Though this novel is purely fictional and the characters are products of my imagination, it was largely inspired by true stories of the Women’s Air Raid Defense (WARD), which was formed in the Hawaiian Islands by emergency Executive Order 9063 immediately following the attack on Pearl Harbor. I stumbled upon the story idea while researching for my novel The Lieutenant’s Nurse and was surprised I had never heard of them. With little information available, I ordered a book called Shuffleboard Pilots: The History of the Women’s Air Raid Defense in Hawai‘i 1941–1945 by Candace A. Chenoweth and A. Kam Napier that chronicles the WARD history and is full of fascinating details and vivid memories from the women themselves. As much as possible, I tried to weave their stories into my book: about training in ‘Iolani Palace, hiding out in flooded air raid shelters, trying to catch the mysterious lingerie thief, and plotting husbands as they flew out to battle, some never to return. The women whom I read about were courageous, intelligent, patriotic, fun, and full of heart. They were given a crash course in radar and codes, taught complicated calculations, and shown how to guide pilots into blacked-out runways or talk them home when they were lost. Their work was critical and essential to the war effort, and as soon as I finished reading Shuffleboard Pilots, I knew I had to write a novel about them so that the rest of the world would know their story. If you want to learn more, I highly recommend you read Shuffleboard Pilots.
The tagline on the front cover—they brought the flyboys safely home—came directly from a Kaua‘i WARD, Beatrice Dang, whose son I corresponded with. “One thing my mom would say when I asked what she did... In a sassy way she said, ‘When the flyboys got lost, we brought them home.’” I thought this perfectly summed them up.
I hope I have done justice to these amazing women!
In a few places, I had to take creative license and tweaked facts to fit the story—which is often the case in historical fiction. One such scenario is when Walker Montgomery is flying the P-40 out of Hale‘iwa Field at the start of the book. Walker was a navy pilot and the P-40s at Hale‘iwa were US Army Air Corps planes that had been temporarily moved from Wheeler Field. Lieutenants Harry M. Brown, Robert J. Rogers, John J. Webster, George S. Welch, and Kenneth A. Taylor were the brave pilots who between them took down nine enemy planes that morning.
As always, I would love to thank my wonderful publisher, MIRA Books, my brilliant editor, Margot Mallinson, and my amazing agent, Elaine Spencer. I still have to pinch myself regularly to make sure it’s all real—that I now have four gorgeous books in the world, with a fifth in the works. So many people are involved in putting out a book, and I am so grateful to have such a supportive and awesome team rooting for me every step of the way. Also, to friends and family who were by my side as I brainstormed, plotted, wrote, edited, promoted, ruminated, lamented, and obsessed over my book. Your love and support have not gone unnoticed.
Also, I am extremely grateful to several expert readers who helped check for technical accuracy: Dr. Bill Wiecking; William S. Hochman, Lt.Col., USMC (retired) and Commissioner (retired) Marin County Superior Court; and Robert L. Dixon, Lt.Col., USAF (retired). I am honored that they gave me their time.
And lastly, to Hawai‘i, thank you for being such a unique, special, and magical place. I am blessed to call you home.
XO
Sara