Operation: Enduring Santa

by Tara Chevrestt

USAF fighter pilot Janet Kerrigan is not having a good Christmas. It's bad enough she is stationed in Balad Air Base, Iraq and away from her three-year-old son, but to make matters worse, she has to spend her Christmas day on Combat Air Patrol. A friend and fellow pilot tells her to make new Christmas memories, and much to Janet's surprise, she does, though not the kind of memories she expects. While flying her F-16 Fighting Falcon in the Iraqi skies, Janet is faced with a difficult follow orders and have the glory or ruin her Air Force career to save Christmas for boys and girls everywhere.

14 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 23, 2012

About the author

Tara Chevrestt is a deaf woman, aviation mechanic, and dog mom. She loves vintage clothes and period dramas and wishes she could time travel. You’ll never see her without her Kindle or a book within reach. As a child, she would often take a flashlight under the covers to finish the recent Nancy Drew novel when she was supposed to be sleeping.

She no longer writes books, but you can still read her thoughts and opinions on books and movies and articles on women's issues on her blog.

Reviews

[Tara Chevrestt]

Released today! Just in time for Christmas in July. Yay! Who is in the holiday spirit?

[Lance Greenfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Without giving away the whole plot, I really can't say much more about the story than is already contained in the description of the book.

All I'll say is that this short story is a lot of fun and you really ought to read it right away. It'll only cost you a few pennies and a tiny slice of your time. You won't regret it.

[Laura DeLuca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Janet is a fighter pilot stuck in Iraq for the holidays. She's also a single mom whose missing her little boy. Feeling a touch of the holiday blues, she confesses to a fellow pilot that she never liked the holidays. Not long after, the two of them are in the sky. When an unidentified flying object appears in her path, Janet can't believe her eyes. This is no enemy aircraft, but she has orders to shoot first and ask questions later. Will she follow orders or find the true meaning of the holidays in time to save Christmas?

Operation Enduring Santa is cute holiday story that reminds us all that their is still a little magic left in the world. I appreciate the way it touched on the loneliness our soldiers feel when they are serving our country overseas, especially during the holiday season, as well as the detailed descriptions of what it was like on the jet. It may be a short story that's easy to finish in one sitting, but there certainly is a lot going on. If you are looking for a story with a little action and a lot of holiday cheer, this is the tale for you.

[Dana Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful heart-warming story. I needed pick-me-up after all the news on school and mall shootings. It helped me get in the spirit.