The Exploress Podcast

In this last episode of Season 4, we're going to find out more about the Black female entertainers who lit up the stages of 1920s America: who they were, the (many) struggles they faced, and all the ways they absolutely slayed. We'll meet blues singers like Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters, and Mamie Smith, as well as dancers like Josephine Baker. (Content warning: brief discussion of lynching).

Want more Exploress while the main feed takes a brief hiatus? I'll be regularly posting bonus episodes over on Patreon. You'll find show notes for this episode at my Exploress website. You can now buy my ladycentric timelines, maps, and art prints at the Exploress shop. 

Also, did you know: I’ve got a novel out! NIGHTBIRDS is a 1920s-tinted fantasy about girls who will gift their magic with a kiss...for a price. I think you might just like it. And the sequel's coming out later this year, so there's never been a better time to dive in.

Today, we’re going to the film industry of the 1920s and the ladies who came to define them. We’ll find out more about the movies of the era, their young female stars, and just how they influenced so many. Grab your girlfriends, your favorite fan mag, and your ticket…It's movie night.

You can buy my ladycentric timelines, maps, and art prints at the Exploress shop. Also, did you know: I’ve got a novel out! NIGHTBIRDS is a 1920s-tinted fantasy about girls who will gift their magic with a kiss...for a price. I think you might just like it.

You'll find show notes for this episode at my Exploress website. If you want to support the show, you can do so over on Patreon.

Last time, we found out what stay-at-home wife life was like in the 1920s. Now we're going to go out on the town. Let's explore all the fun we were getting up to: dancing, nightclubs, amusement parks, swimming, and girls in automobiles. We'll even dive into the world on 1920s dating.

You can now buy my ladycentric timelines, maps, and art prints at the Exploress shop. Also, did you know: I’ve got a novel out! NIGHTBIRDS is a 1920s-tinted fantasy about girls who will gift their magic with a kiss...for a price. I think you might be into it.

You'll find show notes for this episode at my Exploress website. If you want to support the show, you can do so over on Patreon.

Settle in for a tale of passion, jealousy, corruption, and the lady killers who entranced 1920s America. Grab your gun, your best fur coat, and a flask of bootleg gin. Let’s go traveling.

You can now buy my ladycentric timelines, maps, and art prints at the Exploress shop. Also, did you know I’ve got a novel out? NIGHTBIRDS is a 1920s-tinted fantasy about girls who will gift their magic with a kiss...for a price. I think you might like it.

You'll find show notes for this episode at my Exploress website. If you want to support the show, you can do so over on Patreon.

Remember back in 2021 when the amazing Elodie Harper told us all about the sex workers of ancient Rome, and also her novel The Wolf Den? She's back to talk to us about The Temple of Fortuna, the epic conclusion to her immersive trilogy about a woman just trying to survive in ancient Pompeii. Join us as we talk about courtesans, an ancient queen, female gladiators, and what it might have been like to survive the eruption of Vesuvius. Warning: we WILL be spoiling some aspects of the first two books in the series, so make sure you've read them before you listen.

The Temple of Fortuna is out now! Go forth and grab yourself a copy.

You can now buy my ladycentric timelines, maps, and art prints at the Exploress shop. You'll find show notes for this episode at my Exploress website. If you want to support the show, you can do so over on Patreon.

I hope you enjoy this spooky minisode bonus from the dark days of 2020! Let's meet one of history's most prolific female poisoners.

You can now buy my ladycentric timelines, maps, and art prints at the Exploress shop. Also, did you know: I’ve got a novel out! NIGHTBIRDS is a 1920s-tinted fantasy about girls who will gift their magic with a kiss...for a price. I think you might like it.

You'll find show notes for this episode at my Exploress website. If you want to support the show, you can do so over on Patreon.

Last time, we headed to the office as 1920s working women; now let's give the stay-at-home wife life a spin. Grab your brand new vaccuum and your fave home economics book: let's go traveling.

You can now buy my ladycentric timelines, maps, and art prints at the Exploress shop. Also, did you know: I’ve got a novel out! NIGHTBIRDS is a 1920s-tinted fantasy about girls who will gift their magic with a kiss...for a price. I think you might like it.

You'll find show notes for this episode at my Exploress website. If you want to support the show, you can do so over on Patreon.

It's time to grab our sensible heels and head to the office to find out about a woman's work in the 1920s. Let's find out about college life, then dive into some of our trials, triumphs, and tribulations in the workplace. Nothing's going to hold us down! Let’s go traveling.

