Feisty women spanning six centuries… Even when time periods and geographical locations vary greatly, women’s struggles as they confront adversity are often remarkably universal. The twenty-three stories in this collection follow ordinary women from the 1470s to the 1960s as they rise to meet life’s challenges. An unhappy housewife in 1950s California gathers the strength to escape an abusive marriage. When the local men are shipped off to fight in WWI, a young Yorkshire woman joins others to keep a munitions factory at peak operation. As her land and way of life are threatened, a nineteenth century Chickasaw wife and mother digs deep within to rekindle the strength of her ancestors. A midwife strives to protect mothers from accusations of witchcraft. A nineteenth century English portrait artist possesses a rare, sought after talent that dispatches unwanted relatives. Foreign invasions, the outbreak of war, rigid domestic authority, strictures of society and religion, the supernatural, love and family bonds all serve as catalysts for the feisty deeds of the women in these tales.
Authors
My stories were seeded in the South where I grew up. Storytelling has always been a part of my life, forming me at an early age by sitting around a freezer of homemade ice cream while my grandfather spun tales. My father continued the custom on lazy Sunday afternoons sitting together under a big Maple tree in our backyard. My mom gifted me a love of reading by taking me to the library every week for a huge load of books to read. I would check-out the most books you could at one time and be ready for more by the next trip, ready to browse the rows and run my hands along the spines of books again. I continued my family's traditions by telling our daughter stories when she was a little girl to help her fall asleep, after finishing our ritual of reading books together at bedtime. Life interrupted my plans to write with good memories and sad times, but I haven’t regretted one minute of the wonderful life I’ve lived so far. All these moments gave me strength and courage and love and plots. Lots and lots of plots and details. After moving back to North Carolina in 2003, my desire to write was a constant hum in my body, but I couldn’t find the right direction to start. My daughter suggested I start a blog, so I did, and began blogging book reviews as I dusted off my writing skills. Now, I'm writing novels and short stories. I have a BSBA in Business from East Carolina University, with a concentration in Human Resources where I worked as a Director at a group of Home Health Agencies. Our family moved frequently around the southern United States, gathering friends and learning new traditions until my husband's next transfer. After he left the corporate world, our family of three + plus dog moved back to North Carolina and brought a small business in 2003. We wanted to be closer to our families and help them as needed. We ran our sign company for 15+ years and again my time was well spent listening to the stories of our customers and finding creative ways to help them promote their business. I'm finally pursuing the advice I received in a fortune cookie my first year back in the state, “Someday you will write a book,” and now I have. I'm working on my second. I've published a short story in "Feisty Deeds: Historical Fictions of Daring Women" and hope to have another one publishing next year, while I'm vigorously editing my second novel. I write women's fiction with a touch of mystery and history. I’m a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA), the North Carolina Writers’ Network, and a terrific writer’s group. I live in a small North Carolina coastal town where I write and read, golf and go to the beach. Follow Me on Facebook: (https://www.facebook.com/patty.w.warr...), Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/pattywwarren/) And my Substack Newsletter: (https://pattywwarren.substack.com/)
An award-winning author, Marie W. Watts, is living her dream of being a writer. Her novel, Tough Trail Home, has received acclaim as a winner of the 2024 PenCraft Seasonal Book Award Summer Competition for Fiction - Women’s Genre; Winner in the 2024 Storytrade Book Awards “Regional Fiction ‐ USA Southwest” category; 2024 Speak Up Talk Radio International Firebird Book Award Winner, and The Outstanding Creator Award for Best Fiction Book of Summer 2024 (2nd place). Her novel has garnered reviews such as “inspiring,” “fantastic read,” “beautiful scenery, heart, and hope,” and “a wonderful story about resilience and resourcefulness.” She and her husband live on a ranch in central Texas. In her spare time, she supports a historic house and hangs out with her grandsons. Follow Marie and her stories about life at www.mariewatts.com.
Born in Athens, Greece as an Air Force brat, Teri M Brown came into this world with an imagination full of stories to tell. She now calls the North Carolina coast home, and the peaceful nature of the sea has been a great source of inspiration for her creativity. Not letting 2020 get the best of her, Teri chose to go on an adventure that changed her outlook on life. She and her husband, Bruce, rode a tandem bicycle across the United States from Astoria, Oregon to Washington DC, successfully raising money for Toys for Tots. She learned she is stronger than she realized and capable of anything she sets her mind to. Teri is a wife, mother, grandmother, and author who loves word games, reading, bumming on the beach, taking photos, singing in the shower, hunting for bargains, ballroom dancing, playing bridge, and mentoring others. You can join her newsletter list and get her exclusive list The 10 Historical Fiction Novels That You’ve Never Heard of That Will Bring You to Tears: https://deft-pioneer-4478.ck.page/d5f...
"Where women’s stories come to light—and light the way" Joan Fernandez is a historical fiction author who writes and speaks about brilliant, overlooked women whose courageous deeds reshaped history. Her debut novel, Saving Vincent: A Novel of Jo van Gogh (April 2025), tells the remarkable true story of Jo van Gogh—Theo’s widow, mother, and art dealer who preserved Vincent van Gogh’s legacy and helped elevate his work to international acclaim. “Saving Vincent... forces readers to become deeply invested in Jo as a woman, creating an unforgettable portrait of resilience and passion.” — Readers Favorite Joan is also the author of “A Parisian Daughter,” about a defiant young socialite, featured in the award-winning anthology Feisty Deeds: Historical Fictions of Daring Women. Through her weekly Substack newsletter, "Digging In with Joan Fernandez", Joan explores themes of women’s strength, second acts, and the quiet power of persistence. Her essays blend personal storytelling with historical insights—perfect for readers who see books as a source of inspiration, connection, and growth. Joan has 30-year marketing career culminated in a role as senior marketing executive and general partner at Edward Jones, where she led teams in investment communications and market research. Her work focused on how generational, gender, and cultural identities shape the way we see—and move through—the world. She now lives between St. Louis and Sedona, Arizona, where she enjoys spirited conversation, speaking, storytelling with her grandkids, and foodie meals with her Cuban husband. Subscribe to her newsletter: https://joanfernandez.substack.com
