The Kopp Sisters are on the March TODAY!
The Most Scandalous Woman You've Never Heard Of
Kopp Sisters on the March is officially out TODAY, and I want to introduce you to one of my real-life characters!
As I was researching an earlier Kopp novel, I stumbled across a case from 1911 that fascinated me--but what could I do with a 1911 story, now that I'm into 1917 and 1918?
Well, I figured out a way. In Kopp Sisters on the March, you'll meet Beulah Binford, who was involved in a national scandal so shocking that her name was forever linked to it. She couldn't apply for a job, she couldn't rent a room...everyone in the country knew her name, and knew what she had done.
I won't spoil it here, but let me just say this: Beulah was clearly the victim in this situation, by anyone's standards, but no one in 1911 regarded her as the victim. She was the tarnished woman. The outcast. And remember (you'll understand when you read the book)--this thing started when she was thirteen!
After you've read it (or right now, if you don't mind spoilers), I have a bonus for you: an ebook version of a book written about the case at the time. It's quite sensationalist, and not entirely accurate, but it will certainly give you some insight into what people were thinking and saying about Beulah while the trial was going on. (This book was sold to spectators, like a souvenir.)
And...Uh...I Have a Favor to Ask.
I hate to bother you people about stuff like this, really I do, but...if you've read any of the Kopp novels, whether it's the new one or any of the others...I just can't tell you how much it would mean if you'd consider giving it a review, or even just a few stars, online. I gotta tell you, books sink or swim these days based on reader ratings.
And that goes for everybody's books! Think of reviewing a book online as leaving a tip for an author you appreciate. YOUR opinion is what publishers pay attention to now. It's what booksellers and librarians look at before they decide to stock a book. And most importantly--it's how your friends and neighbors decide what to read.
So how do you do it?. Your favorite indie bookstore might let you write a shelf talker. Also, Powell's encourages reader reviews online. Goodreads & LibraryThing reviews are fed into many book websites, including the software booksellers and librarians use to order books.  Amazon reviews carry a lot of weight.  BookBub shares reader reviews with readers.  Litsy is a fun place to share book recs. Barnes & Noble...etc etc, you get the idea.
Asked and Answered: World-Building in Historical Fiction
Ask me a question and win the book of your choice! This month's winner is Rebecca from Arlington, MA
Rebecca asks: What’s the secret to a good balance in historical fiction? I want to tell my story in the world correctly, but focus on my characters. You build the world and tell the story so well!
I jumped at the chance to answer this question, because I think about it all the time (and I do talk about it a bit in this video, too).What I aim to do is to write a book that sounds as if it was written in the 1910s. That means that I read a lot of books, magazines, and newspapers written in that era, to get a feel for language and for how they talked about the events of their day while they were living them.
That means that I can't do too much explaining. Imagine someone writing historical fiction 100 years from now about our world. You might have a character say, "I texted him a picture of the cat." You wouldn't have them say, "I picked up my iPhone 6S, which is a small black object about 6 inches long, and used the iMessage app to take a photograph of the cat and transmit it via cellular data to him, where it would appear on his Samsung Galaxy Tab."
I'm just glad I'm writing about the 1910s, and I can find so much that was written in that era! If I was writing a story that takes place in, say, 1664, in a foreign language, I don't know how I'd manage it! But it CAN be done, and proof of that is Tracy Chevalier's amazing GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING, which is, in my opinion, a master class on how to firmly ground a novel in its time period while staying focused on the story. I haven't just read this book--I've outlined it, diagrammed it, analyzed it, taken it apart and put it back together. Highly recommended.
Ask a Question &
Win a Book!
 Please go here to ask me a question and pick your prize. Even if you've entered before, please feel free to enter again and ask the same question or a different one. This month's giveaway includes some hard-to-find foreign editions!
Coming to a City Near You!
I'm on tour! Come see me, and tell your friends! And if you're part of a literary series, a library event, or some other bookish gathering, please feel free to reach out to publicity@amystewart.com to see about setting up an event.
Ridgewood, NJ Sept 16: Ridgewood Public Library
Pittsburgh, PA Sept 19: Mt. Lebanon Public Library
Richmond, VA Sept 20: Chop Suey Books
Arlington VA Sept 21 One More Page Books
Washington DC Sept 22 Loyalty Books
Portland, OR Sept 23: Powell's Books
St. Paul, MN: Sept 26: Bell Musuem (Wicked Plants)
Tulsa, OK: Sept 28 Tulsa Botanic Garden (Wicked Plants)
(plus a bonus Tulsa event on Drunken Botanist!)
St. Louis, MO: Sept 29 Left Bank Books
Orland Park, IL: Oct 10 Palos Reads
Some of these are ticketed events. More tour dates are on my website. Please confirm details with the venue.
September Giveaway
We're giving away paperbacks of Miss Kopp Just Won't Quit in September on Goodreads. Please head over there to enter!
Would You Like a Signed Book?
Signed copies of most of my books are available at Eureka Books, the bookstore my husband and I own. I'm taking pre-orders for Kopp Sisters on the March now, and we'll ship them as soon as they come in.
What Are You Reading?
I can't believe it took me this long, but I finally read Strangers on a Train and, yes, it's amazing. So creepy and compelling and weird and absorbing and good. Now I have to go back and watch the movie again!
What are you reading? Tell me about it on Goodreads or Litsy.