FlightLog: The Novel Adventures of a Stewardess Wannabe Who Becomes a Flight Attendant

by Susan Humphrey

Category: Adult Fiction (18+), 338 pages

Genre: Women’s Fiction, Chick Lit, Memoir(ish), Coming-of-age

Publisher: Majuscule Press

Release date: August, 2022

Synopsis

“It was 1978. People didn’t have home computers, video players, or answering machines. We rented our telephones from local phone companies and hand-wrote letters. The terms ‘politically correct’ and ‘African-American’ had not been coined. ‘Eating disorders’ and ‘alternate lifestyles’ were not yet common household phrases. Only strippers wore thongs, which made perfect sense to me, as they only caused one to gyrate their hynie in a desperate attempt to dislodge the bothersome wedgie.”

So writes Sherri Van Ness, an unassuming girl from the burbs of Kansas who’s about to embark on the adventure of her life when she signs up to become a stewardess. But it’s much more turbulent than this doughy-eyed 19-year-old ever imagined as she tries to navigate past grouchy passengers, fly-by-night relationships and the unforgiving, relentless, humiliating, monthly weigh-ins. Some dreams come true. Others require a vomit bag.

That’s not to say Sherri doesn’t enjoy herself. Au contraire! There are friends to be made and men to be made and the maid who made up her room in New York is so nice!

Yes, the work is difficult at times and the money isn’t always good, but there are perks: free flights and an endless supply of tiny vodka bottles and salted peanuts (peanut allergies hadn’t been invented yet.)

Like Dorothy Gale sans Toto, Sherri leaves Kansas and finds herself amidst a cast of characters as strange to her as the Scarecrow and the Munchkins were to Dorothy. Her whirlwind journey takes her from innocent, insecure stewardess to mature and confident flight attendant. Or does she?

​Book your flight now with this very enjoyable read, put your seat back in the upright position, and enjoy the ride!

Amazon * Audible * B&N * BAM * Bookshop

Guest Post

For great character development, study Sitcoms

I’m at home scanning through thousands of choices for something to watch. News, Drama, Comedy, Movies, Live-action Cop Shows, the Cooking Channel, Game Shows and even Cartoons. I’ve given up writing today; the muse, like Elvis, has left the building. I’m not going to sit in front of my laptop and stare at the ceiling or scour the internet for ‘research’ material.

Reality Shows are out. They’ve been around longer than I care to admit, and their popularity has only increased, but I can’t go there. Are they scripted? Supposedly not, but … we’ve heard: Producers … maybe give participants scenarios. On that show about bidding on abandoned storage facilities? Seems a few surprise ‘treasures’ were accidentally planted. Yeah, right. I have standards.

Like many lost in television’s too-many-choices-land and tired of clicking the remote, I land on a familiar Sitcom. They’re like Thanksgiving: soothing, comforting, near-and-dear to us. We can watch the same episodes repeatedly and the scenes that sent us into fits of laughter do so again, even though we know every line. True Sitcom encompasses all the elements of traditional scripting. First you need a premise, a setting, a plot and a theme (the more obscure the better). However, Sitcoms’ crowning achievements are their characters.

Why? Because they’re so loveable. They’re designed to make us laugh (that’s always fun) and make us cheer for them; we can all relate! These ‘friends’ who we’ve come to know intimately, share an ordinary common space with the rest of the cast (school, apartment, office, hospital, taxi-stand) just like we do in the real world. They are the subject of conversations in our beds, work rooms, and in our dentist chairs. Like scores of other Sitcom characters, I really do love Lucy!

On the other hand, I’ve binged watched countless drama shows like an addict, then admitted later – I didn’t even like one character! (Writing that keep viewers transfixed is an entirely different skill set.) These shock-and-awe series will hold out attention for five, six maybe even seven seasons, but it’s the eye-opening events and the startling pace that draws us. With Sitcoms, beloved cast members can keep us tuning in for decades because they are family.

If you’re writing, observe their development. Study their idiosyncrasies; list their traits using colorful, interesting adjectives. Examine each actor’s relationship with everyone else on the show – you’ll realize, crafting these silly comedic characters is a profound talent.

Therefore, when I give up writing because the muse really has left the building, at least I can laugh while learning. It doesn’t feel like work. Who knows, maybe I’ll find a new sitcom featuring a struggling writer who’s facing a bad case of writer’s block….

Trailer

About the Author

Susan Jo Humphrey, the daughter of a diplomat, was born in Izmir, Turkey where she lived for three years. She also lived in Korea and Thailand, before returning home to the US with her family as a teenager. She has traveled all over the United States, and has called several parts of this country ‘home.’ Her many airplane rides as a child convinced her she must one day become a stewardess. Suz was a flight attendant for thirteen of her twenty-five years with UAL. She began penning FlightLog with the help of the Naperville Writer’s Group, outside of Chicago. There, she published in their annual pamphlet, had a humor piece printed in an online magazine, and contributed many articles to local newspapers. At the time of publication, she is busy working on FlightLog II.

Away from the keyboard, Suz loves yoga, reading, cooking, listening to music and playing her guitar. She still enjoys mapping out travel to faraway places she’s never seen, as well as planning return trips to her favorite spots.

She currently lives in Southern California and has two grown children. Today, she’s in healthcare, where she’s worked since 2014. Suz was the ‘baby’ of her flight attendant classes – and the ‘senior’ student in her nursing classes. She’s eager to write that story as well: a novice baby-boomer RN begins her dream career as a travel nurse – just as a pandemic breaks out!

Website

Giveaway

Win a signed copy of FLIGHTLOG: The Novel Adventures of a Stewardess Wannabe Who Becomes a Flight Attendant

One winner/USA only

Ends Mar 31

FLIGHTLOG by Susan Humphrey Book Tour Giveaway