From US Navy pilot to American hero
(Nashville, Tenn.) July 18, 2018 –W Publishing Group, an imprint of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, has acquired rights to a memoir by Captain Tammie Jo Shults, the airline pilot of Southwest Flight 1380 who made an emergency landing of her Boeing 737 after an engine exploded in midair, shattering a passenger window.
The North American rights were acquired by Daisy Blackwell Hutton, vice president and publisher of W Publishing, in a pre-empt from Mel Berger at William Morris Endeavor, along with CMG Worldwide. This book is scheduled for release in October 2019 and will be Tammie Jo’s first book.
With nerves of steel, Captain Shults safely landed Southwest 1380 with only one engine in Philadelphia earlier this year. She will tell the story of how a young girl growing up on a ranch in New Mexico went on to become one of the first female F-18 Hornet pilots in the US Navy, braving rejection and discrimination with the strength she found in her faith.
Captain Shults is one of a small percentage of female pilots in the commercial airline industry. According to 2016 data from the Federal Aviation Administration, just 6.33% of commercial pilots are women. The passengers of Southwest 1380 applauded Shults for her “guidance and bravery in a traumatic situation” and called her a “true American hero.”
“We believe that Tammie Jo’s inspiring story has powerful reach far beyond the headlines heralding her calm and courage during the Southwest Airlines incident,” said Hutton. “It is a deeply human story that touches broadly on questions about how the choices we make and the things we value coalesce into the people we become. Tammie Jo’s story also dovetails powerfully with the cultural conversation around women’s strength and tenacity as we pursue our dreams.”
About Thomas Nelson: Thomas Nelson is a world leading publisher and provider of Christian content and has been providing readers with quality inspirational product for more than 200 years. As part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., the publishing group provides multiple formats of award-winning Bibles, books, gift books, cookbooks, curriculum and digital content, with distribution of its products in more than 100 countries. Thomas Nelson is headquartered in Nashville, TN. For additional information visit www.thomasnelson.com.
Contact: Becky Melvin 615.902.1211 becky.melvin@harpercollins.com
