“Tailspin” By John Armbruster – Available on Audible

I auditioned for “Tailspin” with little expectation of being the one selected. Although that’s how I view any audition, this was my first opportunity with a new publisher, and I honestly thought I stood a 0% chance of booking it. Thankful to be considered, I turned in the audition and moved on to the next one. 

When the email came in telling me I’d been approved for the project, elation was quickly followed by fear. I immediately called my mentor, and we celebrated the moment. He did what any great mentor does and found the perfect words to encourage me. Narrating John’s beautifully written true story about a WWII tail gunner who miraculously survived a 4-mile freefall and John’s struggles during his quest for knowledge was indeed a professional and personal highlight I’ll never forget. 

“Tailspin” By John Armbruster is available on Audible and was published by Tantor Media. 

Short Synopsis
Tailspin is more than a war story. It’s a story of two men’s separate journeys confronting trauma and loss. It’s a story of resilience and hope.

Full Synopsis
World War II, tail gunner Gene Moran, fell four miles through the sky without a parachute and lived. Captured by the Germans, he survived a harrowing eighteen months as a prisoner of war, including a six-hundred-mile death march in 1945 across Central Europe.

When Gene returned home, he kept those memories locked up for nearly seventy years. His nine children knew little of their dad’s war story. But when John, a young history teacher, learns of Gene’s amazing fall, he’s desperate to learn more. Finally, Gene agrees.

So begins a series of “Thursdays with Gene” interviews. Gene, nearing his ninetieth birthday, recounts incredible tales. But John has no idea what wounds he’s reopening. Gene’s nightmares and grief return. But both men persevere, bonded by their close and growing friendship.

As the interviews go on, John faces an ordeal of his own. His wife is fighting brain cancer. What will happen to his wife and his two young children? John must continue uncovering Gene’s story of survival as he himself confronts the greatest trial of his life.

Tailspin is more than a war story. It’s a story of two men’s separate journeys confronting trauma and loss. It’s a story of resilience and hope.