Sophia's Sofa Chat- A Visit With Cat

“Cat! Up here!” *waves from the cockpit of the parked B-25* “Oh and don’t you look adorable in you 1940 era USO get up. I’m pretending to be Rosie the Riveter in my red kerchief and blue dungarees. I’ll come down and meet you.”
photo of B-25 Mitchell is attributed to Dustin M Ramsey

Hi, Sophia! Don’t you look the bee’s knees! Now, if you have a dreamy pilot in the cockpit with you, I can understand if you don’t come down. Better yet, if the co-pilot is up there, too … get your bottom down here with them both. We’ll make this a double date!

Isn't she a corker? Wish I did have dishy pilot or two stashed away in the cockpit...

I’ve asked my Sofa Chat guest to go the extra distance and meet me away from the house and just a half hour north west of here near Ypsilanti to visit the Yankee Air Force Museum of Willow Run with me. I thought it was a fitting setting considering her book was set in WWII and boasts a dashing bomber pilot hero.

Link: http://yankeeairmuseum.org/

Why is this location fitting? Well, because Willow Run was not the little small airport and museum you see around you today when it all got started.
Willow Run and its run way was built in 1941 by Henry Ford as “the largest factory under one roof in the world” to quote A History of Willow Run.
1942 B-24 Liberators being manufactured at willow Run plant
Hank got the Army Air Corp contract to build the B-24 Liberators and other weapon components that were shipped to other plants. When this bad boy plant was in full swing it was knocking out 650 Liberators a month which was half of the bombers produced.

On a side note, the Liberator was not the favored bomber to the pilots according to Max Wallace’s The American Axis: Air Corps Chief General "Hap" Arnold told Charles Lindbergh, then a consultant at the plant, that "combat squadrons greatly preferred the B-17 bomber to the B-24 because 'when we send the 17’s out on a mission, most of them return. But when we send the 24’s out, most of them don’t.’” Yikes, right? Some updating was in order to work the bugs out.

But anyhoo, about my guest…
Author, Cat Gardiner, is a lady who likes to do her research and it pays off in spades for her readers with each new book release. She immerses herself in the world of her books as she writes and brings them to publication. In the few years since I have been reading her books, I have been transported from a scorchy NYC fire fighter’s charity calendar shoot over the holidays to appreciating the Cuba of the 1950’s with a seductive female private eye.

I first encountered this clever, creative lady when I was invited to review her first release, Lucky 13, and I in turn invited her to be my Jane Austen Birthday guest author. The experience of reading Lucky 13 taught me how amazing and whole-media approach one can be in the virtual world with the links to a real blog that goes with the book, themed Pinterest boards, and music play lists. Cat’s on-line presence is strong. Her warm personality is paired by a professional work ethic as an author that gained my high respect and appreciation (I want to be an author like Cat when I grow up).

“What do you think, Cat? Want to explore WWII planes with me while we talk? If you want, tomorrow we can go up in this B-25. It’s a little something special since it’s only one of two left that are still flight-able. Or there’s a B-17 if you’d rather that experience...
Wow, Sophia! You’re making blush over that introduction. Thank you for your kind words. And what a fabulous venue for our chat! If I lived nearby, I’d spend all my time here. I’d love to take a stroll with you down the flightline and talk books, the 40s experience and whatever else tickles your fancy. Of course I’d love to go up in either the B-25 or B-17; both are magnificent warbirds. My uncle went down over Germany in a B-17 in 1943, so I’m keen on checking out the “Yankee Lady.”

You're a peach! Thanks for just going with it.

So I chose Willow Run’s air park because I understand you’re celebrating the release of your WWII Historical Romance, A Moment Forever.

You couldn’t have picked a better era and situation for your story to appeal to me more. I grew up listening at the knees of grandfathers and grandmothers talking of their experiences during the war and my folks were Air Force so I was frequently around planes and geeked out at the base fairs and museums. Movies? Yeah, 12 O Clock High, Flying Leathernecks, Midway, Flying Tigers, Memphis Belle anyone?
Ahem, sorry Cat, I get a bit excited about some things. Want some Cracker Jacks? I thought those were a fun snack for the visit.

Cracker Jacks are my favorite! In fact, there is a little mention of them in A Moment Forever and they play a romantic part in bridging 1942 to 1992 at the end of the novel. I know what you mean about this era and the movies, the radio shows, and the music. We cling to these romantic elements, which embody the home front during the height of war and its horrific atrocities. All of them were considered morale boosters toward victory and, today, our human nature embraces―even romanticizes―certain aspects of wartime 1940s. I know I do.

Kindred spirits...
Care to share a bit of something about how you came to write your Liberty Victory series?
Ah, well, I came to write WWII-era novels through JAFF. My first posted story The Very Thought of You was a fabulous experience even if my writing style was underdeveloped. And that story was inspired by a couple who were patients in my husband’s medical practice. My Dearest Darling (now published as non-JAFF A Moment Forever) followed on the forums and that was inspired by many elements – the first of which being a house and then a song. I had always loved the era. Mr. Cat and I have been swing dancers since 1991 and the music always called to us.

