An Australian's true story of
adventure, danger, romance and murder
by Carol Baxter
The Fabulous Flying Mrs Miller is being turned into
an international television series
The contract for this book was one of the easiest mainstream-publishing contracts I have obtained.
While we were editing Black Widow, my publisher mentioned that independent publisher, Richard Walsh, had a story that might interest me, one about "flyboys" and "flygirls". My eyes lit up!
When I handed over the final manuscript, I asked about the new story and received a four-page article about WWI aviator, Bill Lancaster. It mentioned his flying companion, Jessie ("Chubbie") Miller, a Melbourne housewife.
At the ensuing meeting, I told them "I'd sell my soul for this story!". They liked my enthusiasm. The contract was mine.
"Mrs Keith Miller, internationally known aviatrix, was taken to the county jail here today and held for investigation by State Attorney's investigators. Jail attendants said they understood she was held in connection with the shooting of an airline pilot."
Petite, glamorous and beguiling, Jessie 'Chubbie' Miller was one remarkable woman ... flyer, thrill seeker, heartbreaker. No adventure was too wild for her, no danger too extreme. And all over the world, men adored her.
When the young Jessie left suburban Melbourne and her newspaperman husband in 1927, little did she know that she'd become the first woman to complete an England to Australia flight (with a black silk gown thrown into her small flight bag, just in case), or fly in the first air race for women with Amelia Earhart, or that she would disappear over the Florida Straits feared lost forever only to charm her way to a rescue. Nor could she have predicted that five years later she'd find herself at the centre of one of the most notorious and controversial murder trials in United States history. And this all began with something as ridiculously mundane as a pat of butter.
The Fabulous Flying Mrs Miller is a spellbinding story of an extraordinary woman – an international celebrity during the golden age of aviation – and her passionate and spirited life.
Allen & Unwin, 2015
Trade paperback
Australian purchases
(trade paperback)
RRP: $33.00
Website price:
$29.50
International & Kindle
Mrs Jessie (Keith) Miller
Australian aviatrix
This spellbinding tale of an extraordinary woman is one of the best books I have read in years.*
Ross Fitzgerald, The Australian
Incredible story of a remarkable woman.*
Melbourne Times, Australia
Detailed and deft.*
Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
ABC Nightlife - 18-minute publicity interview
ABC Late Night Live - 24-minute publicity interview
The Book Podcast - 36-minute interview
Family Locket Book Club - article for genealogists about The Fabulous Flying Mrs Miller and writing narrative nonfiction.
The Fabulous Flying Mrs Miller was shortlisted for the Davitt Award (best crime books by female writers).