Blog Posts by Susan Egner
Inspirations, thoughts by Minnesota author and flight attendant
I’m writing a cozy mystery series about a grandmother flight attendant who “lands” in one conundrum after another. She’s vivacious, has white hair (stylishly cut, of course) and bright, intelligent blue eyes. But it got me thinking. When I was young, I had thought about being a flight attendant, but something sent me down another path. I considered that opportunity gone forever until I found out differently when I retired from a job in marketing. Wow, they were looking for applicants and I applied and was hired. That set off 12 of the most remarkable years of my life, and enough story ideas to keep me writing for years. But I’m wondering. How many others had that dream and never acted on it. I’d love to hear your story.
I’m writing a new Casey Click novel that involves our newest item of apparel, the mask. Though controversial, the majority of citizens deem it an inconvenient but cautious requirement when intermixing with others of their species. But what else do masks conjure? Having grown up on cowboy shows where the bad guys wore masks, it’s easy to bring that notion forward. What about the bad guys? How convenient that they’re required to wear masks. Casey Click can only determine a passengers’ personalities by the look in their eyes, and that’s less easily done than one might imagine. Without the accompanying smile or grimace, the looks in passengers’ eyes provide a bit of a mystery. Can she accurately detect when something has gone amiss? Wait for the book, but before that, share any uncomfortable mask stories in comments that you might have experienced.
While flying, I heard many stories, both from crew members and passengers, with the understood intent that I might incorporate them into books that I’m writing. However, now I am looking for specific subject matter. How has the pandemic changed your life in ways other than reported on the media. Personal experiences, both heartwarming or frightening that might evolve into a mystery. Just the masks alone give lots of possibilities of mysteries, but what have you experienced? How about in flight? Did you notice anything that made you uncomfortable or suspicious? Do you think masks can conceal something suspicious? Thank you. I look forward to hearing from you.