Never Give Up from Guest Laura Jensen Walker #giveaway

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News Flash: Kay Garrett is Laura’s lucky winner! Congratulations, Kay, and please check your email.

Edith, writing in lovely fall weather north of Boston.

What’s also lovely is the book I have the great pleasure to introduce you to. Death of a Flying Nightingale by Laura Jensen Walker is a new WWII historical mystery based on the women who flew in the service of their country. I was lucky enough to read an early version and absolutely loved it. You won’t want to miss this book, which releases today, and one lucky commenter will win a copy! [Note: there was a printing glitch, and the paper version isn’t yet available, but it will be soon.]

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Here’s the blurb: Three very different young women serve as air ambulance nurses bravely flying into WWII combat zones risking their lives to evacuate the wounded. Irish Maeve joined the RAF after her fiancé was killed; streetwise Etta fled London’s slums in search of a better life, and farm girl Betty enlisted to prevent the wounded from dying like her brother.

Newspapers have given these women a romantic nickname: “The Flying Nightingales.” Not that there’s anything romantic about what they do. The horrific injuries they encounter on a daily basis take their toll, so when one of the Nightingales is found dead, they wonder: Was it an accident? Suicide? Or something else?

After another nursing orderly dies mysteriously, they think: Someone’s killing Nightingales. The friends grapple with their loss all while keeping a stiff upper lip and continuing to care for casualties as they’re being strafed by the Luftwaffe. Inspired by true events, this novel is a tribute to a group of overlooked heroes who kept calm and carried on while the fighting raged about them. These courageous women, including Edith “Titch” (Lord) Joyce, proudly did their bit for King and country and found solace and camaraderie in the last friendships forged in war.

Photo used with permission from Edith’s daughter, taken at her 107th birthday celebration a few months before she died.

Never Give Up!

Thanks so much to Edith and The Wickeds for having me back again. It’s been a couple years since I’ve been here. There’s a reason for that—it’s called rejection. After rejection.

Some backstory. I’d written my first historical fiction (a book I’d been wanting to write for decades, ever since I’d been stationed in England; a gentle, semi-epistolary tale) but my agent hadn’t been able to find a home for it so I set it aside. Then I heard about the Flying Nightingales and knew I had to tell their story. I drafted the first two chapters and sent them to my agent.

“Now THIS is a story I can sell!” he said. “How much of the book is written?”

“Only those two chapters.”

He told me to keep writing. A few months later I lost my longtime literary agent when he decided to pursue other opportunities. Our parting was amicable and we’re still friends. My former agent said I’d have no trouble finding a new agent.

It hasn’t worked out that way.

I raced to finish my second WWII novel, an exciting tale about overlooked women heroes who’d been the first British women to go into active combat zones. I finished the book, after writing in a two-month frenzy, since there was a specific agent I wanted to approach the moment she reopened to queries. It was an agent that a writer friend and client of hers had recommended. I pitched her with THE NIGHTINGALE GIRLS, the original title. Since I’d gotten both of my two former agents as referrals from author client friends more than 25 years ago, I assumed this new agent referral would be a slam dunk.

It wasn’t. Things had changed in the past two decades. Although the agent said nice things about my writing, ultimately, the book wasn’t for her. I then immediately queried half a dozen of the top agents out there, my “dream” agents. The form rejections soon followed.

I hired an editor to review and edit my query letter. She immediately saw the problem. “Your word count is too low for historical fiction—most agents will automatically reject it.” And so I wrote more chapters until I got to an acceptable word count, then queried new agents. Again and again. I refused to give up. I believed in this book and knew it was a story that needed to be told.

More rejections.

I rewrote my manuscript, making the book stronger and better. But after forty agents rejected it, saying, “editors aren’t buying WWII novels; the market’s saturated,” I was ready to give up.

Then a successful writer friend told me she’d gotten sixty rejections before finding her agent and encouraged me to carry on. And so I did.

More rejections followed. Along with self-doubt and despair.

I told another writer friend about the myriad rejections and how discouraged I felt. She suggested I check out her publisher, which didn’t require agented submissions.

Knowing Level Best Books was a mystery publisher, I took the barest whisper of a mystery sub-plot within THE NIGHTINGALE GIRLS and expanded it. I added new scenes and chapters to make the book into crime fiction, changed the title to DEATH OF A FLYING NIGHTINGALE, and submitted it directly to Level Best, feeling I’d done the best I could.

Not only did they accept my novel, but they also offered me a three-book contract.

Now writers I admire are singing this book’s praises:

“Riveting and affecting… a touching and heartfelt celebration of three “ordinary” women who achieved the extraordinary.”

