Congratulations to D. R. Bailey, whose thrilling wartime adventure, Targets of Opportunity, is out now!
Targets of Opportunity is the seventh book in the Spitfire Mavericks Thrillers series: action-packed aviation novels set during the Second World War and featuring a team of vigilante pilots.
Spring, 1943
Flight Lieutenant Angus Mackennelly and his squadron have been given a new mission. The Mavericks are to attack ‘Targets of Opportunity’ under the umbrella of Operation Wagtail.
The War Office wants to capitalise on the Germans’ defeat by the Russians at Stalingrad earlier in the year by harassing them in Northern France and the Low Countries.
Military targets are now on the table. The modus operandi will be to fly in, strafe the targets and get out all under the radar.
The first mission of Operation Wagtail goes ahead. But while the pilots are away, personal items go missing from the mess.
Angus is worried about a security breach.
Are his men under threat? Who is stealing from them?
And will the sense of mistrust interfere with the operations in the skies…?
Sisters Anna and Jennifer Nightingale have been flying in top missions with the Secret Sirens all-female RAF unit for nearly a year.
Their squadron of twelve Mosquitos stages a raid on Rouen to divert the enemy’s attention from the Lancasters which are coming in to bomb the marshalling yards and port.
But while Jennifer makes it through the mission safely, Anna and her navigator, Maria, are forced to ditch into the Channel.
Luckily they are picked up by a British Destroyer. And on board is none other than Winston Churchill himself.
Impressed by the skill-level and bravery of the female pilots, Churchill is keen to learn more about their training.
He escorts them back to base where they are given a new mission: to attack the Nazi-occupied Mimoyecques Fortress.
The Allies know that the Fortress is being armed with high calibre guns capable of reaching London in a massive, unending bombardment. The Sirens need to drop bombs into the railway tunnel entrance of the Fortress as soon as possible before the unthinkable happens.
But with very little time to train, will the Sirens be able to pull off the task? Can they reach the Fortress unscathed?
Or will these Fire Maidens join the many thousands who have already lost their lives in this brutal war…?
1943
Sisters Anna and Jennifer Nightingale are recruits in the top-secret Siren Squadron: a group of women trained in the RAF to fight against the enemy.
The Sirens are tasked with flying a series of night stealth missions as part of Operation Scorpion. The first mission is successful, and on returning to base they are told that new members will be joining their ranks.
Hopeful that this means the all-female squadron has been deemed a success, the sisters welcome the new recruits and start training them on the Mosquitos.
They head out on another night mission. But this time not everyone returns.
With a downed plane found empty off the English coast, fears grow that one of the Sirens hasn’t survived.
But the show must go on. And Anna Nightingale has to destroy the crashed plane so the Sirens can remain classified.
As their night missions continue, increased skirmishes with enemy pilots suggest someone may be leaking information to the Germans.
Have the Sirens been compromised? Can they find the mole?
Or will these daring female agents be forced out of the war…?
Congratulations to D. R. Bailey, whose thrilling aviation novel, Sisters For Victory, is published today!
Sisters For Victory is the first military adventure novel in the Secret Sirens Aviation Thrillers Series, heart-pounding Second World War escapades with strong female leads.
Autumn, 1942
With the reserves of male pilots ready for combat rapidly dwindling, England’s secret service decide to try something revolutionary. They are going to send female pilots into combat.
MI6 put Wing Commander James Donovan in charge of the ‘Sirens’. Outwardly, the women chosen appear to be assisting in the transporting of planes, but this is just a cover. In reality, they will be flying secret RAF combat missions into enemy territory.
Sisters Anna and Jennifer Nightingale are two of the early recruits into the Siren Squadron. They have grown up flying Tiger Moths as part of their father’s aerial display team, and now they need to get to grips with battle-ready Mosquitos.
Once trained, the Sirens are sent out on their first mission. But it soon becomes clear someone is sabotaging their aircraft.
Can the Nightingale sisters prove they deserve to fight alongside their male counterparts? Will they lead the way for women at war?
Or will the odds be too heavily stacked against them…?
Congratulations to D. R. Bailey, whose exciting aviation adventure, Tip and Run, is out now!
Tip and Run is the sixth book in the Spitfire Mavericks Thrillers series: action-packed novels set during the second world war and featuring a team of vigilante pilots.
Winter, 1942
Flight Lieutenant Angus Mackennelly and his team of Mavericks are informed that a new kind of raid is being perpetrated by the Luftwaffe nicknamed a ‘Tip and Run’.
The planes arrive over the Channel, flying extremely low to avoid radar detection, drop bombs and make a quick getaway. These nuisance raids are designed to disrupt the allies and keep their defences on high alert.
