When I was a kid, my aunt had a round, white washing machine with a wringer on top. Little did I know I was watching Black history unfold before my eyes as my aunt cranked the clothes through the wringer. That system of wringer rollers was patented by Ellen F. Eglin.

Depending on your source, Ellen F. Eglin was born either in Maryland in February 1836 or in Washington, D.C., in 1849. She lived in Washington D.C. with her parents, brother Charles, and two other siblings. There she worked as a housekeeper. Sources believe it was due to this stoop work that necessity, the mother of invention, tapped Ellen on the shoulder. In 1888, she devised a clothes wringer made of two wooden rollers with a crank used to squeeze excess water from laundry. Unfortunately, she never received just compensation for her invention.

Because of race prejudice, Ellen sold her invention for $18 (about $598 in today’s dollars). $18 wasn’t an inconsiderable sum when at the time a loaf of bread cost five cents, a pound of meat was ten, and a gallon of milk was twenty. But giving away the rights to her patent for such a paltry sum was a disgrace. The American Wringer company made huge profits from the sales of its product based on that patent. Her wringer is still in use today to wring out mops.

We wouldn’t even know about Ellen and her invention if not for feminist Charlotte Smith, who interviewed Ellen for Smith’s The Woman Inventor in 1890. Asked why she sold her patent, Ellen’s answer was heartbreakingly simple. “You know I am Black, and if it was known that a negro woman patented the invention, white ladies would not buy the wringer. I was afraid to be known because of my color in having it introduced to the market; that is the only reason.” She hoped to create another invention and exhibit it at an upcoming Women’s International Industrial Inventors Congress, but her plans never came to pass.

Those of you who may be watching Sir Julian Fellowes’ The Gilded Age will have heard this truth echoed in the situation of the character Peggy Scott. Wanting to be a writer, Peggy is told by the publisher interested in her work that if they don’t hide the fact that she’s black they’ll lose white subscribers in the South.

The year Charlotte Smith interviewed her, Ellen was working as a charwoman for the Department of the Interior. Records show she was still living in Washington D.C. in 1916, and that is the year assigned to her death.

I like to think that by sharing these blogposts I’m following in the footsteps of women like Charlotte Smith and Hallie Q. Brown (featured in my Oct. 2023 and Feb. 2024 D.D. blogposts) lifting up the lives and achievements of women so they won’t be forgotten.

For a chance at a $10 Amazon gift card, share your thoughts in the comments.

Her Heavenly Phantom
by Michal Scott

Forced into a marriage of convenience neither wants, a mild-mannered banker with an intriguing secret discovers his reluctant bride has a secret, too.

Excerpt:

Unwed and pregnant, Emily Hampton needed a husband. Newly freed and hungry for a foothold among the ranks of the Black elite in 1880s Brooklyn, William Broadman had the answer.

His son Harold.

The warmth shared between the two men stood in stark contrast to the cold chaste kiss Harold and his bride shared. Their coolness continued as they walked up the aisle. Guests, oblivious to their shared contempt, showered them with hugs and handshakes. Harold shivered even more as his father and father-in-law back-patted themselves and toasted the couple’s future happiness at the wedding reception. No doubt the arctic chill between the couple would extend to their first lay as man and wife, too.

If they had to that is. Emily Hampton hated this arrangement as much as he did. Therein lay his salvation. If she wanted as little to do with him as he wanted to do with her, his life didn’t have to change at all. Milquetoast straightlaced banker by day. Virile promiscuous masked singer by night.

The lady of the balcony numbered among his many admirers. Her missives of gratitude roiled with cock-stirring heat.

Your singing ravishes my body.

My core weeps for you.

Oh, for a coupling I know would thrust me into a heaven far beyond my grasp.

The last message had reached him after an exhausting browbeating from his father. He’d come to the theater in need of an escape that even singing couldn’t provide. She’d accepted the invite to join him backstage conveyed by way of his manager. In the dark windowless privacy of his dressing room, they’d thrust their way to a heaven beyond both their grasps.

He looked forward to what she’d write to him tonight. He’d need it as he lay alone on his wedding night.

Buylinks:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DBJ47ND6/
B&N https://shorturl.at/B0NLA
KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/secret-identities-8

Thank you, Delilah, for hosting me today.  I want to share a bit of my journey into a subgenre I’d never considered writing!

The first MM romance I ever read was an Ava March historical novella.  I almost didn’t notice the main characters were both men — the lush setting, vibrant period, and brilliant story carried me away.  I was enchanted. Enthralled. I moved on to other authors as I discovered the joys of free e-books, but I often returned to pick up a new March story.

Fast forward a few years.  I’d hired a wonderful person to edit my stories and to whip them into shape so I could publish them. But I didn’t know what I was doing.  So she recommended I read authors who were better than myself.  She listed a number of her favorite authors, including Tara Lain and Kaje Harper.  Both of the authors had audiobooks, so I snapped them up and dove in.