 –Susan Elia MacNeal, New York Times bestselling author of the Maggie Hope mysteries

“A compelling tale of courageous young women in WWII . . . the reader will soar and weep alike reading Walker’s well-told story.”

–Edith Maxwell/Maddie Day, Agatha-Award-winning author

“A gripping plot and a tender heart . . . luxuriate in the company of a writer who does both romantic and unflinching brilliantly.”

–Catriona McPherson, multi-award-winning author of In Place of Fear

Readers: Have you ever felt like giving up after myriad rejections? Comment for the chance to win an ARC of Death of a Flying Nightingale.

Laura Jensen Walker is a former journalist and the award-winning author of more than twenty books, including the Agatha-nominated MURDER MOST SWEET. Laura flew a typewriter across Europe in the Air Force and fell in love with all things English while stationed at an RAF base in the UK. Death of a Flying Nightingale is her historical debut. Laura lives in Northern California.

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Published by Edith Maxwell

Agatha Award -winning author Edith Maxwell writes the historical Quaker Midwife Mysteries (Beyond the Page) and short crime fiction. As Maddie Day she writes the Dot and Amelia Mysteries, the Country Store Mysteries series, the Cozy Capers Book Group Mysteries, and the Cece Barton Mysteries (all from Kensington Publishing). She lives north of Boston in an antique house with her beau and cat Martin, where she writes, gardens, cooks, and wastes time on Facebook.

38 Thoughts

  1. This sounds wonderful! It immediately caught my interest as a cousin of my grandmother served in a similar fashion for the US. I never met her, had not heard of her, surprisingly, as she died in Europe when her plane went down in WWII. It sounds like your book would show a bit of what her calling was like.
    Best wishes to you in this and the next two you are writing! jeaniedannheim (at) ymail (dot) com

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    1. Thanks, Jeanie! It definitely sounds as if my book would show a bit of what your grandmother’s cousin went through. Sorry to hear her plane went down in WWII–so did two of the real Flying Nightingales in England.

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  4. Laura, I’m definitely looking forward to reading this book!

    As for giving up after multiple rejections…sure I give up on stuff. I don’t want to become the living embodiment of that definition of insanity.

    After dating The Disaster, The Aftershock and The Regret, I retired from chasing women. LOL!a No sense being a darn fool about such things.

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  5. I’m so glad you hung in there, Laura! You’ve told a splendid story, and readers will love it.

    I originally gave up after fifty agent rejections and went the small press route with my first mystery, and then I (and the rest of the Wicked Authors in the early years) landed an agent totally backwards when he came to our SINC chapter looking for authors.

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    1. Thanks for your kind words, Edith. I appreciate them! I didn’t realize you too had so many agent rejections at one point. It seems to go with the writing territory, doesn’t it?

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  7. Yes, I suppose there are quite a few WW2 books right now, but that’s one of my favorite time periods to read about. The book sounds great and I’m so glad you were able to tell the story.

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    1. Me, too, Alicia! I adore WWII fiction (especially when it’s set in England since I’m a rabid Anglophile after having been stationed there a lifetime ago.) I never dreamed that I’D actually be writing it, so this book (and the other WWII one my agent couldn’t sell, but that I’m not giving up on) is a dream come true. Some of my favorite WWII novels are: THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY, CODE NAME VERITY (a gorgeous tale of women’s friendship that makes me weep every time I read it), THE ROSE CODE, and THE BOOK OF LOST NAMES. Also, an oldie, but goodie, Rosamunde Pilcher’s COMING HOME, a book I reread every year.

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  8. On an extremely personal level, I’ve felt those that I loved take the stance that the one I chose to live my life with wasn’t meant to be, that it won’t last, biggest mistake I’d ever made – due to timing and situations – not the man himself. Like you, we were determined to show the world the love we had for each other would take us through to the very end. Admittedly, it’s been extremely rough at times, but I won’t change a moment of it if it meant not being with him all these years and years to come.

    On a different level – photography is something we have loved exploring together. We are never found without a camera close by now. As we started taking photos, our results were criticized and rejected in competitions at fairs, photo events, etc. as being unskilled and not worthy or submission. Determined to prove that we could capture what the eye was seeing – the beauty of the world around us and God’s amazing critters, we studied camera settings, natural lighting, the subjects to be photographed and anything else we could find on the subject. We asked advice from photographers we admired. We never gave up. Finally the years of practice and studying have begun to pay off. The photos we are taking are satisfying to us. Through it all and with growing age ourselves, we have learned the most important thing. That is to be true to yourself, do what you love doing and if you are truly happy with your results that’s all that matters. The icing on the cake is if other enjoy it as well. Our goal is to make someone smile or stop to think when they see our photos. If they do, then our goal is accomplished and that makes us smile even bigger.

