Literary Aviatrix: The Power of Story - Women in Aviation

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In this Aviatrix Writers’ Room conversation, former NASA public affairs specialist and author of four nonfiction picture books, Kirsten W. Larson talks about writing true stories for young readers. We dig into how she learned the craft, the communities and organizations that helped her grow, and the realities of traditional publishing timelines (especially for illustrated nonfiction).

Kirsten shares a clear-eyed look at writing “school and library” work-for-hire books, what those contracts mean for rights and creative control, and why she ultimately shifted her focus toward her own trade projects. We also talk about nonfiction kidlit craft—how research becomes story, why emotional connection matters, and the revision mindset behind her Reimagine Your Writing craft books Reimagining Your Nonfiction Picture Book: A Step-by-Step Revision Guide and her latest launching February 1st -  Telling it True: How to Write Non-Fiction Kids (and Teens) Want to Read (Reimagine Your Writing). 

What we cover
• How Kirsten developed her craft (study, critique, repetition, feedback)
• Communities that helped: critique groups, SCBWI, NFFest, webinars, classes
• What “kidlit nonfiction” really asks of the writer: story first, facts supported in back matter
• The publishing timeline reality for illustrated books (and why it takes years)
• Work-for-hire school/library books: what the contracts typically mean (flat fee + publisher holds rights)
• How to break in: magazine clips, portfolios, pitching educational publishers
• Why she wrote Reimagining Your Nonfiction Picture Book (and what it’s designed to solve)
• What she’s building next: a broader nonfiction craft “prequel” + a middle grade graphic novel project
• Encouragement for new writers: read what’s being published now, learn the medium, write, revise, repeat
Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/
Thanks so much for listening!

Stay up to date on book releases, author events, and Aviatrix Book Club discussion dates with the Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.
Visit the Literary Aviatrix website to find over 600 books featuring women in aviation in all genres for all ages.
Become a Literary Aviatrix Patron and help amplify the voices of women in aviation.
Follow me on social media, join the book club, and find all of the things on the Literary Aviatrix linkt.ree.

Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening!

-Liz Booker

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I’m joined by Kirsten W. Larson, former NASA public affairs specialist and author of four nonfiction picture books—including Wood, Wire, Wings, the story of pioneering airplane designer E. Lillian (Emma) Todd, and A True Wonder, a biography of Wonder Woman as a cultural icon shaped by women’s history.

We talk about how Kirsten became a children’s nonfiction author, why the back matter matters, and what drew her to stories that put overlooked women back into the historical record—especially women who weren’t “the winners” history tends to preserve. We also dig into the inventive, practical brilliance of Lillian Todd, the wild early days of aviation design, and the fascinating ways Wonder Woman’s portrayal rises and falls alongside cultural attitudes toward women in the U.S.
Buy the book: https://literaryaviatrix.com/book/wood-wire-wings-emma-lilian-todd-invents-an-airplane/
Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/
Thanks so much for listening!

Stay up to date on book releases, author events, and Aviatrix Book Club discussion dates with the Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.
Visit the Literary Aviatrix website to find over 600 books featuring women in aviation in all genres for all ages.
Become a Literary Aviatrix Patron and help amplify the voices of women in aviation.
Follow me on social media, join the book club, and find all of the things on the Literary Aviatrix linkt.ree.

Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening!

-Liz Booker

Send us a text
In this interview, Merryl Tengesdal, Col USAF (ret.) returns to talk about Shatter the Sky: Tales of Dragon Lady 788— a comic designed to bring confidence, critical thinking, and leadership lessons to younger readers.
We discuss why comic books and graphic novels matter, how real-world aviation experiences shaped this story, and why kids (and adults) need to listen to their inner voices and speak up when something doesn’t feel right.
This conversation moves from the cockpit to the classroom to the living room — touching on parenting, peer pressure, mental health, and the responsibility of preparing the next generation to lead with integrity.
Buy the Book: https://literaryaviatrix.com/book/shatter-the-sky-tales-of-dragon-lady-788/
If you haven’t listened to my full interview with Merryl about her memoir, Shatter the Sky, you can find it here: https://literaryaviatrix.com/shatter-the-sky/
Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/
Thanks so much for listening!