You can now buy my ladycentric timelines, maps, and art prints at my Printable shop. Also: I’ve got a novel out! NIGHTBIRDS is a 1920s-tinted fantasy about girls who will gift their magic with a kiss...for a price. I think you might like it.

You'll find show notes for this episode at my Exploress website. If you want to support the show, you can do so over on Patreon.

Rise and shine! It’s time to get up and start our day in the life of a 1920s American gal. Let’s find out some things about life in the period, from what we’re wearing on a casual Saturday to what we’re eating for breakfast, where we’re getting our food from, and (of course) how we’re dealing with that time of the month. Pull up your stockings and turn up that radio. Let’s go traveling.

I’ve finally got Exploress merch back up and running! You can now buy my ladycentric timelines, maps, and art prints at my Printable shop. Second: I’ve got a novel out! NIGHTBIRDS is a 1920s-tinted fantasy about girls who will gift their magic with a kiss: for a price. Buying merch or my book are both GREAT ways to support me, but also, I’m just glad you’re here.

You'll find show notes for this episode, includng images and a list of my sources, at my Exploress website. If you want to support the show, you can do so over on Patreon.

Let's revisit the tragic story the Titanic, but focus on the women aboard. Who were they? What was it like, to ride on this infamous luxury liner? What did they see and feel, that fateful night? 

As always, you'll find show notes for this episode, includng images and a list of my research sources, at my Exploress website. If you want to support the show, you can do so over on Patreon.

Season 4 is taking an intermission for the moment; I hope to have us traveling back to the 1920s soon. Until then, I’ve got something fun for you: a chat with the wonderful Genn McMenemy and Jenny Williamson of Ancient History Fangirl about their new book, Women of Myth. It’s a beautiful compendium of stories from all around the world about a diverse cast of heroines, goddesses, and monsters, all told with Genn and Jenny’s signature humour, empathy, and wit. So grab a drink, settle in, and let’s dive into the stories of some women from mythology.

In this episode, we’re jumping back to 1910s Chicago, which is the setting for my friend Krystal Marquis’s New York Times and Indie bestselling novel The Davenports. This heartwarming historical romance introduces us to four young Black women navigating life at the turn of the century, falling in love, taking risks, and carving their own paths through the world. I loved talking to Krystal about her research and inspirations.

Last episode, we learned about drinking culture in the leadup to America's Prohibition and met some of the women who helped shove the law into being and enforce it. Now we're shimmying into our most scandalous dresses and going out on the town to meet the ladies who defied it.

My novel, NIGHTBIRDS, is out now wherever good books (or audiobooks) are sold! You can learn more about it at my author website. It is a 1920s-tinted YA Fantasy about a world with a Prohibition on magic instead of alcohol, 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 and getting into all sorts of mischief. Find out more about it on my other podcast, Pub Dates, which takes readers behind the scenes on the road to it publication, and at my author website.

As always, you'll find show notes for this episode, includng images and a list of my research sources, at my Exploress website. If you want to support the show, you can do so over on Patreon.

Lots of women fought to make America dry. They stood at the forefront of the temperance movement, campaigning to get rid of alcohol. They were a big reason why Prohibition became a Constitutional Amendment. They fought for it in speeches and marches and helped police it as law enforcement agents. What was it about the cause that called to so many women? What made them hitch their wagon to this monumental task?

My novel, NIGHTBIRDS, is available now wherever good books (or audiobooks) are sold! You can find out more about it at my author website. It is a 1920s-tinted YA Fantasy about a world with a Prohibition on magic instead of alcohol, 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 and getting into all sorts of mischief. Find out more about it on my other podcast, Pub Dates, which takes readers behind the scenes on the road to it publication, and at my author website.

As always, you'll find show notes for this episode, includng images and a list of my research sources, at my Exploress website. If you want to support the show, you can do so over on Patreon.

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.

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.

This is the Roaring Twenties: an era full of glamor and shimmer, petting parties and transgression, secret passwords and wild nights on the town. So we’re going to start by spending time with the most iconic lady of her age: the flapper. Bold, fun loving, independent, daring, shocking, the flapper might just be the most enduring icon of the 1920s. A woman who loomed large in the public’s imagination, capturing the spirit of the times. But who is she, exactly? Let’s have her introduce us to the 20s, and start to show us what life was like for ladies there.

My novel, NIGHTBIRDS, comes out extremely soon! It is a 1920s-tinted YA Fantasy about a world with a Prohibition on magic instead of alcohol, 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 and getting into all sorts of mischief. It comes out February 28, 2023. Find out more about NIGHTBIRDS 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 it with you.

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.