United States – October 10, 2026 – Chris Flanders’s historical novel, Lila’s Story: War, Alaska, and the Open Sea, has received the Literary Titan Book Award. Inspired by a real woman’s remarkable life, the book follows Lila Michaels through wartime service, postwar Alaska, and voyages around the world, revealing the courage and curiosity that shape a life of purpose and adventure.
Raised as the middle child of seven on a North Dakota farm, Lila develops a strong work ethic, resourcefulness, and a sense of humor that sustain her through decades of change. Her move to Chicago in 1935 opens the door to professional opportunities at Cook County Hospital, a vibrant social life, and romance. When the United States enters World War II, her anticipated future gives way to an entirely different calling.
Lila joins the first training class of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps and takes on demanding military responsibilities. Her wartime experiences carry her to North Africa and Italy, where intelligence work, logistics, and encounters with senior military leaders reveal the importance of competence and judgment beyond the battlefield. After the war, her work with the Corps of Engineers brings her to Alaska, while winter journeys aboard freighters satisfy her enduring desire to explore.
Across these experiences, Flanders portrays a woman whose strength accommodates vulnerability, love, and loss. Friendships with other women provide lasting support, while changing relationships deepen Lila’s understanding of independence and companionship. From military assignments to Alaska’s devastating 1964 earthquake, the novel connects sweeping historical events with the daily decisions of a woman determined to remain useful and engaged.
In its review, Literary Titan observed, “Lila’s competence is the heart of the book.” The review highlighted Flanders’s evocative settings, the sustaining role of female friendship, and the novel’s attention to women’s working lives. It described the book as “a warm tribute to a woman who built a meaningful life by remaining useful, curious, and ready to go somewhere new.”
The award celebrates a novel that invites adult readers to experience history through work, friendship, romance, and travel. For readers drawn to biographical historical fiction, women’s military service, Alaska, and life at sea, Lila’s Story offers an expansive portrait of resilience and possibility.
Discover Lila’s extraordinary journey in Lila’s Story: War, Alaska, and the Open Sea. Visit Amazon or Barnes & Noble and search for the title and author Chris Flanders to get your copy.
About the Author
Chris Flanders is a retired nurse practitioner and historical fiction author who lives in Western New York State with her partner. Her longstanding interest in regional history led her to write a history of the Bemus Point-Stow Ferry. She donated the book and its profits to support major hull repairs in 2020 and has served as a volunteer pilot for a decade. Flanders enjoys gardening, birding, volunteering with environmental organizations, and spending time with her two sons and their growing families. She also attends Chautauqua Institution’s nine-week summer season, including its extensive literary programming, and plans to continue writing historical fiction.
Media ContactCompany Name: Literary TitanContact Person: Carol FlandersEmail: Send EmailCountry: United StatesWebsite: https://amzn.to/4yGDVL7
