Sarah Byrn Rickman

Sarah Byrn Rickman knew at 5 she wanted to write books. At 13, she read about Amelia Earhart and wanted to fly. A 20-plus year career in journalism — reporter/ columnist for The Detroit News and later editor of the twice-weekly Centerville-Bellbrook (Ohio) Times — put her on the brink of her dream of being an author. Add a master’s degree in creative writing and, Voila!— in 2001, publication of her first book — The Originals: The Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron of World War II. Sarah has since written 12 more books about the WAFS/WASP pilots of World War II.

Oh yes, that desire to fly. Sarah earned her Sport Pilot certificate in 2011, flying a sweet little 1940s-vintage taildragger Aeronca Champ—yellow with a red belly. To write well about flying meant Sarah had to hear the wind singing in the wires and see the earth from a bird’s eye view.

Sarah now writes upbeat biographies about the skilled, gutsy young women pilots who flew in World War II. These books are written for today’s young women ages 12-17. Her six YA books complement today’s STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering and Math] curriculum. Girls can be aeronautical engineers too!