Hello ,
The response to last week's newsletter was better than any hit of caffeine, so thank you! I had a bit of a rough patch, doubting myself and wondering if I should go get a waitress job. Even my morning mocha habit was leaving me feeling like a
wrung out dishrag. Your support means more than you know.
What gets you through when you have a rough patch? Inquiring minds want to know! Just hit reply to e-mail me, or leave a comment on my blog
here. One of the best things about having a published book out there in the world is the way in which it connects me to strangers and their stories. Here's a few words from an e-mail I received two weeks ago about an American flight
nurse that served in the Pacific in World War II."Charlotte McFall Mallon is 97 now....last time I visited her she showed me your book, Pure Grit, that a niece had sent her. She said she cried while reading it." Charlotte tells of her personal connect to the POW nurses in her own words in the book, NO TIME FOR FEAR, by Dianne Burke
Fessler. One day I was in Saipan, waiting for patients to come in from various places, when the chief nurse came into the barracks and asked us to get all the fresh food, fruit or anything we could find. She told us we were going to put on a buffet, and we couldn't imagine what could be happening because our food was so awful. She wouldn't tell us why, so we guessed that some VIP was coming from
Washington. All kinds of food was brought together, because everyone had been getting it sent from home. We took it to the hangar, where the mess sergeants had made potato salad, and put out all the food. We waited for the planes, and pretty soon two of them landed and taxied up to the hangers. They were not the usual evacuation planes, either, but the "plush" ones that VIPs traveled in.
When the doors the doors opened, the stairs were wheeled to the planes, and the girls who had been prisoners in the Philippines came out.
I can never tell this without crying. We knew immediately who they were. They were thin as rails. They had been given uniforms, which didn't
fit, and their hats were down over their noses. The band struck up The Star Spangled Banner, and there wasn't a dry eye anywhere, everybody was crying. We all greeted them, and ushered them to the buffet. The centerpiece was a sheetcake that was decorated red, white and blue, and read Welcome Home to the Good Old USA. They were thrilled to pieces.
Charlotte, a nurse with the 828th Medical Air Evacuation Squadron, arrived for duty in the Pacific in October 1944. She and other flight nurses tended patients in planes that picked up wounded near the front lines. Though her plane could have been shot down over enemy territory, her closest
call came during a routine landing on a short runway on the Island of Eniwetok.
She explains, The nose wheel of the C-54 hit the pile of coral, flipped us over on one wing, spinning us around and the plane burst into flames. Another nurse, Mary Creel, and I jumped out through the flames. I escaped burns, but sprained my ankle, while the other nurses, crew and some of the passengers were injured worse. Mary and Georgia Dixen
suffered burns. I'd been asked to carry some secret papers to Tinian on that flight, which we weren't supposed to do, and had to be concerned about that, as well as helping the people who were injured. Tinian Island was the departure point of the bombers Enola Gay and Bockscar, carrying the atomic bombs
named Little Boy and Fat Man that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Sorry, I gave you a bum link last week. For the video review of PURE GRIT from Literary Features Syndicate click here. First she talks about a book about Emily Dickinson, then just after two minutes in (2:22) she reviews my book.
Did you know you can access all previous newsletters here? Perfect link next time you're looking for stories about people soldiering on through difficulty and coming out the other side. Next week I am headed to Los Angeles for the annual summer conference of the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators where I will have the chance to hear such luminaries as Judy Blume, Tomie dePaola and Linda Sue Park. It is always a bit of a rush to meet authors whose books I love, but the true high of the conference is being in one room with literally thousands of people who are pursuing their
dream of making books for young people. I also like connecting with friends from all over the country and meeting new people. I'll also be taking a workshop on creating characters, which will help me bump up the next draft of the novel I'm working on. Draft five, but who's counting? Thank you for reading! I know you time is valuable and I appreciate you spending a few minutes with me today. If you know someone who might enjoy this newsletter, please forward this e-mail. Currently, new subscribers will be entered in a drawing to win a $25 gift certificate to their favorite independent books store. I will never spam you or sell your email address,
you can unsubscribe below anytime with a single mouse click. If you'd like to get your hands on a copy of PURE GRIT, here's the place! If you'd like a signed copy and I'm not coming to your neighborhood soon, let me know. I can send you a personally autographed book or a signed bookplate. To find out more
about my books, how I help students, teacher and librarians, visit my website at www.MaryCronkFarrell.com. My best, Mary Questions? Comments? Contact me at MaryCronkFarrell@gmail.com. Click here to subscribe to this newsletter.
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