Suzy Henderson

A pretty, young WAAF drives the crew out to where their Lancaster Bomber awaits. Before she set off she checked her reflection in her silver compact. Her blonde hair is neatly tucked into a roll at the nape of her neck, the ruby red has faded a little on her plump lips, but she'll do.  Some of the boys engage in banter, and laughter flows, slicing through the cool night air. 'Come on, Joan, come out with me some time,' a young airman calls out, almost pleading. He mustn't be bothered about the rumors, but the boys beside him exchange nervous glances. 'Everyone who takes her out gets the chop,' one of them whispers.   Joan laughs it off. She never goes out with any of them - not anymore.  Some are silent, looking ahead to where their Lancaster waits on the dispersal pan, her dark form looming out, swathed in moonlight. This shuttle run might be their last but Joan is the consummate actress, disguising apprehension beneath a cloak of frivolity while she paints o

Catch up with me today at my friend and fellow author's website, the fabulous Elinor Florence: http://elinorflorence.com/blog/night-witches

In June and early July 1940, the Luftwaffe regrouped in readiness for Operation Sealion - the invasion of Britain. Their aim was to destroy the Royal Air Force. The Battle of Britain began on the 10th July. As the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill announced, "What General Weygrand called the Battle of France is over, the Battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of civilization. Upon it depends our own British life, and the long continuity of our institutions and our Empire. The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us.  Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this Island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, a nd perhaps more protracted, by the

Suzy Henderson Tell us a little about the idea behind The Bridge of Deaths. The Bridge of Deaths revolves around a 1939 plane crash in which my Grandfather, a Bio-Chemical engineer working for Standard Oil of New Jersey lost his life. I was raised to understand that the crash was caused by sabotage and that the target was a British member of parliament on board. How difficult was the research and how long did it take? I did not have the freedom or resources to research full time, so it spanned over almost two decades. Some of the materials were not easy to access and some were difficult to understand as they were either in Danish or German. Difficult in this case is almost a matter of opinion as it was so interesting to me that it felt doable even if it involved work. Which authors have been your greatest influence? So many! I tend to fall in love with an author and read all their work, some have lost me though, which is scary but no book is for ever