Whenever a fantastic, out-of-the-box new read crosses my eyes, I absolutely must share! I was honored to get completely lost in a debut fictional novel by Almond Jones, Wingmen. Even more, I had the opportunity to chat one-on-one with the author to get more insight behind this long-overdue project we never knew we needed.

Wingmen is a fictional story, yet quite reminiscent of a hidden figure. Without giving too much away, the main character, Celeste, is a highly-sought-after African-American female pilot whose pretty routine-life is turned upside-down, as she is unexpectedly swooped into the ills of World War II. She dreams of one day owning her own hangar. Her character and skills will be put to the test as a flurry of emotions, namely fear, envelopes her entire existence. It’s a story of survival; she will bend, but will she break?

Wingmen will take you on an adventure! Be prepared to embrace the life lessons along the way!

I asked author Almond Jones what made her want to write a story about a young Black woman pilot during this particular time period in the 1940s. She shared that the idea has been on her heart for a while and that she almost did not go through with it. But it kept tugging away at her in such a way that she could no longer ignore it. It actually took years to piece it all together, and day by day, she would research and write a little – until it all became one complete body of work.

It is important to create the stories we want to see.

Jones opened up that she also shopped the book around to several publishing companies, but none would take it on, not because it wasn’t a good book, but because it did not fill their current needs at that time. However, she didn’t give up, and instead, went on to create a publishing company of her very own.

She offered the following advice to fellow writers and aspiring authors:

Don’t sit on your gifts. There is no need to consult with a million people various potential publishers on if your ideas are good or not. Just write the book first, and then take it from there. That way, you have something to bring directly to the table… Something to work with. You can do it.

Almond Jones, Author

For more information on the author, and to support her debut novel, please visit www.almondjones.com. She is definitely one to watch – stay tuned for future projects!