An extraordinary story inspired by the real Women’s Air Raid Defense, where an unlikely recruit and her sisters-in-arms forge their place in WWII history.
We chat with author Sara Ackerman about her latest novel Radar Girls, which releases July 27th 2021, along with writing, book recommendations, and more!
Hi, Sara! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Aloha! I’m a USA Today bestselling author who writes books about love and life, and all of their messy and beautiful imperfections. I believe that the light is just as important as the dark, and that the world is in need of uplifting and heartwarming stories – especially right now! I was born and raised in Hawai’i, where I studied journalism and later earned graduate degrees in psychology and Chinese medicine (yes, I poke people with acupuncture needles).
A few of my favorite things, in no particular order – hiking, homemade pizza, a good thunderstorm, stargazing, books, craft beer, surfing, mountain streams, and animals. In fact, animals inhabit all of my novels in some way, shape or form – dogs, donkeys, sea turtles, a featherless chicken, endangered Hawaiian crows, horses, and even a lion. When I’m not writing, you’ll find me in the mountains or in the ocean, which is where most of my inspiration happens.
How has the first half of 2021 been for you?
It’s been a crazy mixed bag. For one, I started my fifth novel in January and due to COVID related delays, I had a pretty tight deadline. Which meant I had to double up on my writing time and be very diligent about my word count each day. It was hard but extremely rewarding, as I was also tackling a dual timeline story for the first time. On the other hand, it has been lovely to have our beaches and roads here in Hawai’i mostly empty for at least the first few months of the year. Overall, life is wonderful and I have much to be thankful for.
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
The Bear’s Picnic, Prodigal Summer, Where the Crawdads Sing
When did you first discover your love for writing?
My best friend and I used to write songs when we were around 11 or 12. We wrote these awful and hilarious love songs (I had a problem, and it was big/my lover left me, but he was a pig), and we were prolific. I remember spending hours and hours coming up with lyrics, and then we would later perform the songs for the neighbors. I think I loved the freedom of creating whatever kind of world I wanted to. The songs were just one of many creative endeavors of my youth.
Your new novel, Radar Girls, is out July 27th 2021! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Oooh, this is hard. Brave women doing cool things.
What can readers expect?
At its heart, Radar Girls is a story of friendship and hope, loss and love, with a bit of mystery and intrigue thrown into the mix.
It’s the story of a young woman trying to make her way in the world. Daisy is special in her own way, but no different than you or I, really. And then in one day, everything changes. Through her lens, we experience what it was like firsthand to live in wartime Hawaii, a very dark and tense time. We ride shotgun as she overcomes obstacles, deeply connects with other WARDS, falls in love, and proves herself as an important member of a critical command center Pearl Harbor. We feel her hopes, dreams and fears, which aren’t too different than our own.
I think you can expect a very heartfelt read.
What was the inspiration behind Radar Girls?
I came across the story of the Women’s Air Raid Defense (WARD) while researching for The Lieutenant’s Nurse, and these women are my heroes! Their unit was formed in the Hawaiian Islands by emergency Executive Order 9063 immediately following the attack on Pearl Harbor. These brave women were sworn to secrecy and only told that they would be performing critical secret work for the army. More importantly, that they would be responsible for protecting their home and their country. Radar stations and command centers were formed on every island and staffed with local women, military wives, and recruits from the Mainland. Code name: Rascal. As soon as I learned about them, I knew I had to write their story.
Can you tell us about any challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
The first challenge was finding information about the Women’s Air Raid Defense. There wasn’t much out there, and almost all of the WARDs have passed on. Fortunately, several of them wrote a book called The Shuffleboard Pilot: The History of the Women’s Air Raid Defense in Hawaii, 1941-1945 that was indispensable to me. Then, there was a lot of technical information and trying to figure out how the command centers worked, how they tracked planes, and all of the plotting and aviation jargon. That part took a lot of brainpower and research. Also, I was not too far along on the book when the pandemic hit, so I was unable to concentrate for a good period of time. My daily word count dropped considerably. Also, I couldn’t travel from the Big Island to Oahu, which would have been helpful for research. Seems like it’s always something different with each book, but you just keep chipping away.
Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I loved writing about the women’s trip up to Station Opana (the infamous radar site where two young privates picked up the Japanese planes coming in, but did not realize what they were seeing). I felt like I was along for the ride on their circle island adventure, and I didn’t even plan for them to drive up there. It forced me to look more closely at the actual mobile radar units and imagine how it might have been to have a car full of ladies (who also happened to be officers) show up unannounced, and seeing how the men there might have reacted. It’s always fun when unexpected scenes or characters appear when I’m writing. It’s part of the magic!
I loved learning their stories, many of which I included in my novel. These women were smart, courageous, tough, and so much fun. I certainly hope that my book gives them the attention they deserve.
What’s the best and the worst writing advice you have received?
The best: I have no idea where I originally heard these words, but I’ve seen them in various iterations over the years. The gist is this: when you leave off writing for the day, stop mid-scene or begin another scene so that you have a smooth entry point the following day. You won’t have to sit there staring at a blank page thinking, hmm, what the #$%& am I going to write? Instead, you sit down and begin typing or scribbling away. I believe this little tidbit has single-handedly saved me from getting writer’s block.
The worst: write naked. I kid you not, this was what one man at a conference said. We were in a small class, and he told us he believed being naked makes you less inhibited. He strongly recommended it. This was a while ago. I’m not sure how that would go over nowadays. (Actually, this may not be the worst, but it was the weirdest).
What’s next for you?
I just finished my first draft of a novel that I’m calling The Last Plane to Honolulu. Titles often changes, so that may not be the final title. In a nutshell, here’s what the book is about:
1943 A brilliant female codebreaker comes to Hawaii, working on cracking the Japanese code to help win the war that took her brother’s life.
1965 A young journalist returns home from San Francisco to cover the grand opening of the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Lawrence Rockefeller’s newest project and the most expensive hotel ever built.
The two women’s lives are stitched together by a handsome pilot, a fateful message, and a mysterious disappearance at the hotel that raises questions about what really happened along this coastline 20 years ago during the war.
It was daunting to write, and now I have a much greater appreciation for any author who successfully pulls off dual timeline narratives. I will be editing for the next six months or so. Let the fun begin!
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
A few books I’ve recently enjoyed were: The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin, The Last Checkmate by Gabriella Saab, and The Rose Code by Kate Quinn. Also, I love The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy. It is such a profoundly simple and beautiful and sweet book. A reminder of what is important in life. I just love it so much. The words, the drawings, the sentiment. Everyone should read it.