    Thank you so much for the fabulous chance to win an ARC copy of “Death of a Flying Nightingale”. Not only does this story sound amazing, but as an old Army brat, I’m always interesting in military stories – especially those that bring to light accomplishments of females that played such an important and often overlooked part in history. I’ve already added it to my TBR list and can’t wait for the opportunity to read and review it.
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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    1. Kay, thank you for sharing these personal stories! So glad you hung in there and didn’t listen to others. You’re right; it’s all about being true to yourself and doing what you love doing! I too love reading stories of overlooked women in history, particularly in this case as an Air Force veteran who’d been stationed at an RAF base not far from where these courageous women were based. Good luck!

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  10. Congratulations, Laura! The book sounds fascinating. I had over 100 rejections for my Laurel Highlands Mysteries series before I pitched it to Level Best. If they rejected it, I was going to move on to something else. Fortunately, they signed and it’s now 7 books and counting.

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    1. Thanks, Liz! I got close to your 100 rejections with a cozy mystery I pitched to myriad agents last year. After hitting the 80-plus mark, I pulled it and set it aside to rework and rewrite when things aren’t so crazy. Congrats on your Laurel Highlands series with Level Best!

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  11. Congratulations on the Death of a Flying Nightingale which sounds captivating and unforgettable. World War 2 stories are my favorite since they show bravery, profound sacrifice and are extremely important and meaningful. If you persevere you can succeed. As Churchill ( who is my hero) said never, never, never give up.

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  12. Thank you for writing this amazing book. Your persistence and talent is wonderful. What a treasure. In life there are always so many obstacles but being able to continue is the best accomplishment. There are always excuses to make but your own strength makes a positive outcome.

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  13. Yes I have. When my then husband and I separated, I had a house and young child to support with a low paying job. I went back to college to get a better job, but it was taking forever since I was a part time student balancing too many responsibilities. I sat down with the minister of a church I’d been attending and he showed me how far I’d come rather than how far I still had to go. On his advice I started charting my progress, which helped my journey toward a better future.

    Your book sounds fascinating. I never considered that there were women pilots during WW II until I read about the women who flew planes in England in the Maisie Dobbs series. I definitely didn’t consider that there were women flying in combat areas! This book will definitely be on my tbr list. Congratulations on finding a publishing home with Level Best Books!

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    1. Thanks for sharing, Judith. Great idea on charting your progress! By the way, speaking of women pilots in WWII England, Marty Wingate, a writer friend of mine wrote a wonderful novel about these ATA (Air Transport Auxiliary) pilots called GLAMOUR GIRLS. I loved it so much I read it twice!

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  14. Your book sounds really interesting. Looking forward to reading it. There have been plenty of times I have felt like giving up, but depending on the situation, my stubborn streak kicks in and I will fight for what I feel is right for me.

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  16. Yes, many times I felt like giving especially during Covid. Loosing loved ones and experiencing Long-Covid left me feeling defeated. But, I just kept reminding myself that I was spared for a reason and I need to always remember that.

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    1. Victoria, so sorry to hear about your losing loved ones and that you had Long Covid. My husband had the latter as well, and developed CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) as a result, forcing him to retire from working 3 years earlier than he’d wanted to. Hang in there!

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  17. Super congratulations on your novel, Laura! I love a historical story! Rejection is such a complex process, isn’t it? I find that I don’t give up easily on things that matter to me even in the face of repeated rejections. Publishing is not for the faint of heart! That said, I rely on a few strategies as a manuscript wends its way through the submission process. I clean my office, work on knitting projects, and through myself into physical exercise. I also tend to plan social events and elaborate meals for family. It all adds up to a pleasant distraction!

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  18. Thank you so much for sharing. Yes, I thought of giving up. I had torn the quad tendon off my left knee cap. A few years earlier, I had torn the right quad tendon in a Worker’s Comp accident. The left knee cap was so bad that the doctor had to put in a cadaver tendon in my leg. I was in a straight leg brace for almost a year. The doctor did not think I would walk again. I struggled with the idea of not walking. I finally made up my mind that I was going to do everything I could to get as much mobility in my leg as I could. I am able to walk with a walker. I do not have a lot of strength, but I can walk short distances. I use a wheelchair when I am out of the house. God bless you.

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    1. Thanks for commenting, Debbie, and ouch, that sounds so painful! So glad you’re able to walk with a walker and for proving the doctor wrong!

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