Tuesday Tidbits: RELEASE DAY!

MRS. WITHERSPOON GOES TO WAR releases today! I’m so excited!
Peggy is a strong female pilot with heart who takes the reader on an exciting adventure with giggles throughout.
~~~
A WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) embarks on an unsanctioned mission to rescue three US soldiers held captive in Cuba. Margaret “Peggy” Witherspoon is a thirty-four-year-old widow, mother of two, flying for the WASP. When her new supervisor, Army Air Corps Major Howie Berg, gives her an order she can’t follow, sparks fly. In the course of her duties, Peggy learns of US soldiers being held captive in Cuba. She undertakes a daring rescue mission. She will need all her WASP skills to succeed and come out of this alive while trying not to ignite an international incident.
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I had a few misgivings about writing Mrs. Witherspoon Goes To War. I hadn’t written a story during WWII before. I’ve done a lot of research on WWI and still hope to get that novel series published, but I had stayed away from WWII. One war was enough for this gal.

I dove into research on a variety of topics. First, I thought—if I was going to live in WWII for a while—it would be interesting to have a lady pilot, so I that was my first research stop. Two female flying organizations were created during WWII, the WFTD (Women’s Flying Training Detachment) and the WAFS (Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron). In 1943, they combined to form the WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots). I quickly decided which one of these three organizations I wanted my heroine to be in—the WASP.

And that was only the tip of the research iceberg. One of the other topics I researched were military aircraft from fighter planes to cargo planes to huge bombers. I never knew there were so many different military aircraft in each of these categories.

Here is a list of a few more topics I dug into:
~Military protocols
~Saluting
~WASP uniform and clothing
~WASP housing and travel
~WASP duties
~Military bases
~Insulation on aircraft wiring
~Who had radar technology?
~1944 hurricane season
~In-depth research of 1944 Cuba/Florida hurricane
~Typical damage after the 1944 Cuba/Florida hurricane
~Cuba
~WWII Allied and Axis powers
~Emergency survival gear
~How to survive when bailing out over the ocean and all the survival gear that goes with that (it’s a lot)
~Distance and fuel consumption to and from Cuba
~When the Pentagon was built
~How to relocate a dislocated shoulder
~Meatloaf
~5th grade spelling bee words
~Color of flashing lights on military emergency vehicles
~What military medals can be given to a civilian
~Military Challenge Coins
~and so many other things

I never imagined needing to learn so many new old things. If I had known this story would require so much research so many things before I started, it might have scared me off. I’m glad I didn’t know, because I truly enjoyed this story.

HAPPY READING!

FIND Mrs. Witherspoon Goes To War HERE.

MARY DAVIS, bestselling, award-winning novelist, has over thirty titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her latest release is THE DÉBUTANTE'S SECRET (Quilting Circle Book 4) THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (The Quilting Circle Book 3) is a Selah Award Winner. Some of her other recent titles include; The Widow’s Plight, The Daughter's Predicament, “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection , Prodigal Daughters Amish series, "Holly and Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection, and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads. She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of thirty-seven years and one cat. She has three adult children and three incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at:

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