Lunch and Learn Features NNS Authors

Published April 19, 2023

Three Newport News Shipbuilding employees who have become authors in their spare time will discuss their books and the joys of writing at a lunch and learn event on Thursday, April 27, from noon to 12:30 p.m. in the Supplemental Modular Outfitting Facility (SMOF) seventh floor conference room A&B.

Kevin Blatnik, a project management analyst, has written “The Arrogant Infant: Ramblings of an Adult Child.” The title character is Blatnik, but with a twist. “I talk about my first five days of life in a hospital based upon stories from my parents – along with a great deal of narrative license,” he says. The idea came to him while holding a newborn, and wondering how the baby would process its surroundings if it had adult reasoning capabilities.

David Bowles, an organizational development representative, has penned a children’s novel titled “Mato’s Journey.” Mato is a mockingbird who is bullied by other birds. He leaves the nest in search of a place where he can be anything but a mockingbird, but eventually realizes he is special just as he is. Bowles got the idea for the book while watching birds interact in his backyard and noting the similarities with human behavior.

Tammy Fitzgerald, an administrative assistant in VCS Construction Management, channeled her fascination with sea turtles into “Saving Truman,” which chronicles the struggle of a sea turtle to survive an injury caused by human impact, and his rescuer, an 8-year-old boy named Luca. Fitzgerald said she feels a strong sense of responsibility toward caring for marine life, and she hopes the book will raise awareness and encourage young readers to become interested in ocean conservation.