Literary Aviatrix: The Power of Story - Women in Aviation

Send us a Text Message. In this interview with inspiring pilot Polly Vacher, she talks about her memoir Wings Around the World: The Exhilarating Story of One Woman’s Epic Flight from the North Pole to Antarctica. She shares how she prepared for the trip, some of the obstacles that stood in her way and how she navigated them, the very difficult decision she was faced with in trying to achieve the goal she’d prepared for over two years to accomplish, and the highlights of meeting people all across the world, all in the name of charity to raise funds for Flying Scholarships for the Disabled. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening! Stay up to date Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.VisitLiterary Aviatrix websiteBecomeLiterary Aviatrix PatronFollow meLiterary Aviatrix linkt.ree Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening! -Liz Booker

Send us a Text Message. In this fun interview with mystery writer Edith Maxwell, publishing under the pen name 'Maddie Day', we talk about her historical mystery, A Case for the Ladies: A Dot and Amelia Mystery, which launched in March. In it, a young Amelia Earhart, who is living in Boston, taking flying lessons on the weekends, and working at an immigrant settlement house, helps solve the mystery of a series of murders involving immigrant women. Edith, who has published over 30 books, also shares her wisdom and experience as a mystery writer.Typically a traditionally published author, Edith went out on her own to bring this story to life, so let's support her and buy (AND REVIEW) A Case for the Ladies! Thanks so much for listening! Stay up to date Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.VisitLiterary Aviatrix websiteBecomeLiterary Aviatrix PatronFollow meLiterary Aviatrix linkt.ree Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening! -Liz Booker

Send us a Text Message. In this interview with Bloomberg space journalist and author Loren Grush, we talk about her childhood growing up around Johnson Space Center with two NASA Engineers and how that led her to unearth the stories of NASA's first women astronauts. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening! Stay up to date Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.VisitLiterary Aviatrix websiteBecomeLiterary Aviatrix PatronFollow meLiterary Aviatrix linkt.ree Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening! -Liz Booker

Send us a Text Message. In this interview with self-published historical fiction and mystery/thriller author Penelope Haines, we talk details on going from Na-No-Wri-Mo participant to self-published author. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening! Stay up to date Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.VisitLiterary Aviatrix websiteBecomeLiterary Aviatrix PatronFollow meLiterary Aviatrix linkt.ree Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening! -Liz Booker

Send us a Text Message. In this interview with New Zealand pilot, flight instructor and author, Penelope Haines, we discuss her mystery/thriller novel Death on D'Urville and talk all things flying and instructing in New Zealand! Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening! Stay up to date Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.VisitLiterary Aviatrix websiteBecomeLiterary Aviatrix PatronFollow meLiterary Aviatrix linkt.ree Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening! -Liz Booker

Send us a Text Message. In this interview with all-star award-winning young adult authors Sherri L. Smith and Elizabeth Wein, they discuss their fabulously researched and written young adult non-fiction American Wings: Chicago's Pioneering Black Aviators and the Race for Equality in the Sky. They give us a glimpse into this fascinating aviation history and the process that brought it to life in this new book, which is essential reading for any avgeek or aviation history buff! Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening! Stay up to date Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.VisitLiterary Aviatrix websiteBecomeLiterary Aviatrix PatronFollow meLiterary Aviatrix linkt.ree Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening! -Liz Booker

Send us a Text Message. In this Aviatrix Writers’ Room interview with best-selling author Sara Ackerman, she shares how she went from three rejected, unpublished novels to finding an agent and becoming the successful author of six acclaimed historical fiction novels centered on Hawaiian history, including her latest release, The Uncharted Flight of Olivia West. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening! Stay up to date Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.VisitLiterary Aviatrix websiteBecomeLiterary Aviatrix PatronFollow meLiterary Aviatrix linkt.ree Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening! -Liz Booker

Send us a Text Message. In this interview with best-selling author Sara Ackerman, we talk about her latest historical novel, The Uncharted Flight of Olivia West, set against the backdrop of the Dole Air Race from the Continental U.S. to Hawaii in the late 1920's. In this reimagined story, female competitor Olivia West joins the fray in a race that historically included no female pilots. Acclaimed for her WWII historical romance novels set in Hawaii, we're privileged to have an Aviatrix join Sara's fictional cast of characters in this latest release. You can find her book, along with hundreds of others featuring women in aviation, on the Literary Aviatrix Website. https://literaryaviatrix.com/product/the-uncharted-flight-of-olivia-west-a-novel/ Blue Skies, and Happy Reading! Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening! Stay up to date Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.VisitLiterary Aviatrix websiteBecomeLiterary Aviatrix PatronFollow meLiterary Aviatrix linkt.ree Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening! -Liz Booker