My life changed forever.

Now…the transition was gradual.  I listened to the MM audios from these authors.  Then I listened to more.  Then I sought out blogs that discussed queer books.  Then I started writing reviews for one, and my immersion was complete — about eighty percent of what I listen to is queer fiction.

One book, though, has always stuck with me.

Kaje Harper is a talented writer — and someone I’m proud to call a friend.  Her book, Into Deep Waters, had a profound impact on me.  It is just a simple story about two sailors serving in the Navy in the Pacific Ocean during the Second World War.  Two men who struggled with their identities. Two men who earned a richly deserved happily ever after.

Now, I never saw myself writing historical stories.  Ava March, Kaje Haper, KJ Charles, and Joanna Chambers make it look easy. It isn’t.  Layered into the historical periods are the societal prejudices and outright illegality of being a homosexual.

Plus, you know, historical accuracy.  Apparently, that’s a thing.

All fine and good.  I wasn’t going to write a historical novel.  Just like I wasn’t going to write a paranormal gay romance (oh, wait, ghosts are paranormal…huh, yep blew that idea out of the water…).  The tipping point for me came from a charity anthology last year.  The premise was each story would be Jane Austen adjacent.  So my characters would either interact with an Austen character or in fact be an Austen character.

I checked with the anthology folks that gay romance was okay.  They said, sure.  They said representation mattered.  They said no light switches.

I figured even I couldn’t screw this up too badly.

I also secured a beta reader who is a former history professor since my editor doesn’t specialize in Regency England either.  Turns out I made a few mistakes — easily corrected.

In a short span of time, I had my short story. An Uncommon Gentleman is the tale of two sailors — onboard Captain Frederick Wentworth’s ship — whose lives are upended when one gets an unexpected inheritance.  It’s a simple short story. Just under 8k words.  I submitted it, and the charity anthology raised some money, for which I was thrilled.

The comment from several reviewers was the story ended abruptly.  Well, yeah, I had a word limit.

When the rights reverted to me, I added an epilogue, and then I had the audio recorded by the very talented Michael Ferraiuolo. I published the e-book and audiobook and sat back to enjoy my lovely story.

In 2024, I did another Austen charity anthology.  This time, instead of Persuasion, I chose Sense and Sensibility.  Those rights reverted back to me and Michael will be narrating the audio shortly.  Finally, this year, I’m doing another charity anthology.  This one won’t be specifically Austen, but I’m choosing to set my redeemed rake in the same period, and I’ll make him Austen-adjacent.

Man, I’ve had so much fun.

Outstanding beta readers, strong editors, tons of research…finally, historicals are (almost) within my grasp.

Moving from short stories to full-length books isn’t yet possible. I don’t think.  Never say never, though.

That’s how An Uncommon Gentleman came to be!  I would love to hear your thoughts — historicals? Love ’em or not for me?  Leave a comment and you might win either an e-book or audiobook copy of my story.  Or another book from my back catalogue.  Random will pick the winner.

An Uncommon Gentleman

John

I have served as a sailor in His Majesty’s Royal Navy for the past ten years and had no intention of changing that path. The death of my uncle means I must return to Blackthorne Estate to take up my position as Lord and Master. I’ll step up to do my duty. My dearest wish is that my beloved joins me. When he chooses to accompany me, I set my mind to making him mine—body and soul.

Philip

I have been a sailor for nearly thirty years and never planned to retire until my captain orders it. When my beloved is called to attend to his family’s estate, he asks me to accompany him as a valet. I’m happy to do so as it keeps me close to him. He wants to grow the affection between the two of us, but I feel the need to hold myself apart. In the end, though, I suspect he will win this argument.

An Uncommon Gentleman is an 8k Regency gay romance short story.  The story was previously available in Austen Tea Party: A Historical Romance Collection for Charity Inspired by Jane Austen. This version has been expanded.

Links:
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/AnUcommonGentleman
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Uncommon-Gentleman-Regency-Romance-Short-ebook/dp/B0CLKZDW9H
Add it to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201840113-an-uncommon-gentleman

About the Author

USA Today Bestselling author Gabbi Grey lives in beautiful British Columbia where her fur baby chin-poo keeps her safe from the nasty neighborhood squirrels. Working for the government by day, she spends her early mornings writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances. While she firmly believes in happy endings, she also believes in making her characters suffer before finding their true love. She also writes m/f romances as Gabbi Black and Gabbi Powell.

