Once again I’m delighted to stay in with a new to me author to find out about a book I think is one I’d thoroughly enjoy. Today it gives me great pleasure to welcome R. D Kardon to Linda’s Book Bag.

Staying in with R.D. Kardon

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Robin. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.  

Linda, I’m thrilled to be invited. Thanks so much.

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?  

My debut novel Flygirl is joining me tonight. My main character, Tris Miles, is an ambitious woman who runs into a wall when she tries to advance in her career–the male-dominated world of flying airplanes. Set in the late ’90s, before #MeToo gave women who experience workplace obstacles a stronger voice, Tris struggles to overcome the bigotry rampant in her chosen industry. And, like so many of us, Tris is haunted by her own demons, which make her already impossible choices even tougher. Flygirl is inspired by experiences my peers and I had as we tried to make our way as professional aviators.

(That must have been an exciting and frustrating time in equal measure Robin. I love the sound of Flygirl.)

What can we expect from an evening in with Flygirl?

My goal was to tell an engaging story the very best way I could. My teacher, twelve-time novelist T. Greenwood, said it best in her advance praise quote:

Tris Miles is a heroine for our times. Set in the late 1990s, Flygirl by R.D. Kardon examines one tenacious woman’s struggle to survive in a vocation dominated by men who want nothing more than to see her fail. Readers will fall in love with Tris who is a force to be reckoned with. Based on Kardon’s own experiences as a female pilot, Flygirlis written with both authenticity and heart.

T. Greenwood, author of Rust & Stardust, Where I Lost Her, and Two Rivers

(That must make you feel so proud Robin. Congratulations.)

What else have you brought along and why?

No way I’m settling in with a good read without my beloved rescue pets, dogs Smokey Pete and Chiclet and cat James Bond. And we might be joined by the occasional foster dog from time to time!

(They are all absolutely gorgeous and most welcome!)

Pizza is my favorite food, so there may be some hanging around the kitchen. C’mon, join me! I’ll get the fireplace going. Nothing like a bunch of people sitting around reading and snacking.

That sounds like a plan to me! Thanks so much for staying in with me to tell me about Flygirl. I love the sound of it and wish you every success Robin. I hope Flygirl flies. Now, where’s that pizza?

Flygirl

It’s 1997. Women stand beside men in combat and fly fighter jets. Pilot Tris Miles is not content with her job as a First Officer for tiny Clear Sky Airlines. She wants to be a Captain—the only way she knows to prove her worth as a pilot and atone for a deadly mistake. To further her career, Tris accepts a prestigious job with Tetrix, Inc. But her dream of becoming pilot-in-command twists into a nightmare.

As the company’s first woman pilot, she encounters resistance, marginalization and harassment on a daily basis. Fortunately, Tris has one thing her co-workers can’t deny—skill. When Tris finds herself in a crippled airplane thousands of miles from home she must prove she can lead.

With her career on the line, can Tris earn the respect she’s been craving?

And if this is the end, can she find the strength to forgive herself?

Published on 3rd January 2019, Flygirl is available for pre-order through the links here.

About R.D. Kardon

Robin “R.D.” Kardon was a litigation attorney before beginning a twelve-year flying career as a corporate and airline pilot. She holds an Airline Transport Pilot certificate and three Captain qualifications. Her travels took her all over the world in every type of airplane from small single-engine Cessnas to the Boeing 737. Robin earned her B.A. in Journalism and Sociology from NYU and J.D. from American University, Washington College of Law. A native New Yorker, Robin now lives in San Diego, California with her beloved rescue pets.

Flygirl, a work of fiction inspired by her own aviation experience, is her first novel.

You can find out more by visiting Robin’s website, following her on Twitter @rdkardonauthor and finding her on Facebook.