Real Life Story Better Than Fiction?

Wendell Ware spent decades in business, eventually becoming president of Micro Publication Systems, a microfilm company with offices in Los Angeles, Chicago, London and Paris. But for the Sherman Oaks resident, like other members of his generation, the defining event of his life was World War II. During the war, he was commanding officer of the 35th Fighter Control Squadron and served as a pilot. At 95, Ware has written his first novel, “Arise My Love and Come Away With Me,” a semi-autobiographical work about a boy who dreams of becoming a pilot and makes his first solo flight as a teenager. He falls in love, but the looming approach of war throws a shadow over his relationship. “It tells the growing anxiety of the nation as they approach World War II and the effects that it had on the private lives of many,” he said. Ware’s wife, Gloria, was the inspiration for the novel, which he decided to write after she died in 2007 following more than 50 years of marriage. Linda Swarzman, a former graphic artist for Micro Publication Systems, was a witness to Ware’s marriage and said the pair were a good team. “She ran the inside operations while he established the relationships and made the sales,” recalled Swarzman, who helps take care of Ware in his advanced years. Since the book’s debut on the Amazon.com Inc. and Barnes & Noble Inc. websites, Ware has been working with screenwriters on a film version. He is also working on a second novel. “He has a wonderful command of the English language and I think that it’s a result of his travels while in his microfilm business,” Swarzman said. – John Saringo-Rodriguez