Leslie Karst here, pleased to present this post from fab author, Nancy Cole Silverman, whose new book, The Navigator’s Daughter, was released just yesterday. And as you’ll see, her newest release has a moving and emotional history. Take it away, Nancy!
Coincidence or Fate?
I’ve given up thinking that coincidence is nothing more than happenstance. For a long time, I was content to believe that things like meeting my younger sister for lunch and finding she was wearing the same sunglasses or that my older sister and I had recently sent the same birthday card to our mother were nothing more than a coinkydink. Something to laugh about. Or that suddenly, out of the blue, thoughts of an old friend might trigger a call from that person, and the memories long since forgotten come flooding back fresh as the morning sun.
Perhaps the writer in me has caused me to pay more attention to those hiccups I might have discounted in the past. Grabbing hold of them and pausing long enough to be thankful for their levity or pensive thought that might follow has made me think that coincidence is never a mistake but a signal for me to stop and take note.
Such was the case when my father passed away, and I ran across a file full of old correspondence and records from his time during the 2nd World War. My dad had been a navigator/bombardier aboard a B24 and had been shot down over Hungary. Fortunately, after three weeks behind enemy lines, he was secreted to safety and eventually returned to his airbase in Italy, where he continued to fly until the end of the war.
Flash forward forty-five years, and dad received a letter from the war department telling him a young Hungarian had found his downed B24 and wanted to correspond. My father wasn’t up for a long-distance pen-pal relationship and turned the letter over to me, and I kept up a brief correspondence for a short time—but not forever.
Eventually, the novelty of the relationship dwindled to the exchange of Christmas cards and then fizzled out altogether. But after my father passed, like that call out of the blue from an old friend, I found the Hungarian’s letter again. Try as I could, I could no longer find him, but the thoughts and memories of his letter triggered my newest book, The Navigator’s Daughter.
Readers: How about you? Do you think coincidence is fate or is it all just accidental?
About The Navigator’s Daughter: Getting caught in the middle of an international art theft ring wasn’t supposed to be part of the deal Kat Lawson made with her dying father. But when her father receives a mysterious letter informing the former WW2 navigator/bombardier that his downed B-24 has been found and asking him to come to Hungary, Kat suspects this is all part of some senior rip-off scam. Her father insists she go, not only to photograph the final resting place of his plane but also to find the mother and son who risked their lives to rescue him and hid him in a cave beneath an old Roman fortress. Kat’s trip uncovers not only the secrets of the cave where her father hid and of those who rescued him, but a secret that will forever change the direction of her life—that is—if she can get home safely.
About the author: Nancy Cole Silverman spent nearly twenty-five years in news and talk radio, beginning her career in college on the talent side as one of the first female voices on the air. Later on the business side in Los Angeles, she retired as one of two female general managers in the nation’s second-largest radio market. After a successful career in the radio industry, Silverman retired to write fiction. Her short stories and crime-focused novels—the Carol Childs and Misty Dawn Mysteries,(Henry Press) are both Los Angeles-based. Her newest series THE NAVIGATOR’S DAUGHTER, (Level Best Books) takes a more international approach. Silverman lives in Los Angeles with her husband and a thoroughly pampered standard poodle.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nancy.silverman.90/
Twitter: @nancycolesilver
website: http://www.nancycolesilverman.com
Chicks on the Case 
Congratulations, Nancy! The book sounds fabulous!
I’m on the fence about coincidence. Sometimes I think it’s random, other times I’m sure there’s some not-yet-understood force at work.
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Thanks, Liz. As you know, when a writer releases the first of new work, it’s always a catch-your-breath-moment, and we wait to breathe until after the first comments start to come in. Thankfully, it’s been a good launch, and I thank you and others for taking the time to read my story.
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I totally believe in fate. Too many strange things happen in life for it to be coincidental.
Case in point. I had dreams before each child was born that later on showed up to be medical issues for them. Like my dream before my younger son was born about rats eating my heart, and Christopher was born with holes in his heart.
Thinking about people and they contact you is no coincidence. And it’s usually because either you need to talk to them or they need to tell you something. There’s a bigger force out there that I can’t explain.
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I’m right with you on that. I think if we tune into that inner voice, it’s keyed to the energy around us. I hope your son is okay today. Mother’s get those messages, I had a few of my own.
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The Navigator’s Daughter sounds fabulous, Nancy—and knowing the background story makes me even more excited to read it! I don’t think I believe in coincidence…especially of the mind variety. I wonder if writers are particularly attuned to mysterious connections and messages—they’re always there but other people aren’t listening, or tuned to the channel.
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I think writers are particularly tuned in to all kinds of communications. Perhaps all the arts are. In my mind, writing is a gift, and what we do with it, is up to us. But quieting the mind and listening, is where it begins.
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I think both happen: coincidence as well as events that are somehow truly related. And one does have to wonder if there are other senses that we all have (or have the potential to access) that we may not be aware of…
Congrats on the new book, Nancy–it looks terrific! And thanks so much for visiting the Chicks today!
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I agree with you, Leslie. And as a writer, I find the journey, particularly when working on a new novel, full of opportunities. Fate or coincidence, I suppose it’s what one reads into it. Thank you for hosting me today.
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I think it can be coincidence, fate, or just similar tastes/thoughts by people who share stuff in common. All of them can come into play depending on the situation.
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And congrats on the new book! I enjoyed it.
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I think when were close to friends and family its no unusual to have the same thought flash across our minds. Keeps us close.
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Congrats on your newest book, Nancy! Glad that such fascinating personal history inspired it.
In regards to coincidences, I believe in both. I once visited one of my closest friends in NYC, and we were wearing the exact same jacket. Twin thinking or coincidence? I’m still not sure.
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My younger sister and I frequently choose the same birthday card and show up wearing similar outfits. We tease, with us, its a case of ‘who wore it best!’
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What an intriguing story and premise, Nancy! Looking forward to reading it. As to coincidence and fate, I’m completely open to it. Too many instances for it not to be real, but the skeptic in me still says, “yeah, but …”
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Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. If I told you I suspected you might, would that be fate or coincidence? Whatever, have a good day, and Write on!
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LOL!
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Congrats on The Navigator’s Daughter! It sounds amazing!! I love the backstory. How incredibly cool.
As for coincidences, I’m going to side with Freud (in a different context) and say there are no accidents. I’m a big believer in kismet!
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Kismet! Yes. Makes all that much more fun.
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Congratulations, Nancy! Can’t wait to read your new book!
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Thanks, Cynthia. It was a long time in coming, lots of research, but I’m happy to see this day finally come about.
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