Welcome back! It’s week 31 of First Sentence Friday and Free Book Friday! It’s hard to believe there are only FOUR WEEKS left before RELEASE DAY! 

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About Women of a Promiscuous Nature

“Both a cautionary tale and a deeply compassionate rendering of women wrongly imprisoned in a system designed to break them, Everhart’s propulsive story is filled with injustice, intrigue, and the determination to fight back.” —LISA WINGATE, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Shelterwood

Accused of “promiscuity” in 1940s North Carolina, a young woman unjustly incarcerated and subjected to involuntary medical treatment at The State Industrial Farm Colony for Women decides to fight back in this powerful, shockingly timely novel based on the long-buried history of the American Plan, the government program designed to regulate women’s bodies and sexuality throughout the first half of the 20th century.

The day Ruth Foster’s life changes begins the same way as many others—with a walk through her North Carolina hometown toward the diner where she works. But on this day, Ruth is stopped by the local sheriff, who insists that she accompany him to a health clinic. Women like Ruth—young, unmarried, living alone—must undergo testing in order to preserve decency and prevent the spread of sexual disease.

Though Ruth has never shared more than a chaste kiss with a man, by day’s end she is one of dozens of women held at the State Industrial Farm Colony for Women. Some, like 15-year-old Stella Temple, are brought in at their family’s request. For Stella, even the Colony’s hardships seem like a respite from her nightmarish home life.

Superintendent Dorothy Baker, convinced that she’s transforming degenerate souls into upstanding members of society, oversees the women’s medical treatment and “training” until they’re deemed ready for parole. Sooner or later, everyone at the Colony learns to abide by Mrs. Baker’s rule book or face the consequences—solitary confinement, grueling work assignments, and worse.

But some refuse to be cowed. Against Mrs. Baker’s dogged efforts and the punishing weight of authority, Ruth and other inmates find ways to fight back, resolved to regain their freedom at any cost . . .

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Chapter 31 – First Sentence Friday Thoughts

Early readers of the book have found Baker to be a fascinating character who introduces an unique dynamic to the story. Each of the three main characters, Ruth, Stella and Baker, have their own perspectives on life at the facility. Baker, with her reputation for cruelty, rigidness and unrelenting fervor when it comes to her “girls” and their reform,  simply believes in what she’s doing. She believes she’s helping the women under her care become better versions of themselves. All she has to do is “fix” them, and that could mean many things. She’s overstepped herself in the past, and she had to start over. This is her biggest fear, to lose all that she’s gained back.

But even Baker is human, and she’s got a backstory that has left some early readers feeling sympathetic, which (I hope) makes her a complicated/complex character. Here’s a snippet from one reviewer, Kimberly G., “And presiding over them all is Mrs. Dorothy Baker, the iron-fisted superintendent, who rules the place like a sanctified tyrant. She’s the kind of villain that makes your blood boil but also makes you pity her, which is maybe even worse.”

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Chapter 31

Baker

Baker is confident Stella is going to be fine, while her own future hangs as precarious as that of the women she’s trying to help.

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Question of the Week!

I think one writer who has done a great job creating characters who left me conflicted, whether a protagonist or an antagonist, is Cormac McCarthy. Take Child of God for instance. For those who might not have read it, this is a story about local loser/misfit, Lester Ballard, who’s so twisted and depraved, that I was both disgusted AND sympathetic toward him. Another was Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Now that one, as you might know, had an unreliable narrator, so in the beginning you’re on HER side, and then – and well, just in case you have read it, I won’t say more.

Have you read any books where you felt conflicted about either the protagonist or an antagonist? 

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Those who answer the question get a chance to win a signed Advance Reader Copy, like the one below! I’m almost out of these! Hopefully I’ll get my finished copies before I run out! Winners are announced on Monday morning, at 9:00 a.m.

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EXTRA! EXTRA!

GET READY! Soon, another Goodreads Giveaway is going live! Stay tuned!

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PRE-ORDER Information

Pre-orders gauge the interest and signal to the publisher readers are eager for an author’s next work. If you’re holding out because you might win an ARC or a finished copy from First Sentence Friday, remember you can always give away the extra as a gift to a reader friend. 😉

Pre-order links for your convenience:

• Bookshop.org
• Kensington Publishing Corporation
• Barnes & Noble
• Books-A-Million
• Amazon
• Hudson Booksellers
• Target
• Walmart

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Social Media

Last, but not least, don’t forget to:

• Add Women of a Promiscuous Nature to your Goodreads “To Read” shelf
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