A Woman at War.

I am neck deep in my latest manuscript and as I alternate between research and writing, I seem to sink further into the story. Unbelievably, it is my mother’s story.

When I began writing my father’s biography, “Without Precedent”, I had some forewarning of what was to come. I knew that he had been a commando in World War Two and a fighter pilot in the Korean War, so there was some expectation of what his journey involved. Still, it was the first-hand accounts of his fellow veterans that truly offered a deeper insight into my father. The situation with my mother is very different.

She openly discussed with me her wartime experiences. As a radar operator at remote outposts and as a ‘plotter’ beneath the Sydney Botanic Gardens. Her attention to detail in conversation and through copious notes was incredible. And yet, the more personal story of love and loss was even more captivating. Her two wartime loves were both killed in action, the second only weeks before their wedding. Years of isolation followed until the re-establishment of the women’s air force re-ignited her life – and a final romance. This was a whirlwind romance with another aviator destined for war, but he would return.

In my research I have been astounded at the crossovers between the major characters, even though they never met. If one was to draft a fictional novel, it would be difficult to imagine that the way in which these lives overlapped could be believed – and yet these things truly happened.

The blinking cursor beckons and the manuscript awaits. There is a joy in writing and sharing the written word but it is the journey of discovery that keeps me coming back to write again.