Now that's something I'd like to see. My brother took lessons because of how fun he found the older dances to be. Quite a workout, too. LOL

And, in A Moment Forever, how did your hero become a pilot and what plane/s did he fly?
William Martel is a B-26 Marauder bomber pilot. When I set out to write A Moment Forever, I really wanted to bring the journeys of my New York hero and heroine to the Tampa Bay Area.
Since MacDill Army Air Field had been constructed just prior to our entrance into the war and dedicated in 1941, I decided that in 1942 The Army Air Forces would be Will’s branch of service. Not only did MacDill train B-17 but also B-26 flight crews.
As you mentioned earlier about the popularity of the B-17, most WWII romance novel pilots fly one! LOL So I chose to have my leading man fly a plane with a reputation of being a “widowmaker.” The term “One a day in Tampa Bay” originated from the difficulty—and tragedies—associated with flying those bombers. Like the Liberator, the Marauder had a sketchy beginning.
B-17 arriving Attributed to Tascam3438
*points up to B-17 engines as we pass by* See here, on a B-17 there were four engines. Our boy’s warbird had two, similar to the B-25 you just exited. It was fast, but difficult to fly. A pilot really needed to be quite the mustard (a smart, sharp pilot) in the cockpit. Will was a mustard, inspired by Howard Hughes’s flight around the world in 1938.

I’ve appreciated your 1940s Experience blog posts that kept me up to date on your research trips and reproduction attempts in cooking and dressing. What was one of your 1940 fail experiences? What was a fun triumph?

Cat Gardiner's The 1940's Experience
Link: http://www.cgardiner1940s.com/?draft=...
I’m so happy that you have a swell time with the blog. So much goes into it, so it really delights me to hear that, Sophia. Maybe you’ll visit with a guest blog about your childhood memories with your grandparents and share their 1940s experience and what you remember? *begging* Perhaps, I might have a little something if you want it. :)
Jeepers! Have I got a story for you about an EPIC fail. It was on the recent book launch of A Moment Forever. I spent the day dressed in period costume at a local armed forces museum with my re-enactor husband and his army division. The reproduction dress (the one I’m wearing now) I had ordered from England didn’t arrive in time so I had no choice but to wear vintage. Sheer silk chiffon with a full slip below. What was I thinking?! It was Memorial Day and 95 degrees in the shade. With each passing tick of the clock the dress was deteriorating on me! It was 70 years delicate and the heat and perspiration caused Armpit Blowout! (Yes there is such a thing.) I expected at any moment that a sleeve would fall off – or the dress itself! By the end of the afternoon, I had ruined a fabulous piece of history, which now has 6” wide frayed holes under both arms! I suppose it was air-conditioning in a way. *weeping and beating myself up in stupidity*

Also involving a dress was my fun triumph at the first USO dance I went to as part of the 1940s Experience. I took great care in getting my outfit historically accurate from hat to hosiery. There were many attendees dressed in rockabilly and pin-up styles, both based loosely on pin-up art, (overly done victory rolls with streaks of color, tattoos, heavily made up eyes, etc.) I had received many compliments throughout the night but the most important one that I received was from an elderly lady as I was leaving. She said her mother dressed just like me and that I looked authentic. That made me proud, so happy that I had gone the extra mile to “get it right.” (Looking back, I am eternally grateful that vintage frock didn’t wardrobe malfunction.) We talked a bit about her husband’s service in the war and all the boys from her neighborhood who didn’t come home. I wish I had taped our conversation. It was a true 40s experience: hers. Now that is a special moment.

As I’ve pointed out to the readers, you really immerse yourself in your stories. Is it my imagination or do you really put a bit of yourself in each of them? Oh, I don’t just mean you into your characters, but I noticed that NYC comes alive for me in Lucky 13, Villa Fortuna, and Undercover- all my senses from the taste of the local food, the sites of the local neighborhoods and iconic places, the sounds of the local accents and music… Is that a bit of you and your background coming out?

Yes. I love New York. I miss New York, and I’ll always be a proud native New Yorker. Villa Fortuna, however, is the closest to my background (even the plot premise of the building named Villa Fortuna) and therefore, the closest to my heart. Sssh… don’t tell anyone but most of those wacky Italian-Americans were written after people I know! My parents had such a howl of laughter every Wednesday when I read to them what had been written during the week. So much of the lingo and NY Italian language, even the hand gesticulations, we had grown up with, including the baked goods and traditions. We had a great time and ate Italian rainbow cookies that I’d made the night before.
In the case of A Moment Forever, I hope to shine a spotlight on Long Island’s (where I grew up and Lizzy’s home) Gilded Age and WWII history, as well as my current residence, Tampa, also rich in WWII history.

