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Friday, August 26, 2016

Who's For Dinner? with Marilyn Baron


Who’s For Dinner? 

I’d like to have dinner with Pioneer Aviator Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly across the Atlantic, and solve one of the biggest mysteries of the last century.


Amelia Earhart was attempting to become the first female pilot to circle the globe, when her when her twin-engine Lockheed Electra disappeared on July 2, 1937, almost 80 years ago. Although people have attempted to solve the mystery of her disappearance, and new clues have surfaced, there are theories galore but no proof of Earhart’s fate. Did she and her navigator, Fred Noonan, survive the apparent crash of the plane in the South Pacific? Before she left on her fateful trip, she said, “I have a feeling that there is just about one more good flight left in my system, and I hope this trip is it.”

According to Earhart’s official website, “On June 1, Earhart and Noonan departed from Miami (my hometown) and began the 29,000-mile journey. By June 29, when they landed in Lae, New Guinea, all but 7,000 miles had been completed. Their next hop was to Howland Island, a mile and a half long and a half-mile wide.  The U.S. Coast Guard cutter ITASCA, their radio contact, was stationed just offshore of Howland Island. Two other U.S. ships, ordered to burn every light on board, were positioned along the flight route. When they lost contact with her, a rescue attempt began and became the most extensive air and sea search in naval history. In 1938, a lighthouse was built on Howland Island in her memory and U.S. streets, schools and airports are named after her.”
I’ve always felt an affinity, a psychic connection somehow, with the 39-year-old American aviatrix even though I have no desire to fly a plane or have no earthly reason why I should feel this way, except that I admire her pioneering spirit and courage. I’ve read books and articles and seen movies about her. When I went off to college, I asked for a set of Amelia Earhart luggage. And I named one of the characters in my book, Landlocked, Amelia.

Aviator Amelia Earhart and navigator, Fred Noonan, in 1937 in Los Angeles prior to their historic flight.


What would we talk about? First, I would ask if she and her co-pilot Fred Noonan survived the crash and how long she lived after that. Did she hold out hope that help was coming? Where was the site of the crash? Did she realize the world was at war? Was she captured by the Japanese and held throughout the war? If so, why wasn’t she returned? Did she meet her death as a castaway on another uninhabited island? When did she die? Why haven’t we found her remains? If she had been returned to the U.S., what would be the first thing she’d do? I imagined a tearful reunion between Amelia and her husband, book publisher and publicist George P. Putnam. In a letter to her husband, written in case the flight proved to be her last, she said, “Please know I am quite aware of the hazards. I want to do it because I want to do it. Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others.”

You can read more about the life and travels of this fascinating woman on the official Amelia Earhart website at http://www.ameliaearhart.com/.

Title of my latest release: Stumble Stones: A Novel

Blurb
Hallelujah Weiss, writer for the steamy sudser As the Planet Spins, gets a second chance at love when she flees to Italy to get over her recent divorce, courtesy of her cheating ex-husband’s credit card. A woman scorned, Hallelujah has sworn off men and is determined to reinvent herself. The new Hallelujah is eager to live life on the edge, more like Polly, a character she writes and idolizes.
Lonely Berlin hedge fund manager Alexander Stone, a number cruncher who puts his faith in numerical data, still believes in destiny, despite the fact his fiancée just dumped him. Always a man with a plan, Alexander did not plan on Hallelujah.
After a chance encounter on a flight to Rome, the unlikely pair faces danger when they team up to return to their rightful owner a stash of WW II vintage jewels. The hidden diamonds hold the key to an unsolved mystery and a promise of love. 


Marilyn Baron
Author Bio

Marilyn Baron writes in a variety of genres, from humorous coming-of-middle age women’s fiction to historical romantic thrillers and romantic suspense to paranormal/fantasy. Stumble Stones is her 11th novel published with The Wild Rose Press. She’s also published five short stories with TWB Press and self-published three books, including a musical about Alzheimer’s called Memory Lane. AmazonEncore republished her book Sixth Sense on September 15, 2015. She’s received writing awards in Single Title, Suspense Romance, Novel With Strong Romantic Elements and Paranormal//Fantasy Romance. She is a Georgia Romance Writers (GRW) Maggie Award winner, a PAN member of Romance Writers of America and GRW and winner of the GRW 2009 Chapter Service Award. A public relations consultant in Atlanta, Marilyn graduated with a BS in Journalism and a minor in Creative Writing from the University of Florida. She worked in Public Relations for AT&T in Atlanta for 13 years before starting her own PR firm. She serves on the 2016 Roswell Reads Steering Committee.

Author Media Links


19 comments:

  1. What a fascinating post! Much good dinner conversation there :)

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  2. Amelia Earhart has long been one of the women I most look up to as a role model. Her courage and willingness to defy societal norms remain an inspiration to so many. Great choice for a dinner companion. So, may I join you at the table? I promise to sit quietly...

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    1. Ashantay, I'm glad to hear that you like Amelia Earhart. Of course, you can join me for dinner. And ask as many questions as you want.
      Marilyn

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  3. What an interesting dinner guest!
    Good luck and God's blessings
    PamT

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  4. Thank you for commenting, Pam.
    Marilyn

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  5. Saw a replica of her plane last winter in Boeing museum in Seattle. Fascinating character to me, too! Thanks for interesting post.

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    1. Susan, I would love to see that plane. I'm glad you're interested in her life, too. Thanks for your comment.
      Marilyn

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  6. What a wonderful choice! I'd love to hear her answers, too.

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    1. Patricia, it would be exciting if we got to talk to her.
      Marilyn

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  7. Yes, that would be an interesting dinner! Excellent choice. Might I suggest, though, that you decline if she offers to fly you somewhere. ;) .... Too soon?

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  8. Ha ha, Alicia. Thanks for commenting.
    Marilyn

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  9. Very interesting! I either didn't know, or had forgotten that she was married to Putnam. Maybe that's where your connection to her stems from, you both share an interest in publishing? Anyway, I love the characters in this book and am looking forward to reading it!

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    1. Mary, that would be a good connection. I'm glad you like the characters. I hope you enjoy the book.
      Marilyn

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  10. Great dinner guest, Marilyn! I've always had a fascination with her too. It's just so sad that she flew off on that last leg and disappeared. I had Amelia Earhart luggage too...in fact, it's up in my attic! Thanks for posting, and good luck with Stumble Stones. (I love your heroine's name!)

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  11. Leah, I know, she almost made it. Thanks for your supportive comments.
    Marilyn

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  12. Great choice of dinner guest! Enjoyed your post. Best of luck with your book.

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  13. Amelia Earhart would make an excellent dinner guest. Think of the fascinating conversation you would have.

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  14. Thank you Loralee and Marissa for your comments.

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