Blog Posts by Susan Egner
Inspirations, thoughts by Minnesota author and flight attendant
In writing the Souls On Board series, I interviewed local authorities for additional information. Although it is highly irregular that the Agency would work with civilians in this manner today, it was once standard procedure that law enforcement and civilians worked together to fight crime and the potential danger to others. The following interview with Agent Krahl explains.
Newspaper reporter: How did you first meet flight attendant Casey Click?
Agent Krahl: We had an incident on board a flight that originated in Minneapolis, with a final destination in Denver.
Newspaper reporter: Can you share any details about that incident?
Agent Krahl: I cannot share details of the investigation. What I can share are the remarkable skills brought forth by civilians, primarily Casey Click and her closest friends, whose names must remain confidential.
Newspaper reporter: Can you describe these skills?
Krahl: Certainly. These women used their nascent investigative skills, going beyond what seems obvious upfront, continually searching for more information. It was like peeling back the skin of an onion until they revealed information we might never have found. It was an amazing act of citizen responsibility, without which, we’d still be back in Denver looking for clues.
Newspaper reporter: Are you saying that Ms. Click and her friends surpassed the investigative skills of the FBI?
Krahl: Without public input during any investigation, the process is slow and tedious. Ms. Click and her friends exploited their own curiosity to search for information. Each woman brought her own interpretation of the facts. They pieced these bits of information together to lead us to the perpetrator.
Newspaper reporter: Is there a lesson in this?
Krahl: The public sees more than they realize and could be of extraordinary assistance to us if they would share their observations. We live on this planet together and it’s everyone’s responsibility to protect one another from the actions of criminals. Stepping forward is a step of bravery and honor.
Newspaper reporter: Honor, sir?
Krahl: Turning a blind eye to criminal activities perpetuates the crime. It unwittingly makes you an accomplice. To say nothing, in effect, ties our hands. We can’t protect the general public without the public’s help. Women like Ms. Click and her friends are fearless advocates for justice.
Newspaper reporter: What would you suggest to the public?
Krahl: When out in public, be more aware of what’s going on around you, and around your neighborhood. Join a neighborhood watch group or citizens on patrol.
National Neighborhood Watch Institute
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I saw this image on the Internet and thought it perfectly captured the horror of human trafficking through air transportation. I’d love to give credit to the artist who created it.
Following is a letter I received from the founder of She Is Safe (SIS)
A colleague of mine met Susan Egner in her role as an airline flight attendant. Intrigued upon learning that she is also a published author (as she shared an overview of her latest mystery novel), he became convinced that we should become acquainted.
She Is Safe (SIS) is a Christian non-profit organization that I founded in 2002. We work to prevent, rescue, and restore women and girls from suffering abuse and exploitation in high-risk and least-reached places around the globe. This is accomplished by collaborating with local initiatives of education, economic empowerment, anti-trafficking, and advocacy.
Flight into Oblivion immediately impressed me because of its clear focus on the trafficking of women and girls. Sadly, 80% of all transnational victims are females. This book focuses on their plight as they encounter all forms of exploitation and slavery at the hands of those who profit from the trade. This is not simply another mystery novel: As Egner makes clear on her website, her characters face challenges and often undergo personal transformation as they confront issues in contemporary society. Her stories are about ordinary women and girls who are forced to face some of life’s most adverse circumstances. Egner takes readers on a dark journey where we lean forward to see if the paths of these women and girls will lead to individual freedom and personal empowerment.
Flight into Oblivion represents to me a nascent awareness in popular fiction of the scourge of human trafficking we face in the United States and around the world. I join with Susan in the belief that raising the level of awareness among people in all segments of society is important if we are to achieve our common goal of defeating those who would rob others of their dignity and freedom.
And it is brilliant that the title, Flight into Oblivion, tells the story in a nutshell: Girls and women are often transported on commercial airlines through major transportation hubs. We pass them in the terminals; we sit with them—and their captors—on the planes; we see nothing. The book cover depicts a passenger plane vanishing—into oblivion—just as the young girls and women who disappear right before the eyes of those of us who are unaware. This is a compelling mystery that unveils the wretched underbelly of human trafficking, that helps us to see as we’ve never seen before, and that makes us aware of events taking place right before our eyes. We are not likely to see things in the same way again!
Michele M. Rickett
President/Founder
She Is Safe
If you haven’t started the Souls on Board series, please visit our website at www.EgnerINK.com or any of the following sites for these and more books by Susan Egner.
The airline surprised Casey when they scheduled her for training on human trafficking. After the training, she was staggered by how little she and her friends knew about the subject. Learn more before reading Flight Into Oblivion.
The following definition of Human Trafficking comes from the Department of Homeland Security website.
What Is Human Trafficking?
Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. Every year, millions of men, women, and children are trafficked worldwide – including right here in the United States. It can happen in any community and victims can be of any age, race, gender, or nationality. Traffickers might use violence, manipulation, or false promises of well-paying jobs or romantic relationships to lure victims into trafficking situations.
If you haven’t started the Souls on Board series, please visit our website at www.EgnerINK.com or any of the following sites for these and more books by Susan Egner.
