Guest Post: Ten Things You Didn't Know About Billie Bates

So happy to have author of Private Air Billie Bates here on my blog today! Read on to hear ten things you probably don't know about her! 

10 Things You Don't Know About Billie Bates:

Hello Paige and readers of Paige’s page. Thanks so much for having me!

I’ve been asked to share 10 tidbits of information about myself that you probably don’t know (and might not be able to find out by Googling me).

So, since I’m a ‘straight to the point’ kind o’ gal, here goes!

1. I get motion sickness. This made a 7-year career as a flight attendant an odd choice.

2. I spent five years in the RAAF, first as an Air Surveillance Operator, then as a flight attendant and Safety & Emergency Procedure Instructor for the Prime Minister’s fleet.

3. I’m an Australian citizen, with American residency, who has an Italian passport.

4. While in the Air Force, I studied Naturopathy part time and was working toward getting my Fitness Leader certificate. My dream plan was to open a little juice bar by the beach and have a small roster of clients I would offer lifestyle coaching to. This seems so strange to me now, as I sit at a computer for 4 hours every morning throwing back coffee and chocolate for breakfast!

5. I was set up with my husband by his mom. I met her on a yoga course in California. I call it my arranged marriage. Hubby just says, “Mama knows best.” ;)

6. My true passion is screenwriting. I love the brevity of it and how the screen-time limitation challenges you to stay on point.

7. I’ve been omnivorous, vegetarian, vegan, and raw vegan. Right now I’m comfortably hovering between pescatarian (fish eating vegetarian) and chocotarian (excessive chocolate eating vegetarian).

8. I’m a kinesthetic learner. I can drive a route 100 times as a passenger, but won’t be able to do it again unless I’ve driven it myself.

9. When I was based in London, my flying schedule was 2 weeks on/2 weeks off, so I would spend my off weeks doing bucket list certificates. I took classes in hypnotherapy, Zen shiatsu, Reiki, yoga, writing, singing (to make it more tolerable for myself in the shower), and flower essence homeopathy, just to name a few.

10. I’m a self confessed hippy at heart. Refer back to question 9 if you don’t believe me!

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About Billie Bates:

Billie Bates grew up in Australia with unquenchable thirst for travel. After exploring the world as a VIP flight attendant for seven years, she finally settled in the quiet Midwest of the USA, where she now lives with her husband and two children.

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Spotlight: Private Air by Billie Bates

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About Private Air:

When Sienna Harris joined the Australian Air Force as a flight attendant for the Prime Minister, she thought she’d hit the glam-job jackpot. But three years of weapons training, outback destinations, and a cheating fighter pilot fiancé, and she’s realized it’s not so fabulous after all. Time to embark on a new adventure, this time to the prestigious world of international VIP aviation. 
Sienna and her best friend leave behind their small-town lives for a glitzy career flight attending on a Saudi prince’s private jet. Money, parties, designer clothes, and exotic locations fill the job description, while the sexy pilot, Ted, makes it hard for Sienna to obey the “no fraternizing” rule. 
But even the most opulent of journeys can hit turbulence. Sienna’s boss, the appearance-obsessed chief stewardess, issues diuretics and Botox with the uniforms and catering orders, and the prince is a man who’s never told no. Underneath its lush appearance, could this desert oasis be more of a muddy puddle? 
The Devil Wears Prada meets Pan Am in this fun frolic to the glamorous side of air travel, inspired by the author’s own experience as a VIP flight attendant in Saudi Arabia and Europe. 

My Thoughts(4.5/5 Stars):

I wasn't quite sure what to expect of Private Air by Billie Bates. The lifestyle certainly has it's appeal, but I've never really entertained any dreams of jetting around the world. However, I was more than happy to put myself in Sierra's shoes and immensely enjoyed this book! 

Sierra didn't really have a lot to lose, she's been estranged from her mother since she was a child, living with her aunt and uncle(whom she's still on good terms with) and joining the Australian Air Force. When her time is up with the Air Force she reluctantly agrees to stay grounded after some convincing from her fiance. That is, until she finds him in the middle of a very compromising situation with a stripper named Arizona. 

Like I said, not a lot to lose. So, when her best friend lets her know about a dream job opening making a whole lot more money working for a Saudi Prince she jumps at the chance. Along the way though, she finds that the glam life may not be so wonderful. 

I absolutely loved this book! Although a lot of the actions the main character takes weren't ones I would make myself in that situation, the book was just so well written that she became very relatable. This book read almost like your favorite guilty pleasure and I read it all in one day. There wasn't a single character without their quirks, and that's what makes this book so, well, perfect! I rarely finish a book and look back and think that every single character in it was memorable, but this one is one of the exceptions. Upon finishing this book I found out that there is going to be a sequel, which I am seriously excited about because there is just so much more to this story that needs to be told. I highly recommend for any and all fans of chick-lit or just a good book that doesn't completely focus on the romance! 

*I received this book for review as part of this blog tour. This, however, in no way affected my opinion or review*

About the Author:

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Billie Bates grew up in Australia with unquenchable thirst for travel. After exploring the world as a VIP flight attendant for seven years, she finally settled in the quiet Midwest of the USA, where she now lives with her husband and two children.

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