UPDATE: The winners are…Theresa Privette and Mary Preston!
*~*~*

2024 was such a big, eventful year for me, but we’re not going to dwell on the big, black cloud that descended at the very end of July. Instead, I want to remind you of the stories I put out into the world in 2024. Sixteen stories (with wonderful covers provided by my talented sister, Elle James!). Some of them were refurbished stories I republished. Some were brand-new stories I wrote. For the first half of the year, I chugged along, happy with the way the stories flowed from me. There were exciting new bounty hunter stories and fun adventures that featured my Dead Horse townspeople, even a sexy ex-military protector book. I persevered through my treatments to put together another Boys Behaving Badly anthology. So many words and adventures. I hope 2025 will be as filled with achievement.

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, let me know whether any of these stories interest you and what you might like to see more of in 2025!

January 2024

Unbound by the Amazon

A pair of Army soldiers travels back in time to retrieve a powerful ancient artifact of alien origin from the queen of the Amazons…

Army Lieutenant Farideh Kalani expected her time-traveling assignment to ancient Scythia to retrieve an ancient artifact would be difficult, but gaining the trust of Amazon warriors and their legendary ruler, Queen Hippolyta, is easy compared to being partnered with Sergeant First Class Caleb MacAvoy. The soldier is too smug and sexy for her peace of mind. Posing as a warrior seeking a place among the royal guard and her devoted personal servant, the pair succumb to their attraction just as they discover another seeks the treasure they’ve sworn to find.

Read More/Order

February 2024

Malcolm
Montana Bounty Hunters: Dead Horse, MT, Book 10

Two fiercely independent bounty hunters must fight their attraction while learning to trust each other as they work together to bring in a dangerous skip.

Former SEAL Malcolm Winslow was looking for a change. He’s been bounty hunting on his own since leaving the teams and has missed the camaraderie of fellow warriors, so he accepts a job with the Montana Bounty Hunters. His first hunt takes a turn when the MBH team discovers that another lone hunter has found their target first. Not wanting to infringe, they stand by just in case their competition needs help.

Darleen Crockett has things well in hand. Sure, she’s alone, without a weapon (because where would she hide it in her skimpy outfit?), and the skip she’s determined to take down is one mean MF, but Darleen likes to ride that dangerous edge between victory and disaster. She’s an admitted adrenaline junkie.

When her skip attacks, she has things well in hand but is suddenly rescued by a rugged, tattooed man who makes her heart pitter-patter. What’s up with that? She’s quickly recruited by Malcolm’s agency and finds herself on the biggest hunt of her career. Denying her attraction to her temporary new partner isn’t possible when they spend so many hours alone, but what she doesn’t expect is finding something more with the equally footloose and independent Malcolm. Things get thorny between them when Malcolm can’t seem to get past the fact she’s a woman to trust that she can handle herself.

When the agency prepares to track an old adversary preparing to flee justice, Malcolm and Darleen are quickly folded into the team heading to Lander, Wyoming, to find their dangerous skip.

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March 2024

What Happens in Bozeman
We Are Dead Horse, Book 3

What happens in Bozeman stays in Bozeman…unless it’s a cowboy!

Stranded in Bozeman, Montana, for the night while snowplows clear a mountain pass, Kelly Willis decides to throw caution to the wind. After being jilted by her college sweetheart, she’s determined to have one no-holds-barred night, her way of seeking revenge against a lifetime of conformity, before she settles down in a new town to live a very circumspect life as an elementary school teacher. She chooses another stranded motorist, propositioning him with the offer of a no-strings, no-names night of pleasure.

No one is more shocked than rancher Ryan Mobley when he appears at his daughter’s parent-teacher meeting to discover the angel he’d made love to is his daughter’s new teacher. Now that she’s here, he’s going to do everything he can to convince her they have a real connection, something they can build a lifetime on.

While she wrangles the class bully and he tries to figure out who’s rustling his cattle, the two of them grow closer with the help of a classroom full of mini matchmakers.

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April 2024

Tyson’s Mission
Brotherhood Protectors: Team Eagle

A former Navy SEAL is tapped to provide security for a team of archeologists working to uncover Mayan ruins deep in a Mexican jungle that a local drug cartel is targeting.

After surviving a catastrophic helicopter accident, former Navy SEAL Tyson Quigley is taking well to his new life with the Brotherhood Protectors in the Yellowstone, Montana, office. Life’s looking up. He’s working with old teammates and feeling stronger and more himself every day.

Then he gets a call from his university professor brother, who is worried about a colleague working on an archeological dig in southern Mexico. The team has had problems with thefts of equipment and supplies. Now, one of the dig team members has been kidnapped and held for ransom, but they quickly figure out the finger they were sent in the package demanding payment is from an already dead person. Now, they have no idea whether their team member is alive or dead and worry that the attacks on the site aren’t over. After a quick conference with his Brotherhood Protector teammates, Ty heads down to Mexico to pose as his brother’s friend’s boyfriend to provide her protection for the remainder of the dig.

