Penny Thomas

Penny Thomas—In Her Own Words

Born in Cardiff, Wales, I was soon transported to Cairo, Egypt, as my father’s work took us there. Civil unrest made us move to Oporto, Portugal. Then, Dad got a position with the United Nations in Beirut, Lebanon. I attended one of the many international schools and a year of college there before going to London to continue my studies.

I returned to Beirut with a degree in cartography and photogrammetry and worked as a cartographer in Lebanon until the Lebanese Civil War made it too dangerous to stay. My next stop was Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates. I worked as a cartographer and office manager of a charter airline company.

A divorce necessitated a move, and I took a position with the United Nations in New York City. After the UN, I stayed in New York and worked in various industries – special events, museums, package design, a hospital, and an international investment banking firm. I returned to college and graduated from Pace University, NY, with a B.S. and Seton Hill University, Greensburg, PA, with an M.F.A. in Writing Popular Fiction.

One of my cartographer tasks was taking aerial photographs, which involved flying in small aircraft. I loved it. Sadly, I failed my pilot’s license because of my eyesight. However, I flew right-seat (that means as a co-pilot/passenger) across Africa from Senegal to Sudan, across the Red Sea, then up through Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, and ending in Lebanon. I also flew right-seat across the USA, east-west, and north-south many times, all in single-engine aircraft.

Tired of the winters in the Northeast, I wanted year-round warmth. Friends told me of The Villages, FL, so I moved. Sadly, I stopped flying and left the general aviation life behind. But it lives on in my writing.

My first novel, “As the Prop Turns,” won Mystery Writers of America, Florida Chapter’s Freddie Award for Writing Excellence. I am currently writing a sequel. Stay tuned.