An Exciting New Tale of Survival

You know, it's not every day that I anticipate a book and can honestly say that the author was there the night my husband and I had our first "date" (unofficial though it might have been!) In the case of David A. Kearns, author of WHERE HELL FREEZES OVER, an upcoming nonfiction book in the vein of other survival stories such as INTO THIN AIR or TOUCHING THE VOID, I can truthfully say: he was there. I can also say that I've never laughed so hard in my whole life as I did that particular night at the Punch Line, a comedy club on the north side of Atlanta. Now, whether we can attribute that to my hubby and agency cohort, Judson Knight, or to Mr. Kearns, well I will let you reach your own conclusions.

The interesting thing? I doubt that WHERE HELL FREEZES OVER is a tale of mirth and merriness. What I *DO* know to be the case, is that David Kearns is a fantastic story teller. I have my advance reading copy of this book downstairs, and eagerly anticipate reading it very soon. I hope you'll join me, and perhaps even embark on a lively discussion here on the blog once many of us have had the chance to check out this fine new addition to the adventure genre.

Here's what Publishers Weekly will print in their upcoming issue:

Where Hell Freezes Over:

A Story of Amazing Bravery

and Survival

DAVID A. KEARNS. St. Martin’s/Dunne,

$24.95 (304p) ISBN 0-312-342035-5

Though Kearns’s gripping debut is

not the first account of the crash

of the Martin PBM seaplane George

1 in Antarctica in December 1946, his is

the most recent and most complete, unfolding

with page-turning immediacy. The

plane was part of Operation Highjump, a

mammoth U.S. Navy survey expedition

that set out to photomap Antarctica under

the leadership of hardy polar perennial

Adm. Richard E. Byrd. The George 1

crashed in a whiteout, and three of the

nine crewmen died. The others survived

their injuries and two weeks of Antarctic

weather, thanks to personal ingenuity,

hardihood, courage, the leadership of Capt.

Henry Caldwell and the salvaging of adequate

food. Their radios didn’t work, but a

shoestring search-and-rescue operation

finally spotted their smoke signals. All were

flown out safely and returned home,

although pilot Ralph LeBlanc lost his legs.

Copilot Bill Kearns lived to become the

author’s father. With intimate access to surviving

sources, plus a depth of personal

commitment, the author makes a compelling

addition to survival literature. (Nov.

15)