It’s more common than you’d think to see airplane passengers passing flight time with one of T.J. Newman’s aviation disaster novels.
The flight attendant turned author spoke exclusively with Us Weekly ahead of the release of her latest work, Worst Case Scenario. Newman’s previous flight-themed thrillers, Falling and Drowning, were instant New York Times Best Sellers, and she told Us that a plane is the “perfect environment” for reading her work.
“I wrote the first book on a plane, so to me, it’s the perfect environment to read,” said Newman. “It makes it almost like a Disneyland ride. You’ve got the sights and sounds and the turbulence, [it’s a] reading experience.”
Though the author herself thinks her work would be best enjoyed on a plane, she hasn’t seen any passengers give it a try.
“I’ve actually never seen it in person because I think people take off the dust jacket,” said Newman. “I can understand not wanting to sit next to someone reading a book with a burning image of a plane on it.”
While Newman doesn’t wish to scare her readers, she understands her books can be unsettling. The author described a “terrifying realization” she had during the writing process of her latest novel, that while the “worst case scenario” may not be “too probable, it absolutely is possible.”
Still, Newman told Us readers appreciate how her books “illuminate” how passengers should handle an emergency , and remind them that “there are ways that you can protect yourself, and the crew can help protect you from bad situations.”
Not only do passengers appreciate her insight, Newman told Us the response from her fellow flight crew has been “wonderful to see.”
“I think flight attendants especially appreciate someone portraying us as we actually are, as safety and security specialists, as medical first responders,” she said. “People think flight attendants are just on board, you know, to pull you a drink, and nothing could be further from the truth.”
Though Newman’s latest release follows her theme of aviation disasters, Worst Case Scenario is more than just that, and imagines what might happen if a plane hit a nuclear power plant.
“It’s ultimately a story of love and sacrifice, of bravery and resilience, of hope and heart,” Newman told Us. “It’s about ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances who must come together to save not only their community but the fate of humanity.”
Worst Case Scenario comes out on Tuesday, August 13.
Reporting by Sarah Jones
