HOLD BACK THE SUN is a historical novel about the adventures of two U.S. Asiatic Fleet lieutenants in the opening months of the Pacific War. Frank Rhea flies a floatplane off the old cruiser, U.S.S. MARBLEHEAD. Jack Sewell is the Gunnery Officer of a WW1 era destroyer.

Set against the backdrop of the fall of the Philippines and Dutch East Indies, the heroic battles put up by the Asiatic Fleet against the might of Japan’s modern navy provide almost continuous action. Fast-paced wartime romance fills the time away from combat.

What genre would you describe this as?
HOLD BACK THE SUN is a military historical novel.

HOLD BACK THE SUN is aimed at readers who enjoy military thrillers. This group includes many women, who seem to like my strong female characters.

Tell us about these characters, male and female.
Frank Rhea is an aeronautical engineer from UCLA, where he also took Naval R.O.T.C. After a time of active duty, he was released and worked for Hughes Aircraft. He wants to be a fighter pilot.

Jack Sewell graduated from Harvard Business School and was also in R.O.T.C. He and Frank are both recalled to active duty in July 1941.

Cinta van Wely, a lovely yound Dutch doctor from Java, was Frank’s lover at UCLA. They meet again on a Pan Am Clipper flight to Manila.

Garrit Laterveer is a Dutch pilot who became an ace in the Battle of Britain.

Katsura Okuma is a Japanese paratroop expert.

Have you written any other books that we should read next?
My debut novel, FALL EAGLE ONE, is an action/adventure story about a fictional mission to kill FDR with early “smart” bombs. It has hovered in or near the upper one percent of Kindle sales for most of 2013.

We must check it out. You seem to have an interest in the military; is it a part of your personal history?
I grew up in El Dorado, Arkansas, and earned Bachelors and Masters degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Arkansas. Over 29 years on active duty as an officer in the U.S. Navy gave me a great background for writing about naval and military life. My Navy tours took me all over the Pacific, including two combat tours in Vietnam. I have also traveled extensively in Europe. Personal experience backs up all my fictional tales.

Do you have a website where we can keep up with your work?
My website is at https://sites.google.com/site/warrenbellauthor/services.

How can we follow you on Twitter and/or Facebook?
@wbellauthor
https://www.facebook.com/wbell11

How easily do new storylines come to you? If we give you four random words – Man, Woman, Airport, Darkness – can you give us a brief storyline?
The jangle of a telephone startled Tom Howell from sleep. His eyes opened to complete darkness. Who could be calling him in the middle of the night? He lifted the receiver and said, “Hello.”

“Where the hell are you?” came his wife, Audry’s angry voice over
the wire. “I’ve been waiting at the airport for almost on hour!”

“Oh my God,” He thought. “I was supposed to pick her and Timmy up when their plane came in.”

He’s in trouble!
What’s next for you?
I’m currently writing a novel about U.S. Navy Seabees in the Battle of Hue City during the 1968 Tet Offensive.