I noticed when I received your book for review that first time and beyond that it was published by Vanity & Pride Press which I later learned is an indie publishing partnership for you and author, Pamela Lynne. How did Vanity & Pride Press come about? And what made you ladies go this route with your writing?
Yes! VPP is a collaboration with Pamela. I can’t speak for her reasons for becoming an indie author or joining up with me – maybe it’s because I made her an offer she couldn’t refuse (LOL.) For me, the decision to become truly indie was because I wanted 100% ownership of what I published and how I did it. Together Pamela and I share ideas, marketing plans, trial and error, professional resources, and support each other with promotion. It’s all done in friendship and loyalty. I can say – and I know Pamela would agree – we wanted our readers and author buddies to have an enjoyable time. Our website and the FB Group page engages them as friends (because they are) with giveaways and other fun things – even excerpts, stories, and vignettes, just for them. Our VPP world is a happy place.
Link: http://www.vanityandpridepress.com/
Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/14983...
You ladies have done a fantastic job. Look forward to more from VPP and seeing your beautiful peacock symbol gracing so many more books. :)

Now, you are living in Florida. I have never been though I know it is a destination state. As a native, not native :) what is something off the beaten path that you feel is a sensational shouldn’t-miss experience? And feel free to list a few more (good food really should be included):
Unconditional Surrender Statue in Sarasota, FL taken by Cat

You must come down to Florida and I’ll take you to Sarasota. It’s a lovely destination on the bay. One of my favorite go-to places is the John and Mable Ringling Museum, which not only has an impressive art museum, but a circus history museum and the 1920 Ringling home is open for tour. Also in Sarasota, at the marina, is the 26 ft. “Unconditional Surrender” VJ Kiss statue.
If you are a beach-goer, my favorite spot is Sanibel and Captiva islands. Nothing to do but relax, get lost in a book with a Corona, or go shelling.
Cuban food in Ybor City, Tampa is a must, specifically the 110 year old Columbia Restaurant.
Sold! I need no more convincing.

If time and budget weren’t an issue, where are some places you would love to see?
I’d begin in the Pyrenees Mountains with the Basque people, where The Very Thought of You, set during 1944, took JAFF readers. I would then travel south through all of Spain to Andalucía and Seville where Darcy and Liz danced the tango in Denial of Conscience. Yeah. I’d like to stand in that gazebo and think “if only.”

When you’re not writing and have the time to read, what types of books do you like to snag?
Honestly, if a friend recommends something, I’ll give it a try. I enjoy anything from chick-lit to cozy mysteries to WWII-era. And of course, JAFF.

Have you been a lifelong reader? If so, what were some of your early favorites?
*Snort* I was not. In fact, I abhorred even reading Cliff Notes for required school assigned books. Although, I do recall my early years of book exploration with Judy Blume’s Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret. Maybe it scarred me for life. LOL. Other books along the way have hauntingly stayed with me. Left to Tell is one of them. Oh yes, good ol' Judy Blume...

As the summer is in full swing, do you have any interesting plans for the rest of it? Any fun current or future projects you want readers to know about?
I’m committed to writing this summer. That’s been my promise to a few readers who have patiently – or not so patiently – been bugging me for Without a Conscience. (You know who you are *wink wink*)
But … I did just join up with a group of re-enactor ladies “The Era Girls” in the Tampa Bay area and will be planning a few things. Well get you! The re-enactor group sound fab and I won't complain if you're busy at the writing desk.

Sofa Starters:
Carrots or peas? Carrots for eating, peas for flicking across the table.
Ship or Train? Train to nowhere.
Washing windows or Weeding Garden? Gardening because I was, in fact, born a Gardiner.
Caroline Bingley or Lady Catherine? Caroline, because at least SHE is a true proficient.
Bugs Bunny or Mickey Mouse? Bugs Bunny because he has a combination of Brooklyn and Bronx accent.
Red or Pink? Red because there’s a seductress in everyone.

Hope you enjoyed the walk through the air park and the hanger, Cat! I enjoyed having you visit and chat with me. Here’s a chilled lemonade to beat the heat for the rest of your trip. I understand you’re actually out on tour right now so I’ll let you head out for your next port of call with True Book Addict blog on Aug 3rd. Ciao, bella!
I had a wonderful time, Sophia! You’re positively lulu, and the museum is incredible. This has been a fabulous journey through WWII history with great conversation.

What do you say about seeing if we could go up in one of those bombers now? I’m feeling ready to soar high! I'm game! Stick with me, kid!

Thank you, everyone, for letting me share a little bit about myself. Thanks for the lemonade, too! Keep ’Em Flying!

When Cat is not hanging around GoodReads, here is where you can find her:

Goodreads = https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Books on Amazon = http://www.amazon.com/Cat-Gardiner/e/...
Social Media
https://twitter.com/40sExperience
https://twitter.com/VPPressNovels
https://www.facebook.com/cat.t.gardiner
https://www.facebook.com/DenialofCons...
https://www.facebook.com/AMomentForev...

If you're following the A Moment Forever Tour, the next stop will be Aug 3rd at True Book Addict blog: http://www.truebookaddict.com/


Pssst, if you’re interested in her latest release, A Moment Forever, I noticed that it is a GoodReads giveaway right now for US residents: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...