An Impossible Distance to Fall

by Miriam McNamara

  “How about I tell you all about it tomorrow?” Birdie tugged June’s hips close, unbuttoned the front of her flight suit, and slipped her hands inside.

  “Why tomorrow?” June’s fingers toyed with the straps of Birdie’s costume. Her breath caught as Birdie lifted the edge of her shirt and brushed the bare skin of her stomach. Then she caught on, and a smile played on her lips. “Oh yeah, since there’s nothing else on the schedule …” Her voice trailed off as she leaned in for another kiss.

  “Let’s keep it like that,” Birdie whispered, reveling in the perfect texture of June’s skin, the lean shape of her curves. “I love how it feels like anything could happen.”

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Thank you to the amazing people who helped with my research for Birdie’s story: Jim Tyson, who works on antique planes and has flown them since 1948 and gave me wonderful feedback on the story, and to Ted McIrvine for connecting us; Carol Pilon, Canadian wingwalker extraordinaire, who emailed back and forth with me answering all sorts of questions, and to Sharyn November who suggested I reach out to her; and to my dad, for taking that field trip to the National Air and Space Museum with me to see the original Curtiss JN-4 up close and personal.

  Thank you to Linda Washington, for giving me immeasurable feedback on my story and characters. Thank you to Nora Carpenter, Rachel Hylton, Liz Booker, Val Howlett, Nicole Valentine, and Amy Rose Capetta, for your support and readings and feedback and cheerleading all along the way, and to all of my Secret Gardeners and VCFA peeps and Pneuma Creatives and ECLA buddies who have rooted so hard for me and this story! And a shout-out to all my friends and family and non-writing community who have done the same.

  Thank you to Sarah Aronson and everyone involved in the Writing Novels for Young People Retreats at VCFA, especially David Gill, whose approach to story structure broke this one wide open and fundamentally changed how I approach my writing. Thank you to Elizabeth Lutyens and my classmates in her Great Smokies Writing Program course that workshopped Birdie’s story.

  Thank you to Linda Epstein, my awesome agent, for always believing in and fighting for my stories. Thank you to Rachel Stark, editor of my heart, for acquiring this novel, and to Nicole Frail for seeing it through so kindly and carefully.