Cara Woodward doesn’t need a babysitter. Sure, things have gotten scary since a team member was abducted, but she thinks having a bodyguard is overkill. Their sponsors are pulling the plug on the excavation due to the kidnapping, so they’re working furiously to close the site for the season. Tyson’s everywhere she is, and it’s getting on her nerves. His looming presence is distracting, to say the least. He’s too handsome, too intense.

As the dig team continues documenting their work before they pack up and leave, they suffer a series of attacks—this time, too close to Cara for Ty’s comfort. He’s locking her down, with no daylight between them for the duration.

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May 2024

Five Ways ‘Til Sunday
Delta Heat, Book 1

A Memphis cop bent on marrying an unconventional woman turns to his friends to tick every sexy item off her bucket list to get her to “yes”…

The more Marti Kowalski tries to convince Memphis PD Officer Jackson Teague she’s not the right woman for him, the more he wants to marry her. It’s crazy, and he won’t listen to reason. Of course, she’s tempted, but there are things she wants to experience before she ties the knot. All sorts of kinky things that involve knots—just not the marital kind. And she’s written them down.

When Jackson finds out what’s on Marti’s mind, he knows just what to do. He calls on his brothers in blue, four men he trusts with his life. Between the five of them, he’s sure they can check off each and every item on Marti’s bucket list in one wild, wicked weekend.

Of course, Marti has to agree to follow through, and he has to decide if he can bear to share her.

Read More/Order

Fournicopia
Delta Heat, Book 2

Forget the sugar. Send her the spice.

Gus Taggert knows a setup when he sees one. The doughnut shop his police officer buddies have sent him to, Cornucopia, is too frilly, too pink. Then the woman behind the counter serves up a mini-lesson in submission that leaves him ready and willing to obey her order to see her tonight at La Forge BDSM club.

The large, burly cop is exactly the kind of alpha guy that newly minted Domme Aislinn Darby has been dying to tie up and spank. Yet after she puts him through his paces, she finds herself eager to let him take control—something she’s never before enjoyed with a man.

Determined to find out once and for all if she has what it takes to control a scene, she orders him up for one more go. Only this time, she intends to ensure he remembers who’s in charge. She’s even willing to offer a little bribe: accept her dictates, and his reward is her—any way he wants her.

Except when it’s time for payback, it comes with several twists she never sees coming.

Read More/Order

A Perfect Trifecta
Delta Heat, Book 3

When Craig Eason plays switch in front of an audience at La Forge BDSM club as a favor for a friend, it’s supposed to be a one-time thing. But the cop catches the attention of an enigmatic, powerful Dom watching from across the room—a man who may be the one to help Craig test the boundaries of his own sexuality.

Firefighter Aiden Byrne has strong S&M desires he keeps firmly in check. His sub, Jennifer, thinks she likes it rough, but he’s never been able to let go the way he longs to with her. When a defiant stare from a handsome man on the La Forge stage causes Aiden’s most dangerous need to ignite, he wonders if he’s found someone he can truly let go with.

Jennifer is on board, as long as she can be an active participant—but none of them is prepared for the scene that will shake them all to the core and change everything.

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June 2024

Twice the Bang
Delta Heat, Book 4

Beau wants Pansy for his own. After a BDSM party thrown by his friends to celebrate their new throuple status, Beau decides it’s time to stake his claim. He’s been taking it slow with the sexy sub, but when he sees he’s not the only one vying for her attention, he realizes a long seduction was a mistake. A handsome fireman has caught his woman’s eye.

Billy may be new to the lifestyle, and a submissive like Pansy is probably out of his league, but he’ll do whatever it takes to have her, even if he has to share her with a cop whose confidence contrasts with Billy’s inexperience.

Pansy’s stuck between a rock and a hard place—or rather, stuck between a smoking-hot firefighter with ice-blue eyes and a dark, mysterious cop who can give her goose bumps with just a look.

Of course, she could refuse to decide between them and let both pursue her and, perhaps, if she’s very lucky, they’ll play dirty.

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Once is Never Enough
Delta Heat, Book 5

Mondo Acevedo is a legendary Dom and Master at the La Forge club. He’s helped his Memphis PD friends navigate the BDSM world and find the women of their dreams. Now, the vice cop and Dom is the last single man standing. But Mondo’s waiting for the right woman, one strong enough to match his dark passions, and he’s sure a timid grade school teacher definitely won’t make the shortlist.

Sunny Boudreau is content with her somewhat vanilla life, But when a trio of lovers moves in next door, she’s drawn to them and their group of friends, especially a certain tall, dark, and dangerous Dom.

Mondo tries to warn Sonny off, but her first taste of the club only whets her appetite and ignites her desire to prove she’s exactly the woman Mondo needs.

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July 2024

Burning Up Memphis
Delta Fire, Book 1

When firefighter John Cooper accepts an invitation to go to Club LaForge with his friends, he didn’t expect the sights and sounds of the BDSM club to have such an effect on him. Far from being turned off, he’s surprised to find himself thinking this lifestyle might just be what he needs—especially if Moira, his luscious guide for the evening, is willing to teach him everything he wants to know.

