The Exploress

Season 4, Episode 5. Join me for a fun-filled interview with my friend and fellow debut author, Lyssa Mia Smith, whose novel, REVELLE, came out last month. Described as MOULIN ROUGE meets THE GREAT GATSBY, it's one the fantasy-romance fans amongst you don't want to miss. Much like my novel, NIGHTBIRDS, it takes a lot of inspiration from history, and I loved this chat about magic, courtesans, and all the ways we used elements of Prohibition and the 1920s to craft our fantastical stories. NIGHTBIRDS and REVELLE are both available now, wherever good books (or audiobooks) are sold! You can find out more about Lyssa at her website and more about NIGHTBIRDS at my author website.

I am thrilled to share a juicy snippet of the NIGHTBIRDS audiobook with you, listeners! Please enjoy the prologue and first chapter, brought to life by the incredibly talented Saskia Maarleveld. You can buy the full audiobook wherever they're sold. My novel, NIGHTBIRDS, comes out TODAY! It is a 1920s-tinted YA Fantasy about a world with a prohibition on magic, and a group of girls called Nightbirds who will gift you their rare magic with a kiss - for a price. It's full of flapper-inspired dresses, magical cocktails, illicit speakeasies, nods to women's history, and of course, a group of girls punching the patriarchy. Find out more about the book on my other podcast, Pub Dates, which takes readers behind the scenes on the road to it publication, and at my author website. I can't wait to share this story with you.

Season 4, Episode 3. I'm thrilled to be in conversation with Amie Kaufman, fellow author, friend, and co-host of my other podcast, Pub Dates, about taking inspiration from history and weaving it into fantasical worlds. Her novel, The Isles of the Gods, and my own both take certain aspects of the 1920s and use them as springboards into fictional exploration, but we've used our sources in very different ways. This is such a fun conversation about writing and our love of history; if you've ever wanted a more up-close-and-personal catchup with The Exploress, this one's for you. If you want to find out more about Amie or her novel (which is SO GOOD), check out her website. My novel, NIGHTBIRDS, comes out TOMORROW! It is a 1920s-tinted YA Fantasy about a world with a prohibition on magic, and a group of girls called Nightbirds who will gift you their rare magic with a kiss - for a price. Find out more at my author website. Find out more about both books on our other podcast, Pub Dates, which takes readers behind the scenes on the road to their publication.

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.