The Exploress

Explore the iconic flapper of the 1920s in this podcast. Topics include the evolution of flapper, rebellion through smoking and driving, flapper fashion, haircuts, and makeup. Also, discover the leisure culture, nightclubs, and their impact on society.

Season 4, Episode 1. Let's time travel back to the 1920s! But first, we're going to revisit a vintage Exploress episode that explores something momentous that happened in the year 1920, when American women finally won the right to vote. You can pre-order my novel, NIGHTBIRDS, wherever print, ebook, or audiobooks are sold! If you do, make sure to claim the exclusive Nightbirds pin by February 27th. If you order from One More Page Books, you'll get your copy signed and personalized AND get some special character cards as well. To find out more about it, have a listen to my other podcast, Pub Dates, where NYT best-selling author Amie Kaufman and I take you behind the scenes on our books' paths to publication. Come see me on tour in the USA and Australia in February and March! You'll find the full schedule on my author website.

Explore Queen Elizabeth I's strategic decisions as a single queen, her suitors and challenges, manipulation of her image, struggles with criticism, mastery of language and power, and beliefs in her rule as a chosen leader, showcasing her as a politically adept individual in a male-dominated society.

Season 3, Episode 27. Survived. Join Henry VIII’s sixth and final queen, Katherine Parr, as we explore what education looked like for women in Tudor England. We’ll discover where girls studied, what subjects they learned, and how many of them could read and write. We’ll also learn about the extraordinary life of Katherine Parr, and how she became the wife that survived by leveraging her education. She became the first Queen of England to publish her own book, educated her step-daughter (the future Queen Elizabeth I), promoted religious reform, made reading the most popular pastime for upper class Tudor women, and successfully navigated the dangerous political waters of Henry’s court. Let’s go traveling.  For this episode's show notes, including a transcript and tons of images, go to The Exploress website. To support the show, become a patron. To find out more about Elizabeth Norton's fanstastic work, check out her website. The music featured in this episode comes courtesy of John Sayles.

Queen Catherine Howard, guide to all things sex for Tudor women, discusses societal expectations and challenges faced by Tudor women, including double standards, harassment, and consequences for servants. The chapter explores power imbalances, sexual assault, and unwed mothers in Tudor society. It also delves into courtly love, scandalous affairs, and the church's view on sex during the Tudor era.

Elizabeton Norton discusses sorcery, murder, and scandal in the French court of Louis XIV. Topics include a high-born lady accused of poisoning, scandalous mistresses navigating power, intrigues at Versailles, and the rise of La Voisin from midwife to witchcraft.

Season 3, Episode 24. Murder, mystery, and WWII code girls: oh my! Join me as I chat with Ellie Marney, the New York Times bestselling author of the new YA historical novel The Killing Code. Atmospheric, compulsive, and deliciously dark, it’s the perfect book to kick off the spooky season, and it’ll introduce you to a slice of women’s history you might not know that much about. Ellie joined me to talk about the real-life female codebreakers who inspired her novel, as well as life for women in wartime D.C. in the 1940s.  To find out more about Ellie and The Killing Code, visit her website. For this episode's show notes, including a transcript and some fun links, go to The Exploress website. To support the show, become a patron. 

Season 3, Episode 23. Like most royal women, Anne of Cleves - English king Henry VIII's fourth wife - didn’t have much choice when it came to whom she married. It was considered her “duty” to honor the needs of her family and her kingdom over whatever her own might be. But what about everyone else - the non-royals? Did they get to pursue their hearts more freely? Let’s take a walk with Anne of Cleves, who’ll show us more about what love, courtship, and marriage looked like for women in Tudor England.  For this episode's show notes, including a transcript and tons of images, go to The Exploress website. To support the show and get more Tudor bonus content, become a patron. To find out more about Elizabeth Norton's fanstastic work, check out her website.

Author Sylvia Barbara Soberton discusses Tudor queen's ladies-in-waiting, their roles, and impact on the court. Topics include the characteristics required to be chosen as a lady-in-waiting, Anne Boleyn's rise and downfall, challenges faced by women in the Tudor age, and Soberton's upcoming book release on women of the Tudor court.

Season 3, Episode 21. English King Henry VIII's third wife, Jane Seymour, will take us on a journey through one of the most important jobs and greatest perils women faced in Tudor England: fertility and childbirth. We will explore getting pregnant, staying pregnant, and getting through the delivery ordeal in (we hope) one piece. For this episode's show notes, including a transcript and tons of images, go to The Exploress website. To support the show, and get bonus Tudor content, become a patron. To find out more about Elizabeth Norton's fanstastic work, check out her website.