Moira Blessing is an experienced BDSM trainer, and she senses that Coop is not only a Dom in the making, but he could also be the man she’s looking for—someone to be her lover and her Dom. But Coop’s best friend just died on the job, and he’s not interested in anything serious right now. Good thing Moira thinks going slow can be sexy when done right…

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Hotter With a Pole
Delta Fire, Book 2

Noah Turner hopes buying the classic ’68 Camaro from a fellow firefighter’s widow will ease some of the grief weighing down his heart. When a noise under the hood sends him looking for a mechanic, he finds so much more. Big and burly Hoyt grabs Noah’s attention right off, and not just because of his bad-boy biker looks and ice-blue eyes. The fact Hoyt is a Dom and a member of Club LaForge certainly interests Noah.

Hoyt Freeman never thought he’d feel that rush with a man again after his partner died, but his body certainly reacts to meeting Noah. LaForge seems like the perfect place to meet and work off some energy and explore this sudden flood of desire. The heat between them starts to burn through their emotional barriers, whether the men are ready to make a deeper connection or not.

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Cyrus
Montana Bounty Hunters: West Yellowstone, MT, Book 1

The first new hire of the Montana Bounty Hunters: West Yellowstone, MT, isn’t much of a team player and isn’t sure he’s ready to stick around until he meets a pretty park ranger as independent and stubborn as he is.

Former Army Ranger Cyrus Walsh signs on with the competition when he sees the handwriting on the wall. The Montana Bounty Hunters are moving into his territory, and he can either join them or move on. So, he’ll give them a try but soon discovers he doesn’t mind so much riding with a new partner or working within the confines of an agency that respects their hunters’ strengths.

While chasing a skip in the nearby national park, he and his new partner encounter the skip and a park ranger, facing down a grizzly bear. The park ranger’s actions save the day, and he finds himself intrigued by the woman, who under normal circumstances, he’d never give a second glance. It’s not like he’s looking for a relationship; he’s not an easy man to be around. But her understated beauty and fiercely independent nature draw him closer, and he finds himself, reluctantly, asking her out.

Milly Bauer knows she’s not in the same league as the burly, handsome bounty hunter, but she’s eager to let things play out between them. There’s something she wants from him, experiences she’s denied herself. Something tells her Cyrus is just the man to provide what’s been lacking in her life, if only for a while.

While they get to know each other and find themselves inextricably drawn closer, their dangerous jobs make them wonder whether they can share a future together.

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Secret Identities
Boys Behaving Badly, Book 8

Inside Secret Identities: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, you’ll find stories by some of the hottest romance writers out there for readers who crave mysterious, enigmatic men and women who may not be who they claim to be. Perhaps they’re the new next-door neighbor with a secret mission, an alien from a far-away galaxy looking for his fated mate, or a spy trying to catch a foreign agent. Whatever their secrets, intrigue and passion follow…

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August 2024

Rapid Entry
Delta Fire, Book 3

Firefighter Gage Eastwood doesn’t hesitate to race into his neighbor’s apartment to put out the fire there. Of course, some hesitation might have given him the time to realize he was buck naked. He’s a professional, so he can overlook the fact she’s in her underwear, but after a nosy neighbor snaps some pictures of them, the fire and his naked heroics go viral.

Shy Viviana Moore is a bestselling romance author. She might write about kink, but she’s never done anything kinky. So when her hotter-than-hot savior invites her out to his sex club, La Forge, she doesn’t admit at first to her lack of actual kinky experience. Soon, she has more than enough material for a whole new series as well as some hands-on experience of her own, and Gage is wondering if she’d let him be her muse…permanently.

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September 2024

Once Upon a Legend

When budding dime novelist Prudence Vogel travels west to meet legendary lawman Jake White Eagle, she discovers he really is the tall, handsome hero of her novel. Flustered and out of her element, Prudence is determined to shadow the handsome sheriff to lend authenticity to her next story.

While Jake certainly finds Prudence attractive, her constant presence is distracting. When things she has written seem to be coming true, he decides to get closer to see whether she’s part of a criminal enterprise he’s been trying to uncover.

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November 2024

The Demon Lord’s Cloak

After awakening in a castle, bound and at the mercy of her captor, Voletta has every reason to fear the mysterious man holding her in his arms. Instead, his brooding presence intrigues her, and his hard body excites her. However attracted she is, she must escape before he discovers her dark secret…but then she learns he has one of his own.

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When I pastored in Brooklyn, visiting members at the Susan Smith McKinney Rehabilitation Center and Nursing Home was a regular part of my week. I never gave much thought to the woman for whom the care center was named. This month, I make up for that oversight.

