4 minute read
Local Author Takes Flight
North Park resident and retired pilot, Robin “R. D.” Kardon’s debut novel Flygirl, soared onto the bestseller list last fall with her tale of Tris Miles, a female pilot trying to break the blue ceiling when she’s blocked by co-workers determined to see her fail. But those guys didn’t expect Tris’ fearless determination and grit. Flygirl was recently named a finalist in two categories at The 2020 International Book Awards and has been lauded as a compelling and heartfelt tale of courage and redemption. Now, Kardon is launching her latest, Angel Flight, which continues Tris’ journey. Although the novel is the second in a trilogy, readers can enjoy Angel Flight on its own – or before reading Flygirl. Angel Flight takes off this month with a signing at Warwick’s Booksellers at 7812 Girard Avenue in La Jolla on Sunday September 27 from 2-4 PM. We had a chance to sit down with the author and hear about her upcoming adventure. Q: Tell us a little about your upcoming novel Angel Flight A: The first time I heard the term “angel flight” was when I was co-pilot on a trip flying a child burn victim from Chicago to St. Jude Hospital for treatment. As a corporate pilot, I flew a woman with a severe spinal cord injury to the Mayo Clinic for treatment in a private jet. My company donated the airplane and the services of the crew. Her family couldn’t afford to hire their own plane, and if it weren’t for us, she’d have no way of getting the life-altering treatment she needed. That trip inspired Angel Flight. I was a professional pilot for 12 years and flew all over the world. I flew businesspeople and vacation travelers, sometimes into up to seven cities in a day. It was exhausting and exhilarating at the same time. Q: When you were working as a pilot did you know you would write a book one day? A: Flying provided me with many story ideas, yes. I’d wanted to be a novelist ever since I was a child. I didn’t know how or when, but I knew I would publish someday. Every time people found out I was a pilot, they’d ask dozens of questions. Did the crew have affairs while on assignment? Is the Mile-High Club a real thing? And what the heck is turbulence caused by? I found that people were especially intrigued by stories of women working in aviation. I kept a notebook with ideas for 25 years before I sat down to finish Flygirl. The overwhelmingly positive response to that book told me that readers are interested in the behind-the-scenes lives of pilots. Q: Are the characters based on people you met while working as a pilot? A: That’ll have to remain my secret, but I can say that after all those years of flying, I had a lot of material. I met many interesting people, pieces of whom found their way into certain characters. Flygirl was based on an actual job I had as a pilot, so all of the characters in that book are inspired by real people. You know the old saying: Watch out or you’ll wind up in my novel.
--ROBIN “R. D.” KARDON
Perhaps some people weren’t as careful as they should have been. Q: Your new novel Angel Flight features Tris Miles, the same protagonist as your debut novel Flygirl. Can people enjoy the second book without reading the first? A: Yes, and I made sure that Angel Flight would be a standalone novel. I hope Angel Flight readers will want to know more about Tris and pick up a copy of Flygirl. Q: What has the feedback been like on your novels? I’ve been both amazed and humbled by reader reviews. I wanted to write something that touched on universal themes but was set in the unique world of professional aviation. I wanted to give people a peek into life in the cockpit that also addressed sexism and bigotry in any workplace. And I really enjoyed working on Tris’ complicated past. One reviewer recently wrote, “Well written, informative, and enjoyable all at once. I learned so much about what it takes to be a pilot. Loved the book.” Another shared that, “R. D. Kardon has an amazing grasp of the struggle most career women experience, in any profession - She captures the inner thoughts of all professional women.” And I was thrilled to read this review, which completely echoed
the sentiment I tried to impart; “A well-crafted love story- love in all its imperfections between a man and a woman, and the love of the job and intricacies of being a pilot.” Q: What’s next for Tris Miles? A: Tris will face more career and personal challenges as she struggles to find and fit together the pieces of the life she wants, and hopefully leave her mark along the way. Look for the final book in the Trilogy in 2022.
