The one about the pretty edges 😍

Hello, hello, hello. It's still hot as anything here, but we've had more than our fair share of rain, for which I'm very grateful. 

📖 Current Read: Brazen & the Beast by Sarah MacLean (the 🐐)

📺 Current Watch: Honestly, I just finished The Lord of the Flies series and it was immaculate, but I'm unwell.

🥛 Current Drink: I found this delicious hibiscus sangria herbal tea that is amazing iced.

You might be wondering why I'm sending this August update 1 day early instead of several days late, but it's for two very good reasons! 

First: Are you hoping to attend the Be Love, Spread Love reader event in Nashville on October 24 and haven't got your ticket yet? I HAVE 2 COMPLIMENTARY GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETSthat I just found out about, and they're supposed to be distributed this week, so the first 2 people who reply back to me get the tickets. 

Second: My Kickstarter has just gone live as part of Kickstarter's Kiss & Tell Collection, and I couldn't wait a single second to tell you about it! This is my first-ever Kickstarter, and I'm honestly super nervous about how it's going to go, so I have one simple request: If you were planning to buy The Unknown Birds, please consider buying it through the Kickstarter. Ebook readers can get a digitally signed copy of the ebook 2 weeks before publication day and at a discount. There are reward tiers for every budget. And for the collectors: feast your eyes on this beauty.

This is a mockup, because I'm not actually fantastic at photographing books. The foiled lettering is so much shinier than I could emulate, but the sprayed edges are nearly identical! 

Isn't she gorgeous? 

There's also loads of swag like stickers and bookmarks and some gorgeous artwork. It's been a ton of fun to put this campaign together. And for the first 48 hours there's an early bird special with extra goodies not included in any other tier!

I've reached out to bookstores, but I don't know yet if any will be carrying the special editions or only the standard paperback.

If you're not in the market for a reward right now, but you know someone who might be, I would be beyond grateful if you could share the campaign with them too! There's even a buddy-read reward tier 😏

On that note, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my author friends Krista Walsh and Beth DeWeese. Both of them are fantasy romance authors who helped me tremendously with getting my campaign off the ground. The author community truly is a wonderfully supportive place to be!

Beth is launching her own Kickstarter very soon, and she's really doing it right! For all my local Middle Tennessee pals, Beth is hosting a whole entire Kickstarter Launch Party on October 10! 

If you like the sound of a cozy fated mates romantasy a la Practical Magic meets The Ghost Whisperer, then please consider showing Beth some love and registering for her free event at Creative Corner Nashville!

Now on to the regularly scheduled programming... This is the final month of the "for the history nerds" summer promo, and today I want to share Kat Sterling's research for Winnie West Has an Agenda, in Kat's own words.

When Did the American Suffrage Movement Begin?

Here’s a surprising historical tidbit: women in colonial New Jersey could vote from 1797 to 1807. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that woman suffrage became one of the longest-running reform movements in American history.

The movement officially began in 1848 at the Seneca Falls Convention. Early victories came first in the territories (Wyoming, Utah, Washington, Montana, and Alaska) and later in individual states, beginning with Wyoming in 1890, Colorado in 1893, and Utah and Idaho in 1896.

But the timeline gets a little messy from there.

For one thing, Washington Territory became a state in 1888…and they revoked woman suffrage. Imagine the outrage!

Then came a long, discouraging stretch known as “The Doldrums.” For fourteen years, no state successfully passed woman suffrage. Morale sagged. Many of the movement’s leaders were aging, and their strategies no longer seemed effective.

So what could they do? Enter the second wave of American suffragists.

New Beginnings and Women’s Clubs

By 1906, organizers in Washington state were rebuilding the suffrage movement from the ground up. One of the key leaders was Emma Smith DeVoe, who turned to local women’s clubs for support.

Women’s clubs had existed in the US since the 1870s and gave women opportunities to study current events, discuss intellectual topics, and organize social reform efforts at local, state, and national levels.

DeVoe’s strategy worked beautifully: membership in the Washington Equal Suffrage Association exploded from just two members to more than 2,000. And by 1908, seventy-five suffrage clubs had formed across the state.

The movement suddenly had momentum again!

Suffrage clubs raised money, circulated petitions, conducted polls, wrote letters, and organized debates—all while steadily building public support. This was in line with a West Coast tactic called “the still hunt”, which emphasized polite, ladylike behavior and one-on-one campaigning. It was a deliberate departure from the more radical tactics of some East Coast reformers and British activists.

And it appeared to be working.

This is where Winnie West Has an Agenda begins: with newly arrived Winnie West joining a fledgling suffrage club, the Seattle Suffrage Society!

Women from the Washington Equal Suffrage Association posting signs. Seattle, 1910.

What Other Historical Details Can You Find in Winnie West?

Suffrage history is only part of the story.

The novel is packed with real historical details, from Seattle’s transportation systems—electric streetcars, early automobiles, the Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet, and even canoes—to the impact of major events like the Klondike Gold Rush and the Great Fire of 1889.

You’ll also encounter the rise of the “New Woman,” the changing world of journalism, and real locations around Seattle and beyond, including Pioneer Square, First Hill, and Whidbey Island.

Step into a world never before depicted in historical romance!

See this research in action! Buy Winnie West has an Agenda from the Romance for History Nerds book collection through August 31! Read Now

After all that, if your ears are still hungry for some steamy historical romance, check out this audiobook promo! It starts tomorrow, August 1, and runs until the end of the month. 

I don't currently have any in-person events planned for August, but you can catch me September 12-13 at the Middle Tennessee Highland Games in Hendersonville, TN and September 27 at the Lore Hollow Book Market in Adams, TN. Hopefully the weather cools off a bit by then! And be sure to check whether your favorite indie bookstore is holding any fun events for Bookstore Romance Day on August 15!

Thanks so much for reading,