Stay up to date on book releases, author events, and Aviatrix Book Club discussion dates with the Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.
Visit the Literary Aviatrix website to find over 600 books featuring women in aviation in all genres for all ages.
Become a Literary Aviatrix Patron and help amplify the voices of women in aviation.
Follow me on social media, join the book club, and find all of the things on the Literary Aviatrix linkt.ree.

Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening!

-Liz Booker

Send us a text
In this deeply immersive Literary Aviatrix Classics conversation Dr. Jacque Boyd, Captain Jenny Beatty and I discuss Wings for Life, the extraordinary memoir of pioneering aviatrix Ruth Nichols.
Nichols’ life reads like myth—altitude, speed, and distance records; repeated catastrophic crashes; unrelenting physical pain; and a relentless return to the cockpit. Beneath the headlines lies a story of discipline, preparation, spiritual conviction, and resilience shaped by mentorship, friendship, and loss.
We trace Nichols’ journey from debutante to record-setting pilot, from shattered vertebrae to historic long-distance flights, and from personal heartbreak to immensely impactful global humanitarian work. This conversation also places Nichols within the broader context of women’s aviation history—alongside Amelia Earhart, The Ninety-Nines, and the interwar aviation world that shaped (and constrained) women’s opportunities.
What makes this episode special is not just what Nichols accomplished—but how she endured. This is a story about what happens when a woman refuses to disappear, even when the world—and her own body—tries to stop her.
Topics Covered
·       Ruth Nichols’ record-setting flights in altitude, speed, and distance
·       The brutal physical cost of early aviation—and survival against the odds
·       Mentorship from Harry Rogers and Clarence Chamberlain
·       Women pilots, publicity, and the economics of survival in aviation
·       The founding and early purpose of The Ninety-Nines
·       Competition, friendship, and tension with Amelia Earhart
·       Faith, Quaker values, and Nichols’ pivot toward humanitarian aviation
·       Relief Wings, disaster response, and the roots of Civil Air Patrol
·       Why Ruth Nichols deserves a larger place in aviation history
Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/
Thanks so much for listening!

Stay up to date on book releases, author events, and Aviatrix Book Club discussion dates with the Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.
Visit the Literary Aviatrix website to find over 600 books featuring women in aviation in all genres for all ages.
Become a Literary Aviatrix Patron and help amplify the voices of women in aviation.
Follow me on social media, join the book club, and find all of the things on the Literary Aviatrix linkt.ree.

Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening!

-Liz Booker

Send us a text
Pioneering airline pilot Lynn Rippelmeyer reflects on her extraordinary journey from being hired as a TWA stewardess in the early 1970s to becoming one of the first women to fly the Boeing 747, and later retiring from United Airlines after a career shaped both by deregulation, mergers, and furloughs, and by generosity, unexpected opportunities, and adventure.
We talk about her two-part memoir, beginning with Life Takes Wings, which traces her path from the cabin to the flight deck at a time when women were told — explicitly — that they didn’t belong there. Lynn shares unforgettable stories from the cockpit, including a laugh-out-loud reading involving a seeing-eye dog, Florida mud, and an entire airport watching it unfold. In Life Takes Flight, the adventures continue as she pursues her flying career, takes a break to raise a family, and then returns to flying as a single mom. 
This episode also explores:
The transition from “stewardess” to “flight attendant” and what that shift meant culturally
Being told women couldn’t fly “the heavies” — and proving otherwise
The mentors (and gatekeepers) who shaped her career
How discovering the WASP later in life reframed everything she’d been told
Why writing her story became a responsibility, not just a creative act
How her flying career ultimately led to humanitarian work in Honduras and the founding of a nonprofit
Lynn’s story sits at the intersection of aviation, feminism, labor history, and storytelling — and it’s one every aspiring aviator (and writer) should hear.
Buy the books directly from Lynn to support her non-profit Roatan Support Effort. https://lynnrippelmeyer.com/purchase-now
Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/
Thanks so much for listening!

Stay up to date on book releases, author events, and Aviatrix Book Club discussion dates with the Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.
Visit the Literary Aviatrix website to find over 600 books featuring women in aviation in all genres for all ages.
Become a Literary Aviatrix Patron and help amplify the voices of women in aviation.
Follow me on social media, join the book club, and find all of the things on the Literary Aviatrix linkt.ree.

Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening!

-Liz Booker