Susan Smith McKinney Steward was born in the black Brooklyn town of Weeksville in 1847. Her father was a prosperous pig farmer and fierce abolitionist. Her eldest sister, Sarah J. Garnet, who I blogged about in December 2023, became the first African American female public school principal in New York City.

In 1870, Susan graduated valedictorian from medical school and became the first African American woman doctor in New York State and only the third African American female doctor in the country. From 1870 to 1895, she practiced medicine in Brooklyn serving patients of all races. She co-founded the Brooklyn Women’s Homeopathic Hospital and Dispensary. She served at as well as helped establish other hospitals for African Americans and the aged. She continued her medical education, becoming the only woman in the 1887-1888 post-graduate class at Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn. She focused on homeopathic medicine and gained a reputation for her work treating malnourished children. She was elected into the New York Homeopathic Medical Society in 1896.

In 1871, she married Reverend William G. McKinney and had two children. Four years after his death, she married Theophilus Gould Steward, chaplain of the 25th U.S. Colored Infantry. She continued to practice wherever he was stationed. In 1898, Wilberforce University hired Dr. Steward as a resident physician. She taught health and nutrition there until her death in 1918.

No surprise Susan had talents that extended beyond medicine. Early on, she was organist and choir director at two prominent black Brooklyn churches, Siloam Presbyterian and Bridge Street AME. In politics, she was active in the Equal Suffrage League of Brooklyn, and as a member of the Women’s Loyal Union, she lobbied Congress from 1894-1895 to investigate lynching. In social reform, she served as president of her local chapter of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. In the 1880s, she published two papers, one on a pregnant woman’s incorrect diagnosis and the next on childhood diseases. In 1911, at the Universal Race Congress in London, she presented a paper on famous African American women, and in 1914, she gave a speech to the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs on the history of women in medicine from Biblical times to 1914.

Dr. Susan McKinney Steward died aged 71 in Ohio on March 7, 1918. Her body was returned to Brooklyn and buried in the famous Green-Wood Cemetery. Hallie Quinn Brown, the subject of my February 2024 and October 2023 D.D. blogposts, delivered the eulogy.

Writing this blogpost has taken me back to the streets of Brooklyn where I, like she, served as a community leader. I hope I left a legacy of work as impactful as hers. For a chance at a $10 Amazon gift card leave a comment about Susan or another woman you’ve found inspiring.

“The Patience of Unanswered Prayer” by Michal Scott
from Cowboys

Kidnapped and destined to be another victim of Reconstruction-era violence, a feisty shop owner is rescued by a trail boss whose dark secret might save them both

Excerpt:

The sounds of horse hooves clopping, drunken laughter, and saloon music had faded long ago. Only chirruping crickets, croaking bullfrogs, and Sheriff Radcliffe’s lies penetrated Eleanor’s covering. Where were they taking her?

The wagon wheels creaked with every rut they hit. Eleanor wheezed, desperate for fresh air. Nausea roiled at the base of her throat. Would she die choking on her own vomit? Fear squeezed her chest as yes flitted through her mind like a lightning bug.

The wagon lurched to the right. Her nausea intensified.

“Mind how you go there, boy. We don’t want to be accused of mistreating the prisoner.”

Being arrested on false charges didn’t count as mistreatment? How about being abducted by ones sworn to uphold the law? Eleanor’s agony mirrored that of Christ’s on the cross.

My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?

She moaned, her spirit smothered by despair. The pressure at the small of her back eased only to be followed by a sharp jab to her spine.

“Shut up, damn you,” Radcliffe snapped. “Your days of troubling me will soon be over.”

“What was that you said, Sheriff?”

“Thank God this trouble’ll soon be over. We’ll have delivered her safe and sound to the county seat tomorrow.”

“Safe and sound,” Deputy Jim Flyte said. “Thank the good Lord.”

His tone, full of innocence and ignorance, penetrated Eleanor’s cloth prison and killed all hope that he’d be of any help. She stifled a groan lest her tormentor kicked her again. Flyte was too young to know that safe and sound to Sheriff Hobart Radcliffe meant only one thing: Eleanor’s death.

Buylink:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3zfDpo2

UPDATE The winner is…Kerry Jo!
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Alice was born in 1875 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her mother was a former slave, and her father was White. She wrote, taught and/or lectured everywhere she lived: Louisiana, New York, Massachusetts, Washington D.C., Delaware, and Pennsylvania. She received her education from Straight University in Louisiana and Cornell University in New York. After graduating from Straight in 1892, she began teaching in the New Orleans public schools.

Her teaching career included working at the White Rose Mission in Manhattan and co-founding a reform school for girls in Delaware. Her later activism led to her being removed from her teaching position at Wilmington Delaware’s Howard High school in 1920.

