American Airlines Pilot, Author and Journalist, Sports Writer Collaborate on New Book; Beyond Haiku--Pilot Stories launches April 3 at St. Thomas University

Walter Villa, a Miami Herald journalist and sports writer, met American Airlines Captain Linda Pauwels when he interviewed her for a Miami Dade College publication. That meeting led to other interviews and developed into a friendship. After getting to know Pauwels and her "Beyond Haiku" series, Villa asked her a serious question: "How would you like to team up with me to write a book about pilots?"

DALLAS, March 25, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Walter Villa, a Miami Herald journalist and sports writer, met American Airlines Captain Linda Pauwels when he interviewed her for a Miami Dade College publication. That meeting led to other interviews and developed into a friendship. After getting to know Pauwels and her "Beyond Haiku" series, Villa asked her a serious question: "How would you like to team up with me to write a book about pilots?"

That was the start of a project that culminated in their new book,"Beyond Haiku—Pilot Stories." The authors interviewed 15 pilots around the globe who shared intimate, thought-provoking personal journeys in the air and on land. The authors will present a book launch, open to the public, at 12 p.m. Wednesday, April 3 at St. Thomas University's Student Union Lounge, 16401 NW 37th Avenue, Miami Gardens, Florida. Professor Kelly Wolfe will moderate the event.

Pauwels enjoyed working with Villa on bringing the book to fruition.

"My favorite part was seeing the seed of Walter's great idea grow and blossom into a book," she said. "Weathered by the elements, it was nurtured and protected by the collaborative efforts of many. Sometimes, projects don't make it to the finish line. This one wasn't easy, and I'm thrilled we were able to bring our readers interesting stories about those who fly—human stories, intended to honor and inspire."

Villa added: "I enjoyed every part of this book, especially collaborating with my co-author Linda. We had to decide whom to write about and then – after Linda magically discovered that person's contact information – we performed the interviews. That was probably the most fun because we learned about these amazing pilots and their jobs and lives."

Those profiled in the book are the following:

•     Adam Guarno, Coast Guard helicopter pilot
•     Carl Newman, deputy director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Aircraft Operations Center
•     Lyle Prouse, former airline pilot, United States Marine Corps (USMC)
•     Anna Lozovskaya, the first woman pilot at Yakutia Airlines, Yakutsk, Russia
•     Brad Lang, airline pilot and descendant of one of the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of Black pilots who fought as part of the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II
•     David Charlebois, airline pilot who died during the 9/11 terrorist attacks
•     Michael Schneider, founder of Pilots To The Rescue, an animal rescue nonprofit organization
•     The late Mark Damiens, airline pilot, United States Marine Corps (USMC)
•     Jim Ritcher and Al Secord—airline pilots and former professional athletes
•     Clint MacArthur, Taahira Camé, and Giovanna Pihler Vieira—bush pilots
•     Terri McCallister, airline pilot and assault survivor

The book promises twists and turns and thrill rides in presenting these real-life tales. Several stories take a serious and uplifting turn. McCallister survived an assault to become who she is today, and Prouse, who was incarcerated for flying an airliner while under the influence of alcohol, fought to regain his livelihood. MacArthur shared his story of coming face-to-face with an Alaskan bear, and Guarno vividly detailed his perilous encounter with drug-running vessels.

"Telling my story for this book means I can share with the world the outstanding work all the members of the U.S. Coast Guard are doing to keep our country safe," Guarno said. "I hope to inspire in others a sense of adventure, service to country, and care for others."

"Beyond Haiku: Pilot Stories" is available at Amazon. To register for the event, email [email protected].

About Linda Pauwels:
Captain Linda Pauwels is a veteran airline pilot. For more than three decades she has flown thousands of hours on many types of large airplanes, all over the world. Linda even counts some aviation "firsts" attached to her name. At present, she is a Boeing 787 Captain for American Airlines.

Linda was born in San Pedro, Buenos Aires, Argentina. She came to the United States at age six, not long after the death of her father. Having experienced adversity early on in life, she grew to understand and appreciate the values of resilience and perseverance. Linda integrates intuition and sensitivity, along with a graduate academic preparation in education, into her professional life.

In the mid-2000s, Linda wrote a regular column, titled From the Cockpit, for the Orange County Register. She has been secretly writing poetry for a while. Unfortunately, that cat is now out of the bag.

Linda has been married to Frederick, also a pilot, for over forty years. They have two adult children, Nathalie and Patrick, domestic animals and an Asian garden. The family has a primary base in North Texas, near Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, and a secondary base in South Florida, near Miami International Airport.

For more information about Linda's books, visit http://www.beyondhaiku.com.

About Walter Villa:
Walter Villa was born in New York City and raised in Miami by wonderful Cuban-born parents. Walter started his career in earnest as a sports editor for The Miami Herald. Following that, he served as deputy sports editor for The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Since then, Walter has enjoyed a second career as a writer.

He has been published by The New York Times, USA Today, The Miami Herald, The Boston Globe, The Los Angeles Times, Baseball America, Sports Illustrated.com, The Sporting News, D1 Baseball.com and many more.

His first published book was "The Miracle Mission" released in 2022. "Beyond Haiku--Pilot Stories" is his second book.

Media Contact

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SOURCE Walter Villa and Linda Pauwels