Red Beans & Ripcords

Mike Marcon has written of a time in the 1960's when sport parachuting, or "skydiving," as it is called today, was just starting to come into its own as a sport. In the U.S., Europe and across the world, even in the Soviet Union, small groups of jumpers would gather at local airports and grass airstrips on the week-ends. The equipment they used was usually military surplus -- their aircraft, a mixed bag of smaller airplanes.

Mike's early days as a jumper took place mainly in the south, starting first in Mississippi and later, in Louisiana. Mike revelled in the sport as a young guy with nothing on his mind but jumping, girls and partying. He was the master of practical jokes. The characters he recounts in "Red Beans & Ripcords" are varied and slightly off-balance.

There was Major Goody who tried to kill a cat with home-made nitroglycerine, and Swartz who jumped with his dog. There were the first-jump students he trained and the jumpers who became his extended family. There were the ocelots kept as pets that terrorized the various visitors that visited his parachute center. There were outrageous drinking games and eating unbelievable amounts of a southern staple, red beans and rice. You'll roar with laughter at the story of "Eddy and the Body." And, through it all, there was Leon, the Cajun, his mentor and friend. You'll most likely hear the sound of Zydeco music in the pages of this book.

Mike Marcon resides in Virginia with his wife, Marianne. He has written professionally since 1984. He has been published by Random House, Prentice-Hall, and Hilltop Publishers. He also writes for many regional magazines and newspapers.

Today, he operates Marcon Publishing, helping new writers bring their words to readers worldwide. He is currently co-authoring another book to be debuted later this year. Marcon Publishing can be found on the internet here: www.mikemarcon.info