revived due to discovery of a mutual avocation. The final story is humorous: The end is not what Jesse was hoping for, but he does get his season-long wish--a surprising encounter.