Author Doug Beason’s book “The Cadet” gives readers an inside look at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, one of the most iconic structures in Colorado and the training ground for some of our country’s brightest and toughest fighters, academics, and leaders.

Novelist Doug Beason and his wife Cindy enjoy living in Castle Pines Village and have taken the opportunity to travel since retiring in 2013.  They are pictured here in Monaco.  (Photo courtesy of Doug Beason)

By Amy Shanahan; photos courtesy of the Association of Graduates

Castle Pines Village (CPV) resident Doug Beason has had an exemplary career since graduating from the United States Air Force Academy (Academy) in Colorado Springs in 1977 with dual degrees in physics and math, and he is sharing much of that experience with readers nationwide.  

Beason earned his Ph.D. in physics, has been a science advisor to Presidents Clinton and Bush, the chief scientist for the U.S. Air Force Space Command, a professor at the Academy, the associate lab director at Los Alamos National Laboratory, and through it all, the author of 14 books and more than 100 scholarly papers, articles, and other publications.

Beason’s latest endeavor is a series of novels that follow the lives and careers of two warring families over three generations at the Academy.   The books begin with the founding of the Academy in 1955 and track its evolution as an institution to present day.  The books are historical fiction, meaning that the protagonist and other characters are fictional, however, many of the events are true to life.  

“I wrote this book through the lens of fiction because it gives more drama,” explained Beason.

The first book in the series of the Wild Blue U: Foundation of Honor saga was released in April and is titled “The Cadet.”  Beason explained, “This is the most exciting book I’ve written to date, because it is historical fiction.  I’ve used many stories from my years as a cadet and many from other graduates as well.  I’ve attempted to show through the characters’ eyes the changing times and reflections of the different periods.  We all look at history a certain way, but when I did more research I found other events that had happened and built a story around them.”

Beason’s storytelling career has included two works of non-fiction and he has written several thrillers with collaborator Kevin Anderson, including “Ignition” which was bought by Universal Studios, and “Ill Wind” which was optioned by 20th Century Fox Studios and ABC.
 
“The Cadet” is a true labor of love for the author who has worked on the novel sporadically over the course of 15 years due to the amount of research involved.  

“This book is more personal because I attended the USAF Academy,” remarked Beason.  
“I spent a lot of time making sure that the experiences in the book are real and that it presented a realistic view of the Academy.”  The novel was released on Tuesday, April 7th, 2015, in order to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the first class entering the USAF Academy.

Beason and his wife Cindy moved to CPV seven years ago when Beason was asked to serve as the first Chief Scientist of Air Force Space Command based at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs.  Upon his retirement in 2013, the couple made the decision to stay in CPV.  “We love living in Castle Pines Village because of the natural beauty of the area and being close to the mountains, yet being near to a major city with all its amenities,” Beason stated.  The couple has two grown daughters that they are very proud of.  Their eldest daughter lives in Denver and works as an accountant, and their younger daughter lives in Chicago where she is a teacher in the inner-city.

“The Cadet” is published by local Colorado publisher, Wordfire Press and a portion of the proceeds will be given to the Association of Graduates of the USAF Academy.  The novel will be available in book stores fall of 2015, but is currently available online at Amazon, Smashwords and Kobo.  

For more information about Beason or his novels, visit www.DougBeason.com.