Angus takes a trip to the site of the most recent bombing to see if he can discover more about it. And he makes an extraordinary find – a flat piece of stone with an Ace of Spades playing card attached. This was undoubtedly the calling card dropped by the pilot.
Angus is convinced that the same pilot will try again, and he makes it his personal mission to catch the ‘Ace Raider’.
So begins a deadly game of cat and mouse between the Mavericks and the Luftwaffe invaders.
Who will emerge victorious? Can Angus track down and defeat the raider?
Or will the German Ace lure the Mavericks to destruction…?
For my aviation novels, I do a lot of direct and indirect research. I read books, watch documentaries, scour historical websites and more. I’m looking for context rather than necessarily actual events. There is a surprising number of things you would never imagine happened continuing to be revealed about World War Two.
I’m interested in the what-ifs and that’s where I take my stories. I grew up just after the war and so some aspects of British culture at the time seem to have imprinted themselves upon me. I’m most interested in characters, developing them and their lives, building the stories around them. I have a keen sense of humour and I can’t help adding that into my plots. I’m not trying to write a history book so much as an adventure book set in the era.
I work full-time as a lecturer in Creative Technology, so my writing time is constrained. However, I’ve developed a disciplined approach to writing based on the Pomodoro method, which has served me well. I write in twenty-five-minute bursts, and I must work uninterrupted for that time. I try to complete a certain number of these bursts a day and I track them very precisely in a spreadsheet, which informs me of my writing speed and how much longer I have to go to finish the book. I also edit as I go, not leaving a scene until I’m happy with it. Then, of course, once finished I read through and edit again, but generally, I find I’ve done all the hard work prior to that point.
During term time I write after work for maybe an hour and then more at the weekends until I’ve got my novel done. I am a pretty fast writer, so I’m lucky that way. I also work through a loose synopsis and plot, but my characters often change the story as I go, and it plays in my head as I write it — just like a movie scene.
D. R. Bailey’s writing space
Fortunately, my wife is hugely supportive in every way and makes me delicious meals when I’m in full flow writing a novel. Unfortunately, my cat has no respect for my writing time, and will come and beg for food or strokes regardless of whether or not I’m busy.
My writing space, as you can see, has a lot of cat ornaments; I’m an avid cat lover and we just keep on collecting more. My space is light and comfortable, and I have a nice big screen for composing my words. I’m also surrounded by books, including my own, my daughter’s and my sister’s, who are both successful novelists too. I also have my doctorate certificate on the wall, one of my proudest achievements. I aim to keep writing for as long as I can, completing as many books as I can. I find it one of the most calming and fulfilling things in life. I’m grateful that Sapere Books has given me the chance to get my stories into the hands of so many more readers.
Congratulations to D. R. Bailey, whose exciting wartime thriller, Tides of Change, is out now!
Tides of Change is the fifth book in the Spitfire Mavericks Thrillers series: action-packed aviation adventures set during the second world war and featuring a team of vigilante pilots.
December, 1941
After a tense encounter with attacking Focke-Wulfs, Flying Officer Angus Mackennelly returns to base to find Squadron Leader Bentley announcing the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
US forces are being drafted in as war is declared on Japan and an American airbase is to be established next to the RAF Banley base used by the Maverick Squadron.
Angus is promoted to Flight Lieutenant and is given orders to lead a squadron escorting the American bombers on short-range missions until they have their own escort fighters.
But after the US bombers have landed, the Germans stage an attack on the airbase and rumours start to circulate that there may be an enemy spy on base.
As Angus and the Mavericks prepare for more intense air battles over Europe, suspicion between the team grows.
Is there a spy? Are they only targeting the Americans?
And can Maverick Squadron prepare their new allies for the realities of war…?
Congratulations to D. R. Bailey, whose page-turning military adventure, The Sunrise Raiders, is out now!
The Sunrise Raiders is the fourth book in the Spitfire Mavericks Thrillers series: action-packed aviation novels set during the second world war and featuring a team of vigilante pilots.
Autumn, 1941
During a routine patrol, Flying Officer Angus Mackennelly ends up in a skirmish with the enemy over the English Channel and is nearly captured.
It is clear the Germans have unleashed a new weapon.
Back at base, Maverick Squadron are told the new German fighter plane is the Focke-Wulf 190. And it is far more manoeuvrable and nimbler than anything the British have got.
Soon the FW is causing problems for every unit. Squadron Leader Bentley exhorts the Mavericks to do their best no matter what and continue to fly in combat against the new plane.
The Mavericks struggle on against the enemy but the odds are falling further out of their favour.
