Through Janice Beetle Books, I had the privilege to stand up in public and talk about Flight of Integrity with my client, Peter Cichon, in the audience with his wife and family. It was a thrill second only to the privilege of helping Peter tell his story in the first place.

As I explained to an audience of about 40 at South Hadley Public Library—which graciously hosted the talk—Peter came to me about four years ago, referred by my friend and colleague Fran Fahey of Fran’s Fine Editing in Easthampton, Massachusetts. Peter sat down in my office and told me the story of a trauma he experienced while working for an airline at Bradley International Airport in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

At the time I met Peter, those events were at least a decade behind him, but I could see the angst and turmoil still on his face and in his body. He said he needed to tell the story because that would help him to feel some sense of closure and peace. I felt honored that he chose me to be his storyteller.

We agreed early on that we would tell the story as a work of fiction based on fact to protect Peter and his family, his colleagues, and the airline itself. My friend and colleague Judith Kelliher helped me interview Peter several times, and Judy also interviewed Peter’s wife and some of his friends and colleagues.

Peter delivered to me several large cartons filled with documentation that included transcripts of court depositions, police reports from the Connecticut State Police, personnel records from the airline, and recommendations and commendations about Peter.

Together with the material gathered in interviews, the information informed my writing. I prepared a manuscript, which Peter and I subsequently edited together, until it fully resonated with him. (Since Jacques is an air traffic controller, I had him read the book as well, and took his good feedback into account.)

Then, my friend and colleague Lisa Stowe of Florence, Massachusetts, designed the book’s jacket and inside pages, and it was printed by Off the Common Books in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Flight of Integrity is the story of a different time in our history and focuses on troubled race relations and incidents of sexual harassment at the airline for which Peter worked as a ramp agent, or baggage handler.

The ongoing drama centered around three employees who had been known to harass female employees and intimidate other colleagues. Peter took on the role of advocate and defender for those employees who were targets. It was his belief that he could make the airline a better place, where people would want to work. Instead, the situation went in a direction Peter never could have seen coming.

At the reading, I heard feedback from people who have already read the book and described it as a page-turner they could not put down. I particularly appreciated that a woman who worked with Peter, speaking directly to me, said I had done a good job in the writing because the book rang true for her. 

Peter talked about how hard it was to feel persecuted and misunderstood, and he thanked me for bringing his story to light. He said he feels relief now, as if he has had his day in court.

Read Peter’s story, and see what you think!

Contact me if you’d like to plan a cozy reading for a book group or at a public venue in your area.

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Work of fiction, based on a true story, is the first title for Janice Beetle Books imprint

SOUTH HADLEY—Janice Beetle, owner of Janice Beetle Books LLC, will discuss a client’s book, Flight of Integrity, and read from it on Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. at South Hadley Public Library. 

Beetle developed the book with Peter Cichon of South Hadley over the past four years. The work, with cover and page design by Lisa Stowe in Florence, tells the story of Cichon’s former career as a ramp agent for a major airline that is now defunct. 

“Peter’s experience there traumatized him,” Beetle said. “His reason for telling his story was to free himself of the shame he felt after he and the airline parted ways.”

Flight of Integrity is the first title published through Janice Beetle Books and carries the business imprint along with that for Off the Common Books in Amherst, which printed the work. Through Janice Beetle Books, Beetle works with writers of all skill levels—as well as nonwriters—to help them carry a book idea through to publication. She also offers writing coaching services.

The reading is free and open to the public; South Hadley Public Library is located at 2 Canal St. 

Beetle will tell the story of how she and Cichon partnered to tell this story, and she will read several excerpts from the book. Beetle and Cichon will answer questions from the audience.

The book is available at https://www.levellerspress.com/product/flight-of-integrity/.

While the book is fictionalized, it is based on Cichon’s life and career path as well as on facts and actual characters and events. 

In it, the main character is James Kowalski, who grew up poor and developed a work ethic that served him well. Kowalski became an exceptional laborer and was praised by every employer he had. Working as a truck driver, he dreamt of changing his career and fantasized about working at an airline. 

When he was finally offered a job as a ramp agent—loading and unloading baggage and maintaining airplanes for Arrow Airlines at Bradley International Airport—Kowalski jumped at the opportunity. He also took on the volunteer role of managing employee payroll because he loved being a part of the success of the airline.

Sexual harassment was common in the workplace, and race relations were troubled. The book details incidents and the players involved and tells the story of how events played out for Kowalski.

Judith Kelliher, a longtime colleague of Beetle’s, helped Beetle conduct interviews early in the process and also copyedited the manuscript. 

For more information, visit JaniceBeetleBooks.com.

The post Authors to Read from Flight of Integrity on Nov. 5 appeared first on Beetle Press.