Clear and a Million

Part of the Sierra Hotel series:

Sierra Hotel
Clear and a Million
Semper Fly

With Clear and a Million, bestselling author Kent McInnis brings us back to the flawed, feeling, and completely authentic characters from his hit debut, Sierra Hotel.

Returning to civilian life sounded easy back when Rob Amity was flying jets for the U.S. Air Force. The reality of an empty apartment and the difficulty of finding his place in a civilian world soon have him rethinking his choices. Hoping to find something of the old camaraderie of the squadron flight line, Rob reaches out to his friend Captain Hal Freed, a decorated Vietnam combat veteran. They agree to a road trip on historic Route 66 in Rob’s sporty new Porsche, headed for the Grand Canyon. The adventures they find, however, are not quite the kind they seek.

After the trip is cut short, Rob returns to Oklahoma and reconnects with his old flame Suzy Alexander. The widow of his late best friend is now a single mother living with her parents, and she’s as lonely and depressed as he is. As romance blooms anew with Suzy, her father helps Rob find a job in the booming local oil business. Intent on proving himself worthy of Suzy’s love, he throws himself into the work with abandon and quickly begins to climb the corporate ladder. Life seems to be coming together at last, until Rob’s obsession with replacing the thrill of flying with money and security leads to trouble with Suzy. Can he find a way to balance the two and find some sort of happiness for himself? Or will he be forced to make an impossible choice between love and success?

Published: May 23, 2023
Publisher: Hat Creek
Genres:

Historical, War/Military

Tags:

About the Author

Kent McInnis

Kent McInnis enlisted in the Air Force in 1969, while awaiting acceptance to pilot training. He earned his wings in 1971 at Laredo AFB, Texas, with a class proudly named the Rio River Rats, an homage to the “real” River Rats who risked their lives flying missions over North Vietnam. His first assignment was to return to Laredo AFB as an instructor pilot in T-37 jet trainers. His job was to introduce student pilots to their first jet aircraft and to solo them. After learning the difficult task of instrument flying, students could experience the more enjoyable parts of flying—aerobatics and formation. Because over half of the instructor pilots were returning Vietnam combat veterans, Kent collected their stories as well as his own in film, photos, and journals. This is the source for accurate and entertaining works of historical fiction Kent McInnis brings to his readers.

Other Books By Kent McInnis

Stand-Alone Books

Detail Man

Series: Sierra Hotel

Sierra Hotel

Clear and a Million

Semper Fly

Somebody Ought to be Crying

Part memoir, part mayhem, all heart.

Somebody Ought to Be Crying isn’t your typical memoir-it’s a rollicking ride through a life that’s equal parts outrageous, heartfelt, and utterly unique.

In more than 80 vignettes, award-winning author J.B. Hogan invites you to sit down, grab a drink (you’ll need it), and explore a personal history written with humor, heart, and just a touch of chaos. From laugh-out-loud misadventures to poignant moments of self-reflection, this memoir is proof that every life-yours included-is worth recording.

Think of it as the guidebook you never knew you needed for writing your own story. The author has spent years encouraging others to capture their histories because, as he’ll tell you, “Someone, someday, will want to know who you were, what you did, and how in the world you managed to pull it all off.” This is his version of that advice, turned inward-and upside down.

Serious when it needs to be, irreverent the rest of the time, Somebody Ought to Be Crying, is a celebration of the messy, unpredictable, and glorious business of living. Whether it’s Grandma So-and-So, Uncle What’s-His-Name, or just plain old you, everyone has a story worth telling.

So grab a chair, settle in, and get ready for a memoir that might just make you laugh, cry, or say, “Wait, what?”

Trini! Come!

Held captive by the Apache, a young girl discovers the courage to survive… and the strength to choose her own path.

In the rugged borderlands of northern Sonora and southern Arizona, twelve-year-old Trinidad Verdín’s life is forever changed when a brutal Apache raid claims her family and leaves her a captive of the legendary Geronimo. Taken by the Naiche-Geronimo band, Trinidad is thrust into a world of survival, resilience, and unexpected bonds.

Under the supervision of Geronimo and his wife, She-gha, Trinidad discovers a new sense of belonging. She forms a surprising friendship with Garditha, a ten-year-old Apache boy, as they teach each other their languages and skills. Together, they navigate the perils of life on the run-from scalp hunters to relentless soldiers-each day a fight to stay alive.

But when a surprise attack by Mexican vaqueros throws Trinidad into chaos, she faces an impossible decision. She can follow Geronimo and remain with the Apache who have become her family or risk everything by running toward the vaqueros who might mistake her for an enemy.

Award-winning author W. Michael Farmer masterfully blends riveting historical detail with unforgettable characters to bring to life the courage, resilience, and humanity of a young girl caught between two competing cultures. Trini! Come! is a powerful tale of survival, identity, and the strength it takes to find one’s place in an unforgiving world.

Red Sky Storm

All he wanted was to ride into the sunset. Fate had a different plan.

Lummy Tullos has witnessed the darkness of war and carried its weight on his soul. After years of bloodshed, he longs for peace and a quiet life with his family on the farm in Choctaw County. But the past refuses to release its grip, and the tranquility he craves remains always just out of reach.

As Lummy seeks solitude, hoping to escape the war-torn memories that haunt him, his old friend, Rainy Mills, is pulled into a new battle against a growing threat-the ruthless Tom Kimbrell. Seeking revenge for the death of his friend and fellow outlaw, John West, Kimbrell targets the family Rainy and Lummy have come to share, unleashing a relentless crusade of cruelty and destruction.

With Kimbrell’s campaign of vengeance escalating, Rainy is thrust into a fight he never sought. Leading a new generation into the fray, he embarks on a dangerous mission to stop Kimbrell-but with danger at every turn, sacrifices will be made and lives forever changed.

A tale of redemption, family, and unyielding courage, Lummy must confront his inner demons while Rainy battles threats from without, as both men discover that the path to peace is often forged through the most difficult choices.

Roan & Weatherford