Reach for the Sky

 
“Reach for the Sky” by James Scott is a historical novel of epic proportions in terms of scope and in its length over 400 pages. The novel covers the life of the main protagonist, Shannon Donnelly from 1929 to 1944. It's a story filled with intrigue. daring aviation adventures, romance, redemption, loyalty, and true grit. Moving at a breathtaking pace, Scott is able to maintain the story's momentum staying on course right down to the last page. He's a wonderful storyteller delivering a complex storyline that's well-paced with interesting and well-developed characters. Once you start reading I guarantee you it's hard to put down.

Scott wastes no time propelling the reader into Shannon's story which begins in Southern California with the newly-orphaned Shannon on the run from her parent's killers. Fleeing in desperation, she stumbles into the world of aviation. A chance encounter with Amelia Earhart sparks a dream to fly, and Shannon is soon flying biplanes around Southern California.

Inspired by the life of Mildred Hemmons Carter to whom the book is dedicated to, Scott developed the character, Josie. She's a black girl who becomes Shannon's best friend and ultimately her business partner. Mildred Hemmon Carter, a highly qualified black aviator was turned down for entrance into the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) program out of irrational prejudice, a similar incident happening to Josie's character in the story "Reach for the Sky."

As the story develops Shannon attracts the attention of two men, one she will marry and one she can't seem to forget. She feels compelled to enlist in the WWII WASP program that trained women to fly B-17 bombers. But it's this program that ultimately brings Shannon to risk her life and others' lives on a daring mission into Nazi-occupied France to re-capture a stolen B-17 and to rescue the man she has loved for so long.

Scott is the multiple-award-winning author of six historical fiction novels and one speculative fiction novel. His meticulous research is evident with the inclusion of rich details of the Golden Age of Aviation and the WASP Program. It's noteworthy Scott chose this novel to illuminate a chapter in American history that perhaps is little known by the general public and to highlight women's contributions during World War II including the fact women could fly as well as men. 

I found an intriguing aspect of Scott's writing is all his novels have stories built around strong female protagonists, somewhat a departure from most male authors.  The characters and storyline stay with you long after you finish reading. “Reach for the Sky” delivers a story where the author hopes young women will be inspired to reach for the sky and follow their dreams. The book is a finalist for this year's National Indie Excellence Awards.

AUTHOR BIO James Scott (formerly writing as B J Scott) is the multiple-award-winning author of seven novels that share a common feature: all are built around strong female protagonists. He describes his action-packed stories as "men's adventure novels but with women in the lead positions." All his books are historical novels, with the exception of "The Electric Woman," which is speculative fiction set in the near future. Scott describes his creative process as "taking a small idea and running with it to see where it leads." His most recent novel, "Reach for the Sky" (July 2020) begins in Southern California in 1929 and features a young girl with a dream to fly. The story weaves through the Golden Age of Aviation and the WWII years, illuminating the WASP program that trained women to fly Army planes from manufacturer to duty station, which was vital to the war effort. His awards include the Will Rogers Bronze Medallion Award for Best Western Romance for his novel "The Rail Queen" (2015), and the WILLA Literary Award for Best Original Softcover Fiction for his novel "Light On A Distant Hill" (2011). He lives on the Oregon coast with his wife Sherrie.
 
A Minnesota Connection James Scott has a Minnesota family connection to the Minneapolis area where his father grew up. Scott is pictured in 2017 at Minnehaha Falls. He recreated the photo setting to resemble a photo he has of his father some 107 years ago at age ten sitting in front of the falls.