Something needs to change and Angus is tasked with capturing one of the enemy craft for British intelligence.
But that’s easier said than done…
Will Angus succeed in his mission? Can the British match the new German technology?
Or will Maverick Squadron be forced to admit defeat…?
We are delighted to announce that the first three books in D. R. Bailey’s absorbing World War II adventure series, the Spitfire Mavericks Thrillers, will be released as audiobooks by Tantor Media.
The books follow the progress of RAF officer Angus Mackennelly as he flies into battle while becoming embroiled in a series of mysteries.
In David’s words:
“I am very excited to be working with Tantor to bring my books to the audio platform. This is a tremendous boost for any author, and I’m pleased that it will take the Spitfire Mavericks series to a new audience. Working with Sapere has been an excellent experience and I’m very happy that the series is set to continue.
“The Spitfire Mavericks was born out of a love for Spitfires, plus the feeling of wanting to write something new and different about the air war. The series is a mixture of action, love, romance, thriller, mystery and all of the things I like to put into my writing. It is of course fictional, set within the historical context of World War II. As an author, I love to explore the ‘what if’ and weave a story from that. I am very attached to my characters too, in spite of the tribulations I put them through. Joining Sapere has been everything I had hoped. It has taken my writing career to new heights, and I’m eternally grateful for all of the support from Amy, Caoimhe, Richard and Natalie, and the opportunity to bring my work to a wider audience.”
Congratulations to D. R. Bailey, whose gripping aviation novel, The Fleeting Target, is out now!
The Fleeting Target is the third book in the Spitfire Mavericks Thrillers series: action-packed aviation adventures set during the second world war and featuring a team of vigilante pilots.
1941
Flying Officer Angus Mackennelly is flying over Northern France when his tank is holed and he’s forced to crash-land.
Luckily, he is picked up by the French Resistance before the enemy can get to him and, after a tense few days moving between safe houses, he escapes back to Blighty.
Reunited with his squadron, Angus expects to return to flying duties. However, Squadron Leader Bentley informs him that he’s not going to be flying sorties. He is singled out to lead a top-secret mission.
The special mission is to conduct a low flying night operation with six blacked out Spitfires to strafe a convoy carrying a top general from the German High Command and assassinate him.
Training quickly commences but a spate of unexpected enemy fighter attacks leads the team to suspect that a spy is trying to leak details of the upcoming mission to the Germans.
Angus is put on the case to squirrel out the informer and protect the rest of the men from the enemy within.
Will Angus succeed in his secret mission? Can he identify the mole?
Or will the lives of all the men in Maverick Squadron be compromised…?
Congratulations to D. R. Bailey, whose page-turning World War II adventure, A Fool’s Errand, is published today!
A Fool’s Errand is the second book in the Spitfire Mavericks Thrillers series: action-packed aviation adventures set during the second world war and featuring a team of vigilante pilots.
1941
The Battle of Britain is over, and RAF Fighter Command turns its attention to France.
Flying Officer Angus Mackennelly and the rest of ‘Maverick’ Squadron 696 are engaged in tactics to lure the Luftwaffe into battle.
But Angus has grave misgivings about the orders he has been given, which are justified when he loses a brand-new pilot on their first incursion.
And the squadron is dealt another blow when one of their pilot officers is discovered dead in the hangar.
The inquest rules the death a suicide, but Angus is certain something more sinister has happened.
In between bouts of furious dogfights in the skies, Angus and his good friend Flying Officer Tomas Jezek work tirelessly to investigate the murder.
While they risk their lives fighting a deadly foe, could the real threat be coming from an enemy within? Are the Spitfire Mavericks being targeted by someone who is supposed to be on their side…?
Congratulations to D. R. Bailey, whose gripping military adventure, Dawn of Hope, is out now!
Dawn of Hope is the first book in the Spitfire Mavericks Thrillers series: action-packed aviation adventures set during the Second World War and featuring a team of vigilante pilots.
1940, England
After a series of run-ins with his superiors, Flying Officer Angus Mackennelly is posted to Squadron 696 – the Maverick unit full of misfits and outsiders.
Angus has just returned from gunning down enemy aircraft when he is given a shocking top-secret mission.
A spy is in their midst, feeding information to the Germans, and Angus is tasked with exposing him.
MI6 pin their suspicions on one of the squadron’s foreign pilots, but Angus is not convinced. He needs to get closer to the men in his unit to try and unravel their secrets.
As the fight in the skies intensifies, it is clear the Germans are anticipating their every move, putting the lives of the pilots in the Maverick squadron at a deadly risk.
Can Angus unmask the traitor? Will he save the men in his squadron?
