Today is the day I get to show you what my next baby is going to look like. Here’s the cover for Madame Presidentess, which comes out July 25.
Here’s the back cover copy:
Forty-eight years before women were granted the right to vote, one woman dared to run for President of the United States, yet her name has been virtually written out of the history books.
Rising from the shame of an abusive childhood, Victoria Woodhull, the daughter of a con-man and a religious zealot, vows to follow her destiny, one the spirits say will lead her out of poverty to “become ruler of her people.”
But the road to glory is far from easy. A nightmarish marriage teaches Victoria that women are stronger and deserve far more credit than society gives. Eschewing the conventions of her day, she strikes out on her own to improve herself and the lot of American women.
Over the next several years, she sets into motion plans that shatter the old boys club of Wall Street and defile even the sanctity of the halls of Congress. But it’s not just her ambition that threatens men of wealth and privilege; when she announces her candidacy for President in the 1872 election, they realize she may well usurp the power they’ve so long fought to protect.
Those who support her laud “Notorious Victoria” as a gifted spiritualist medium and healer, a talented financial mind, a fresh voice in the suffrage movement, and the radical idealist needed to move the nation forward. But those who dislike her see a dangerous force who is too willing to speak out when women are expected to be quiet. Ultimately, “Mrs. Satan’s” radical views on women’s rights, equality of the sexes, free love and the role of politics in private affairs collide with her tumultuous personal life to endanger all she has built and change how she is viewed by future generations.
This is the story of one woman who was ahead of her time – a woman who would make waves even in the 21st century – but who dared to speak out and challenge the conventions of post-Civil War America, setting a precedent that is still followed by female politicians today.
You can pre-order the ebook here:
Paperback will be out on July 25, 2016, along with all other ebook formats. I’m not sure about audio yet.
What do you think about this book? Are you excited to read it? What do you think of the cover?
PS – If you want a good short summary of Victoria’s life I recommend The Highest Glass Ceiling: Women’s Quest for the American Presidency by Ellen Fitzpatrick. There is so much it leaves out, but it’s a nice primer. If you want a longer biography, my favorites are Notorious Victoria: The Life of Victoria Woodhull, Uncensored by Mary Gabriel, The Woman Who Ran for President by Lois Beechy Underhill and Other Powers: The Age of Suffrage, Spiritualism, and the Scandalous Victoria Woodhull by Barbara Goldsmith (this book is LONG but fabulous)!
A most fitting cover. Looking forward to reading it.
Hallo, Hallo Ms Evelina!
Honestly, I’d be keen to know which direction you took Ms Woodhull’s story, as I was challenged within the pages of “The Renegade Queen” by Eva Flynn — mostly as it was told from such a guttingly realistic opening half due to the nature of Woodhull’s upbringing and marriage; I nearly had a broken heart reading the culmination of her efforts to upturnt the tides and reclaim her life as her own. I credited this novel though as a turning point – where I found myself intrigued and yearning for more Feminist Historical Fiction (I had soon read ‘Emmy Nation’ shortly thereafter).
Confirmed of when I read Daughter of Destiny which kicked off your own Guinevere’s Tales! What was so incredible to me is how Woodhull could have the forethought to not only rise out of the ashes of her life but how she focused her mind on finding a way to help other women in the process of creating her own destiny.
There was another author who wrote a similar story, but it was written with even a harder edge than Flynn’s so I opted not to read it. Knowing that your at the helm of this one, I know I can trust my heart with taking another go at sorting out Woodhull’s life story and seeing how you internalised her spirit as you wrote this novel.
You have a great cover to equally match the woman behind the story! It’s a very powerful representation of who she was and how her legacy is only just starting to emerge into the foreground of our century. At least, through writers no one is ever truly forgotten and the historical past can be re-lived through their visions of historical persons who warrant having their stories told.
Hi Jorie,
Thanks for your kind words. I haven’t read either of the books you reference in their entirety, but I did peek at the openings through the Look Inside feature on Amazon, so I understand your issues with their graphic nature. While I don’t ignore the abuse Victoria and Tennie suffered, you don’t see a lot of it. I think there is one scene with their father and one or two with Victoria’s first husband. But they aren’t that bad. I had to acknowledge it for accuracy, and also because of how it affected Victoria, but it is not my focus. I’m hoping I treated it with a gentler hand then perhaps some others have. I’ll let you know when I have ARCs available. Right now we’re at least two months away from that.