These authors found inspiration in the hidden histories of accomplished women, whose achievements went untold.
If history is written by the conquerers, and thus told by men, there are many stories never told. Women's stories. But these 25 authors are breaking through the male vantage point of history, with historical novels that elevate women to heroes of their own untold stories. Here's how their inspiration and influences became published novels, in their own words.
Solitary Walker, A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft by N.J. Mastro
In 1792, Mary Wollstonecraft takes London by storm when she pens A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. But as this avowed spinster matures, she must decide what being a woman really means to her.
Author N.J. Mastro wanted to write the kind of book she likes to read: biofiction about women from the past. She zeroed in on Mary Shelley. But she recently explained her pivot.
"I imagined Mary Shelley as the perfect subject, but when I began researching her, it was her mother's story that captivated me, and I never looked back.
Historians widely consider Wollstonecraft the mother of feminism.
"Mary Wollstonecraft lived a daring life when the consequences for stepping out of line were severe. Not only were her choices bold, the ideas she forwarded in her writings an indelible mark. Historians widely consider Wollstonecraft the mother of feminism. Her writing advocated for equal educational opportunities for girls and career choices for women and would go on to spark the women's suffrage movement in the 19th century and the women's movement of the 20th century."
Mastro's assessment of her audience described my feeling about Wollstonecraft: "She is still widely read today, but only in academia, leaving too few contemporary women knowing about Wollstonecraft. But when they hear about her story, they're eager to know more."
Go deeper on Mary Wollstonecraft: Review of Solitary Woman HERE
23 Authors, 23 Untold Feisty Tales: Feisty Deeds, Historical Fictions of Daring Women
Feisty women spanning six centuries: The twenty-three stories in this collection depict ordinary women—from the 1470s to the 1970s—who meet life’s challenges with fierce determination.
When a group of authors first began discussing a short-story project in early 2023, they quickly amassed an outpouring of ideas from women's fiction writers that coalesced under the umbrella of Feisty Deeds: Historical Fictions of Daring Women.
As the group recalls, "The collection of 23 short stories was conceived during weekly online discussions among members of a historical fiction affinity group that was part of the Women's Fiction Writers Association. Five authors — Carolyn Korsmeyer, Christy Matheson, Elaine Aucoin Schroller, Kay Smith Blum and Kimberly — agreed to form the editorial committee, and the entire project was championed by the affinity group founder, Joan Fernandez."
The result is "a collection of short stories written by twenty-three women authors. The stories are set in diverse periods and locations, from the fifteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries and from North America to Europe and Asia. They they all feature narratives of women who find themselves in situations that call for resistance, rebellion, stealth, or confrontation."
“An outstanding collection that showcases ordinary women’s extraordinary experiences, struggles, and victories.” —The Prairies Book Review
Feisty Deeds began with the spark of inspiration from these five women. L to R: Christy Matheson, Elaine Aucoin Schroller, Kay Smith-Blum, Kimberly Sullivan, Carolyn Korsmeyer.
In the 23 feisty tales from 23 women authors, who write of "a murder a protagonist in one story did not commit, to the freedom a protagonist in another yearns for," readers will likely discover some new favorite authors. In perhaps the feistiest deed of all, the authors are paying it forward with the book's profits. "All proceeds from sales of Feisty Deeds are destined for the WFWA Scholarship Fund, which benefits authors with financial constraints, allowing them access to conferences, writing craft classes, and technology that will enhance their writing careers."
And in a happy update from the editors: "Feisty Deeds has been so successful that we are now embarking on a second volume: Feisty Deeds: Historical Tales of Batches and Brews, in 2025."
A love story wrapped in a mystery with a dream: Tangles by Kay Smith-Blum
When a harpooned whale offers proof the Hanford Nuclear Reservation is endangering all life in the Columbia River Basin, a brash young scientist seizes the chance to avenge his father’s death only to discover that his former neighbor’s disappearance, a decade prior, may be tied to government’s harmful practices.
Author Kay Smith-Blum writes she was "knee deep querying my second manuscript, when I saw a headline about the Hanford Nuclear plant waste tanks leaking and then over a span of 3 days I ran into two pals who were raised in the Tri-Cities (where Hanford is located) and told me everyone referred to it as 'The Area.'
"Ominous, but not as spooky as the dream I had about a mass of red hair floating on a body of water — but is was NOT wet. Somehow I knew that Hanford had to be the cause and I had to write about it in a way that made folks understand how devastating radioactive waste can be. And that fallout occurs in a production cycle — not just when a bomb explodes. A dozen non-fiction books, 39 expert interviews and ten months of research later, Tangles was born."
Tangles is a stunning Cold War home-front tale that reveals the devastating costs of the birth of the nuclear age, and celebrates the quiet courage of wronged women.
As a lifetime environmental advocate, Smith-Blum has written a passionate 20th-century historical novel, packed with Hanford's nuclear fallout suspense and wrapped in a love story. Tangles spans two timelines and two star-crossed narrators, in the dark shadow of radiation contamination, during the race for the atomic bomb.
Go behind the scenes of the Hanford disaster HERE
How did inspiration strike you?
If your idea formed into a published book and you'd like to be featured in a future post, please leave a comment, and I'll get in touch.
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