In 1895 her first anthology, Violets and Other Tales was published by The Boston Monthly Review. A poem she wrote in the Review brought her to Paul Lawrence Dunbar’s attention. Several resources cite their romance as being the African American equivalent of Robert Browning’s and Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s courtship. However, disagreements on how to handle race in their writing and her same gender loving relationships with women shows me their relationship wasn’t always idyllic. Dunbar became increasingly physically and emotionally abusive. She separated from him in 1902 and was still married to him when he died in 1906. During their marriage she published her next piece, The Goodness of St. Rocque and Other Stories in 1899.

 Besides poetry she wrote articles on race relations, the limitations placed on working women, civil rights and suffrage in magazines, church related publications, academic journals and newspapers. These were topics on which she lectured as well. In 1914, she published Masterpieces of Negro Eloquence, which contained speeches made by men and women of African descent born in the US, Europe and Africa. From 1926 to 1930 she wrote a column for the Washington Eagle. She also kept a diary addressing the issues of her day. She wrote prolifically despite encountering lots of rejection because she addressed oppression and racism in her writing.

She married two more times. The second to a fellow teacher which ended in a friendly divorce. The last to Robert J. Nelson in 1916, a poet and activist to whom she remained married until her death and with whom she was active in politics, campaigning for anti-lynching laws. Like many African Americans of her day, she was a republican but not a chauvinistic one. When the republican senator from Delaware refused to vote for an anti-lunching bill, Alice campaigned and got twelve thousand new voters registered, leading to the senator’s losing reelection.

Alice died in Philadelphia in 1935 due to a heart condition at the age of 60. Having learned all this about her, I will think of her as a poet, critic, journalist, and activist who also happened to marry a famous poet. I hope that’s how you’ll think of her too.

A Portrait of Alice Dunbar

For a chance at a $10 Amazon gift card, share your impressions of Alice in the comments.

“Take Me To The Water” by Michal Scott

So, maybe medieval paranormal isn’t your thing. How about erotic romance? An alpha male? A woman in captivity? Secrets kept? Do those tropes appeal? Then this novella will be one you’ll want to gobble up!

After awakening in a castle, bound and at the mercy of her captor, Voletta has every reason to fear the mysterious man holding her in his arms. Instead, his brooding presence intrigues her, and his hard body excites her. However attracted she is, she must escape before he discovers her dark secret…but then she learns he has one of his own.

Order your copy now!

Opening scene of The Demon Lord’s Cloak…

“We’ll all be dead by morning.” Martin’s voice quavered as he emptied another glass of Frau Sophie’s precious peach schnapps.

“Who’d have guessed it’d be nigh on impossible to find a virgin in this valley?” his companion said.

“Pah! Even my own daughter,” Martin moaned. “What’s the world coming to, Edgard? Young women giving themselves like barmaids…”

Edgard’s shoulders slumped. “I tell you it was the last May Day celebration. The bürgermeister should never have let Sophie provide the drink.”

“We should have locked every last one of the unmarried maidens in a cellar.”

“Well, no use grousing.” Martin set down his glass. “We have a problem. Now’s the time for clear thinking.”

“There’s no solution. The village will disappear, swallowed by Hell itself when we fail to provide his bride.” Edgard’s reddened eyes widened. “Couldn’t we mount a raid on Fulkenstein down the valley…take a girl or two…”

“There’s no time left. We only had the new moon to give that devil his due. It ends tomorrow night. We’d never be back in time.”

Edgard shook his head, sighing. “We’ve failed. Daemonberg will be no more. Best get the women packing tonight so we can flee come morning. A thousand years of prosperity and health–gone for the lack of a single maidenhead.”

“We’re doomed, I tell you.” Martin lifted the schnapps bottle and tilted it over his glass. He gave it a shake, and then slammed it down on the table. Turning toward the bar, he shouted, “Sophie, liebchen, bring us another bottle, will you?”

As he turned back to his friend, he saw a woman step through the doorway of the inn. Her beauty arrested him–far prettier than any of the strapping blonde women of the village, this one was slender, delicate, with deep reddish hair that glinted like fire in the torchlight, rather like the bay he’d bid on and lost at an auction in early spring.

He elbowed Edgard beside him. “Look there.”

Both men turned to stare at the young woman entering.

“Where’s her escort?” Edgard whispered.

“She looks wary. I’d wager she’s on her own.”

They shared a charged glance, shoulders straightening.

“What do you suppose the chances are she’s a virgin?” Edgard asked softly.

“She’s beyond fair. What man would care whether he was her first just so long as he’s her last? Besides, what other options have we?”

Sophie slammed another bottle in the center of the table and gave them a scathing glance. “If you go home to your wives legless with drink, I’ll not take the blame.”

“We’ll have just one more glass,” Martin assured her, reaching around to pat her rump. “For the road. We’ve business to attend.”

Sophie rolled her eyes and turned, her ample hips rolling as she walked across the room to greet the young woman who waved her away.

