About the book

Bobby Hollis is a WW2 Air Transport Auxiliary pilot with a frantic schedule delivering planes like Spitfires and Wellingtons. She navigates the country but when it comes to men and the secrets of her dysfunctional family, she finds that controlling a huge bomber might just be easier than controlling her own life.

About the author

A journalist who worked across newspapers, BBC radio and television, Shirley Mann only started to write her first novel in her 60s. She was inspired by the wartime romance of her parents- her mum was a WAAF in Bomber Command and her dad was in the Eighth Army- but when she realised she hadn’t asked enough questions, she raced around the country talking to women in their 80s and 90s who had been in the services during the war to find out their stories. It was during this time that she heard about the amazing work of female ATA pilots, who flew everything from Spitfires to huge bombers. Shirley managed to get to meet the last remaining ATA pilot, Mary Ellis just before her death last summer. This amazing 101-year-old shared her memories so that Shirley could authentically recreate the world of the female pilots whose ground-breaking achievements have done so much to pave the way for young women today.