Charles W. Bowen has vivid memories of living through and being fascinated with World War II when he was a preteen, often studying different aircrafts and interviewing pilots later on to fuel his interest.
Now, Bowen is celebrating the publication of his first novel and hopes to honor those who fought with his historical romance, “Paladin: The Story of Augusta’s Fighter Ace,” which tells the story of Matt Tower and Vivian Davis in the midst of World War II. Tower is a young American pilot fighting in Europe when he unexpectedly runs into the beautiful Davis, who is part of the Women’s Voluntary Service.
“We’re taking a young college kid and turning him into a man with the controls of a P-51 Mustang going into a nest of spitfire. [World War II] educated a lot of guys, when they came back, they were a whole lot more matter of fact than when they first left,” said Bowen.
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In preparing to write “Paladin,” Bowen spent several years researching events, missions, territories and people to write a historically accurate picture and attempt to tell a love story of a realistic pilot from the 353rd Fighter Group. Bowen also explains why he chose to write about World War II over other time periods.
“I think we learn so much from World War II, its historical significance is going to last years ahead of us. It was the last romantic war of this era, and it’s still talked about, it’s still studied and looked at,” said Bowen. “I think it’s absolutely critical that history is preserved. Out of [World War II] comes radar, out of that comes jets, so a lot of the stuff we’re using today that we take for granted developed right out of that era. The radio that we use today, the cell phone you talk on, a whole lot of those things came out of the missile situation to the moon and other events of that era. This era will be [continually] studied in the future because it introduced so many modern things.”
Through his works, Bowen hopes to bring more attention to the Second World War while also honoring those who fought and sacrificed. He honors Richard A. Stearns Jr., an enlisted soldier from Augusta in the 350th Squadron of the 353rd Fighter Group, by modeling the main character, Matt Tower, after him. Leading heroine is also written in honor of Vivian Elizabeth Davis, an Augustan who won the Miss Georgia title in 1964.
“Some of the people mentioned there are actual officers and enlisted soldiers that served there … I’m using real people who were actually there mixed in with Matt Tower. If [Matt Tower] was not a character that made the story a historical romance novel, it would be like a documentary and an absolute true representation,” Bowen said. “It is actual historical stuff like the fighter base and the aircrafts, the missions are actual copies of real missions that happened, everything is exactly like the real stuff … you’ve got accurate things that are happening, we’re just adding in a new person to what’s existing there.”
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Despite his in-depth studies and knowledge of the Second World War and the Augusta area, Bowen chose to write a fictional story rather than following a specific individual allowing him to encompass multiple events and relationships that could, and did, occur over the span of the conflict.
“Everything that’s going on is real. Everything that’s going on is historical. Everything that’s going on actually took place. The only change we made was that we had to introduce characters that would make it a historical, romantic novel,” said Bowen. “If it was the other way [a nonfiction] it would almost be like a documentary. It wouldn’t flow like a novel without Vivian and [Matt] Tower.”
Bowen describes the importance Vivian’s character held in the plot, not only as Matt’s love interest but also as an example of how the war was causing positive changes in women by empowering them. Bowen demonstrates this with a particular scene involving Tower expressing his concern for Vivian’s safety and her vocalizing her ability to protect herself using a gun.
In addition to a strong male lead, Bowen also added his opinion on the significance of a strong female protagonist. He explained how women of the era became fearless and determined to help their country win the war through any means possible, which he felt was important to include in the book.
“They were fearless,” Bowen said when describing women of the era. “I think the world would be in a devil of a fix if it weren’t for the women. I mean that. The feminine touch is indispensable.”
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Bowen also attributes his ability to write different relatable characters by calling on his various life experiences and hardships. He also attributes his flexibility with putting himself into others’ shoes by calling on his acting experience with the Augusta Players from his youthful days.
“If you want be a successful author, you have to be able to become the character that you’re working with at that moment. So, if I’m working with a fighter pilot that’s lost a good buddy, I’ve got to step in there and I’ve got to feel it, and then I can write it,” said Bowen. “It takes effort, it’ll take me a little bit longer to do the ladies because I’ve got to be sure that the emotion is right. [Women] are a little bit more sensitive, but they are also compassionate.”
Bowen heavily emphasizes his love of World War II and hopes that readers will enjoy his novel as much as he loved writing it.
“Augusta has a phenomenal history, and so I use some of that in book two, because a lot of the vets that came home had given up a lot of their life’s years and it was for their country,” said Bowen.
Bowen will have a book signing from noon to 2 p.m., Saturday, July 30, at The Book Tavern, 978 Broad St..
For more information on Charles W. Bowen or his works go to www.charlesbowenbooks.com