“If they only knew the solemn duty we perform,” Martin whispered. “They’d call us heroes.”

Only they could never tell a soul. That too was part of their sacred oath, handed down from father to son.

Edgard poured them both another drink, then lifted his glass. “To another hundred years of peace and wealth.”

Martin lifted his glass with one hand and crossed himself with the other. “To the fair maiden with the red hair—God rest her soul.”

UPDATE: The winners are…Debra Guyette & Mary McCoy!
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Hello, everyone! First, a huge thank you to Delilah for letting me join in the fun. I’ve been following this blog for a while and finally found my motivation to write about my experience.

When I set out to write my first novel almost a decade ago, I figured it would take all my efforts just to write a Regency romance that balanced the more erotic components I wanted with a full-fledged romantic arc.

However, my brain would not let me stop there. As a modern woman who’d had a thirty-year career in corporate America, I kept wanting the women to have more power.

So entered the idea of a secret school for young women that would teach them everything from household and money management to owning their own pleasure, and thus, the School of Enlightenment series was created.

But what Regency men would love these women? Imagining that they’d also need to be ahead of their time, I dove into Parliamentary laws and scientific developments. My contemporary perspective drove me to focus on those that impacted women, children, and the working class.

Here are a few significant events I mention in my books:

• Corn Laws – In an effort to combat imported grains competition to British farms, The Corn Laws were passed in 1814. These helped only the landowners of the farms, not the agricultural laborers, and caused more extreme poverty for the working class.
• Insolvent Debtors Act of 1813 – This was the first step in Poor Law reform, relieving the overcrowded prisons by releasing debtors if they could reach an agreement with their creditor regarding the distribution of present and future assets. There were further reforms proposed and a few passed, although greater reform did not come until the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, which standardized the treatment of debtors and the use of workhouses. Prior to that it had been up to the parishes throughout Britain and varied widely.
• Macadam roads – Principal routes were dirt until the first few years of the 19^th century when John McAdam’s innovative ‘paving’ was implemented. This was the precursor of what we consider ‘chip and seal’ and saved many horses and carriages from accidents due to poor road conditions in bad weather.
• Steam engines – Steam engines had begun development centuries ago, but in the early 19^th century they became more viable for commercial use – in factories, boats, and locomotives.
• Salamanca – The first commercial steam locomotive, which ran between Middleton and Leeds.
• Robert Owen – Welsh textile manufacturer who was a philanthropist and founder of utopian socialism and the co-operative movement. Even as a factory owner, he led reforms in working conditions, child labor, and life-long education. He was famous for the slogan, “eight hours labour, eight hours recreation, eight hours rest,” and helped get the Cotton Mills and Factories Act of 1819 passed.

After my school-focused series, I continued to search for ways to write women’s independence. In my most recent book, Charlotte’s Control, the widow Charlotte has a knack for investing and does not need to worry about money, but she hungers for the educational opportunities afforded to men in secondary school and university. Most classes were taught in Latin, so she wants to learn that. William, an Oxford student, helps teach her using ancient poets:

• Catullus – (full name Gaius Valerius Catullus Carmina) who wrote sexually explicit (for Roman times) poetry and was a contemporary of Virgil.
• Ovid – The Heroides (Epistulae Heroidum) and Ars amatoria.
• Homer – The Odyssey, both the Pope translation and the Chapman translation, as well as Keats’ poem about the latter.
• Chaucer – Canterbury Tales, from which I drew snippets particularly about the Squire, the Prioress, the Knight, the Reeve, and reference a debate between William and Charlotte over the Wife of Bath.

For giggles, I also created this as an older woman/younger man age gap romance with a bit of femdomme sprinkled in.

Charlotte’s Control

A young rake soon to inherit an impoverished estate…a lonely widow unable to produce an heir…a love they must forsake.

Widowed at thirty, Charlotte, Dowager Countess of Peterborough, finds herself on the lonely edge of Society, caught between the young chits vying for a husband and older matrons. In a moment of vulnerability, she meets a young rake who tempts her to forget propriety and reclaim her feminine powers of seduction…for a while. Their affair can only last until he marries a wealthy debutante who can give him what Charlotte cannot. An heir.

In his final year at Oxford, William Stanton, heir to the Earl of Harrington, is forced to manage the earldom for his drunken father and provide for his family. With the prospect of an advantageous marriage looming in his future, he yearns for the frivolity of his peers. But when he encounters a lovely widow, he’s drawn to her keen mind as much as he is to her beauty. She believes they are destined to part. To keep her, he must battle Fate, time, and the rules of Society that conspire against them.

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Contest

To win your choice of one of my ebooks, tell me your favorite older woman / younger man romance or your favorite femdomme romance. (Also a sneaky way for me to find new fun books.) Giveaway will be open for one week from the date of posting.

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