Send us a Text Message. In this interview with helicopter pilot and author Kodey Bogart, we talk about her new picture book, Helo Girls: The Firefighting Pilot. Kodey is a decorated veteran Army Warrant Officer Medevac pilot and recipient of two Air Medals and the Sikorsky Rescue Award. She has extensive experience in a range of aviation operations, training, safety, test flight, air ambulance, and law enforcement. We spend a good portion of our interview geeking out about flying helos. The Firefighting Pilot is the first of what Kodey plans to turn into a series of picture books featuring various female pilots in diverse aviation missions. The book is available for pre-order now and launches on January 16th! https://literaryaviatrix.com/product/helo_girls_firefighting_pilot/ Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening! Stay up to date Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.VisitLiterary Aviatrix websiteBecomeLiterary Aviatrix PatronFollow meLiterary Aviatrix linkt.ree Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening! -Liz Booker

Send us a Text Message. Welcome to the new Literary Aviatrix Leadership and Development author interview series. Loree "Rowdy" Draude was a combat pilot among the first women to deploy on an aircraft carrier. She also navigated a very successful career in the tech sector. Now Loree brings her professional experiences together to help coach and inspire business leaders, and her love of art and creativity to entertain and inspire audiences with her one-woman show, "I Feel the Need." Her book, She's Just Another Navy Pilot, is Loree's memoir of that first carrier deployment, which began the day LT Kara Hultgreen lost her life in a fatal crash on takeoff. Soar Into Joy brings together the advice Loree finds herself repeating as a coach to her clients. You can find her books on the Literary Aviatrix website, and you can find Loree at her website https://loreedraude.com and on Instagram and FaceBook @loreedraude Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening! Stay up to date Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.VisitLiterary Aviatrix websiteBecomeLiterary Aviatrix PatronFollow meLiterary Aviatrix linkt.ree Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening! -Liz Booker

Send us a Text Message. Announcing the FOURTH Aviatrix Book Club annual reading list! With so many fabulous books it's hard to choose only twelve. I hope you're as excited as I am about the diversity of genre, types of flying, and historical periods reflected in this list. I look forward to seeing you in the discussions. Happy Reading! Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening! Stay up to date Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.VisitLiterary Aviatrix websiteBecomeLiterary Aviatrix PatronFollow meLiterary Aviatrix linkt.ree Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening! -Liz Booker

Send us a Text Message. In this interview with Leona Cobham, granddaughter of pioneering pilot and aviation advocate, Sir Alan Cobham, we talk about her wonderful middle grade book, Flying Circus Takes to the Skies, which features the adventures of four anthropomorphic vintage aircraft: Spiff, the Spitfire; Vul, the Vulcan; Tom, the Tomcat; and Woody, the Tiger Moth. Leona was inspired to write the book by her experience working with children and her concern over boys becoming ever-more reluctant readers. She created these characters in the hopes that boys would get excited about both reading and aviation history. Her next installment of Airplane Adventures will include a female Nighthawk. The story is well-complemented by line drawings from aviation artist Timothy O'Brien. https://www.timobrienart.co.uk/ Leona's book is very thoughtfully available in two English versions - one with British spellings, and one with American, so be sure to select the one appropriate for your young reader. Affiliate links for both can be found on the Literary Aviatrix website: British: https://literaryaviatrix.com/product/aeroplane-adventures-flying-circus-takes-to-the-skies/ American: https://literaryaviatrix.com/product/airplane-adventures-flying-circus-takes-to-the-skies/ Toward the end of our interview, we talk about Frederick Forsyth's The Shepherd, and the Canadian Broadcast Company's annual broadcast of a 1979 reading done by "Fireside Al" Maitland. If you'd like to join us in the Christmas Eve tradition, here's a link: CBC - As it Happens Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening! Stay up to date Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.VisitLiterary Aviatrix websiteBecomeLiterary Aviatrix PatronFollow meLiterary Aviatrix linkt.ree Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening! -Liz Booker

Send us a Text Message. In this interview with Astronaut Pilot Eileen Collins, she talks about her path, from her childhood in Elmira, New York, through community college and ROTC, to Air Force Flight Training, Instructing, a combat mission in Grenada, Stanford, and Test Pilot School, to becoming the first female, and mother, NASA Space Shuttle pilot and mission commander. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening! Stay up to date Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.VisitLiterary Aviatrix websiteBecomeLiterary Aviatrix PatronFollow meLiterary Aviatrix linkt.ree Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening! -Liz Booker

Send us a Text Message. In this interview with Coast Guard Aviation Electronics Technician and H65 Dolphin Helicopter Flight Mechanic, Ashlee Leppert, we talk about her memoir The Hurricane Within, which recounts her experiences in the Hurricane Harvey disaster response while she simultaneously endured troubling and mysterious physical symptoms that eventually grounded her from flying. Ashlee talks about her medical journey, how her faith guided her through her PTSD, her transition to civilian life, and how she hopes to pay it forward as an author, speaker, and life coach. Ashlee earned an air medal for contributions to Harvey recovery efforts and was an honored guest at the State of the Union Address. Thank you, Ashlee, for showing the world what it looks like to be a Coast Guard helicopter flight mechanic, and for sharing your story for others to benefit. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening! Stay up to date Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.VisitLiterary Aviatrix websiteBecomeLiterary Aviatrix PatronFollow meLiterary Aviatrix linkt.ree Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening! -Liz Booker

