Compelling and poignant, The Light Attendant follows Abbigail, a Canadian Nursing Sister, through the travails of World War I and the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918. Abbigail and Henry meet amidst the chaos of a war that throws them together but is their bond strong enough to withstand the true battle Henry is fighting? A story of love, second chances, and redemption found amidst the horrors of war.The Light Attendant, Part I
Abbigail will not break her promise—but she has no intention of keeping it.
Raised on her family’s farm in the middle of the Saskatchewan prairies, Abbigail is desperate to escape her father’s controlling ambitions and his plans for her. When war breaks out in July, 1914, Abbigail seizes the opportunity to enlist as a Canadian Nursing Sister, also known as a Bluebird, in an attempt to earn an income and her independence. Despite the dangers waiting for her there, Abbigail leaves for war-torn France against her father’s wishes
The challenges of war nursing test Abbigail’s resolve to buy her way out of the contract her father has signed, giving half the family farm to John, a man Abbigail despises. As Abbigail struggles under the hardships of war nursing, an unexpected complication threatens to undo all she has worked for.
When Abbigail meets the unprincipled Private Henry Ryzack, she is convinced he is just like the miscreant John. Abbigail’s opinion of Henry begins to change, however, when she learns why Henry has enlisted and the true battle he is fighting. As her respect for Henry grows, Abbigail faces an impossible choice: fulfill her promise to marry John and keep the family farm, or stay with Henry and leave her family and farm behind.
Can Abbigail find a way out of her promise without destroying her honour and everything for which she has worked so hard?
Heartrending and captivating, The Light Attendant: A Canadian Bluebird Novel is a story of love, second chances, and redemption found amidst the horrors of war.
The Light Attendant, Part 2
When you meet yourself on the battlefield who is it that survives?
The only reason Henry Ryzak went to war in the mud and cold of France was to protect his older brother Will and escape his father’s ire. With some patented Henry Ryzak sleight of hand, Henry sends Will home, safe from the bullets, shelling, and freezing rain of the trenches. Having recovered from his injuries, Henry returns to the front where he comes face to face with his true enemy in the war: himself.
Henry’s only guiding light through the horrors of the war is his memory of Abbigail, the Bluebird who tended to his injuries and whose light illuminated truths Henry had long denied. With no prospect of a relationship with Abbigail, Henry resumes his reckless tendencies on the battlefield. Torn between his hopeless disregard for himself and a responsibility to his unit, Henry embarks on the most hazardous of all campaigns: confronting his failings to become a man worthy of his comrades’ respect – and the man Abbigail inspired him to be.
With his own life and the fate of his unit in the balance, will all of Henry’s bad decisions overtake him on the battlefield of the Great War?
The Light Attendant: Part 3
The war is over, but Henry’s battle has just begun
When Henry is wounded on the battlefield at Amiens, he returns to the stationary hospital where he once again encounters Abbigail, the Bluebird nurse who has been his guiding light through the savagery of war. As Henry comes to terms with the physical toll exacted on him by the war, he struggles with the thought of returning home as a burden on his family.
While Abbigail helps Henry recover in hospital, she finds herself facing an impossible choice: break her promise to her father and lose the family farm by remaining with Henry, or fulfill her promise to her father and return to marry John.
On their journey back to Canada together, Abbigail wages her own personal battle with the decision before her as Henry agonizes over his conviction that he can never subject Abbigail to a life of caring for him.
Following a reluctant farewell, Abbigail and Henry return to their respective lives in Canada only to be caught up in the Spanish Influenza pandemic that sweeps the world at the close of the war. As the first wave of the pandemic mounts, Henry rushes to see to Abbigail’s safety. There, he will face the most difficult battle of his life.
Can Henry become the man Abbigail needs him to be—even if it means he must help her keep her promise to marry another man?
Light Attendant Posts
- Conclusion to The Light Attendant Now Available!The Light Attendant Part 3 has just been released! In honour of those who fought in The Great War, we are excited to share the poignant conclusion to this story, following Henry and Abbigail home from war and through the pandemic of 1918. Such an integral part of that portion of our history. Enjoy!
- The Light Attendant Part III Excerpt!I cannot wait to share the conclusion to The Light Attendant! I just had to share some of it. Here is a peek at what’s coming: TLA Part I – Conclusion due out in time for Remembrance day! Sparky cracked the reins and the horses snorted before moving off at a reluctant canter. We left town and ...
- The Light Attendant Part III Cover Reveal!!Can Henry become the man Abbigail needs him to be—even if it means he must help her keep her promise to marry another man?
- The Light Attendant, Part III Coming Soon!The Light Attendant Part III coming November 2022
- The Light Attendant: A Canadian Bluebird Novel, Part II Coming June 30th, 2022!The Light Attendant: Part II Coming June 30th, 2022 When you meet yourself on the battlefield who is it that survives? The only reason Henry Ryzak went to war in the mud and cold of France was to protect his older brother Will and escape his father’s ire. With some patented Henry Ryzak sleight of hand, Henry ...
- The Light Attendant, Part II – Proofs are in!The Light Attendant, Part II coming June 30th, 2022!
- Cover Reveal!The Light Attendant, Part II Coming June, 2022!
- When is and ending not an ending?(Not to worry. There are NO spoilers here.) The Light Attendant: Part I I have heard a few comments now regarding “the ending” of The Light Attendant, Part I (which, of course, is not actually the end of a three-part story). What I am hearing is: it is abrupt, it is unexpected. One reader “hated it”. Good. That ...
- The Light Attendant Now Available!We have completed our work early and have decided to go ahead with a “soft launch” of our work! The Light Attendant: A Canadian Bluebird Novel You can order your paperback or eBook Here! Enjoy!!
- Proof copies now in!So exciting to finally hold a copy of the book! The Light Attendant: A Canadian Bluebird Novel Part I Our Advanced Readers are getting an early start on the story. It will be available to everyone on March 18th, 2022. For those of you who can’t wait, you can pre-order your eCopy here: The Light Attendant: A ...