Send us a Text Message. In this interview with Liz McConaghy, we talk about her experiences serving as aircrew on RAF Chinooks in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the mental challenges she faced after being medically grounded and leaving the service, which she writes about in her memoir Chinook Crew 'Chick': Highs and Lows of Forces Life from the Longest Serving Female Chinook Force Crewmember Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening! Stay up to date Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.VisitLiterary Aviatrix websiteBecomeLiterary Aviatrix PatronFollow meLiterary Aviatrix linkt.ree Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening! -Liz Booker

Send us a Text Message. In this interview with USAF Academy graduate, F-16 combat veteran pilot, former no. 3 Thunderbird demonstration team pilot, and boy-mom, Caroline ‘Blaze’ Jensen, we talk about her sweet new picture book, Thundermouse, her career, and how she managed one of the most visible and demanding jobs imaginable as the mother of a toddler. Blaze is the granddaughter of a WWII SPAR (as am I) and a Coast Guard Grandfather, and daughter of a U.S. Marine, but we’ll forgive her for joining the Air Force. She was inspired by Top Gun and guided by the legacy of the WASP and is currently the Board President-Elect of the WASP Museum in Sweetwater, Texas. Her illustrious Air Force career included a stint as a Congressional Liaison, where she met Erin Miller while she was on her crusade to secure WASP rights to interment at Arlington on behalf of her Gammy. Blaze is a motivational speaker for hire and offers mentoring to aspiring and junior military aviators. She will be celebrating the launch of Thundermouse at the WWII Commemorative Air Force Museum Minnesotta Wing this Friday, October 13th, at 6pm. Thundermouse launches tomorrow, Tuesday October 10th. If you order from Blaze’s website, she will sign and personalize a book for you. https://www.diamondechelonllc.com/ Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening! Stay up to date Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.VisitLiterary Aviatrix websiteBecomeLiterary Aviatrix PatronFollow meLiterary Aviatrix linkt.ree Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening! -Liz Booker

Send us a Text Message. In this interview with author Mary Carroll Moore, we talk about her new book, A Woman’s Guide to Search and Rescue, which is available for preorder and launches on October 24th, 2023. In a former life, Mary was a syndicated food journalist who wrote many food and cooking-related articles and books. At fifty, she went back to school for her MFA and began not only writing, but also teaching fiction. Mary’s curiosity about aviation was piqued by her mother, Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Hartz Carroll, who earned her pilot license in 1942 and flew with the Women Airforce Service Pilots during WWII. That curiosity inspired her to create two modern-day aviation characters, one an inland search and rescue pilot, and one an aerobatic pilot, in this new thriller novel that features a false murder accusation, a run from the law, and estranged sisters who reunite. Mary was also inspired to try flying herself. She recently started taking lessons and is both excited and overwhelmed by all there is to learn. Let’s give her a warm welcome to the community, and support her by buying her new book! We also talk in-depth about her writing and publishing journey during this conversation. A Woman’s Guide to Search and Rescue is a stand-alone novel but is also the sequel to Mary’s first work of fiction, Qualities of Light. You can find Mary at her website MaryCarrollMoore.com and on LinkedIn @MaryCarrollMoore. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening! Stay up to date Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.VisitLiterary Aviatrix websiteBecomeLiterary Aviatrix PatronFollow meLiterary Aviatrix linkt.ree Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening! -Liz Booker

Send us a Text Message. In the Aviatrix Book Club discussion book for September 2023, author Nell McShane Wulfhart gives us the previously unsung heroines of both the aviation industry and the women's rights movement: the airline stewardesses whose fight against blatant, unapologetic, institutionalized sexism laid the groundwork for equal rights beyond the airlines. This lynchpin story in our history illuminates the context into which the first generation of female airline pilots entered the workforce and explains the challenges they faced in being taken seriously as professionals and not dismissed as servant/sex objects. Anyone concerned with advancing diversity in aviation should read this book to fully understand from whence we came. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening! Stay up to date Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.VisitLiterary Aviatrix websiteBecomeLiterary Aviatrix PatronFollow meLiterary Aviatrix linkt.ree Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening! -Liz Booker

Send us a Text Message. In this Writers' Room interview with Nell McShane Wulfhart, author of The Great Stewardess Rebellion, we talk about her journey as a travel writer and the transition from writing short form journalistic pieces to a full length narrative non-fiction history. She also shares the details of submitting a proposal, working through an agent, and the experience of working with a Big Five publisher. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening! Stay up to date Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.VisitLiterary Aviatrix websiteBecomeLiterary Aviatrix PatronFollow meLiterary Aviatrix linkt.ree Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening! -Liz Booker

Send us a Text Message. In this portion of my interview with Erin Mariah Murphy about her picture book Halfway Home, she talks about her early career, learning to fly as a teenager and saving her money to pursue an aviation degree in college, where she also competed in the Air Race Classic. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/ Thanks so much for listening! Stay up to date Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.VisitLiterary Aviatrix websiteBecomeLiterary Aviatrix PatronFollow meLiterary Aviatrix linkt.ree Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening! -Liz Booker