Meals, treats, brews, and potions from another batch of feisty characters.
Whether cooking for solace, scrounging for food, concocting medicine, or brewing poisons, the feisty women in these stories will keep you thirsting for more. Twenty-five tales will transport you far afield in time and place: third century Ireland, medieval Europe, twentieth-century Australia. Read your way from a hippie commune to a WW II internment camp in the Philippines; from a Renaissance palace to a Polish village wracked by war, the hills of Appalachia, and a sleepy Ontario town.
Mixtures to soothe, heal, and thrall are prepared in these pages, where lovers take revenge, mothers protect their children, and feisty women make choices in a challenging world.
Edited by Carolyn Korsmeyer, Christy Matheson, Elaine Aucoin Schroller, Kay Smith-Blum, and Kimberly Sullivan
Foreword by K.J. Dell’Antonia, New York Times best-selling author of the novels The Chicken Sisters, Playing the Witch Card, In Her Boots, and the non-fiction book How to Be a Happier Parent.
All proceeds earned from this collection are destined for the WFWA Scholarship Fund, which benefits authors with financial constraints, allowing them access to conferences, writing craft classes, and technology that will enhance their writing careers.
Buy Links:
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Available Editions
eBook ISBN: 979-8-9912002-5-7
Price $3.99 (USD)
Paperback ISBN: 979-8-9912002-6-4
Price $11.99 (USD)
Author Bios:
Apple An, “Rice Balls,” Beijing, China,
1973
Apple An is a Chinese-American
award-winning author, professor, and cultural memoirist writing under her pen
name. She began her literary journey in 2017, aiming to preserve cultural
memory and foster empathy through stories rooted in real life. Her literary
work blends deep research with intimate reflection, offering a bridge between
past and present. The piece in this anthology was a spin-off from her second
historical novel, Daughter of Blue City: A Novel of Coming-of-Age Through
Revolutionary China.
Apple is the mother and guardian
of five children who became successful adults. She lives in Baldwinsville, New
York. A lifelong learner and creative soul, she enjoys tennis, ballroom
dancing, gardening, travel, and the arts. Her mission is to preserve cultural
memory, foster human connection, and tell stories that linger long after the
last page. Learn more at www.AppleAnBooks.com.
Debra Borchert, “As a Dove’s Wing,”
Castres, France, 1517
Debra Borchert is the
award-winning author of the Château de Verzat series of historical novels (Her
Own Legacy, Her Own Revolution, Her Own War). At her characters’
insistence, she published their recipes in the companion cookbook, Soups of
Château de Verzat: A Literary Cookbook and Culinary Tribute to the French
Revolution. His Last Christmas Gif is her first romance novel. Her
writing has appeared in The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, The
Christian Science Monitor, and The Writer, among others. While on a research
trip to Toulouse, France, she learned about the ancient art of woad dyeing. The
extensive process produced a beautiful blue color known as the “Blue of Kings,”
hence the name today, royal blue, and inspired “As a Dove’s Wing.” www.DebraBorchert.com.
Paulette Brooks, “Two Cups of Tea,” Port
Credit, Ontario, 1967
Her
short story, set near Toronto in the 1960s, features a runaway dog, a secret
garden, and a real-life mystery. Deeply moved by the stories of a Japanese
Canadian neighbor who was detained in an internment camp during WWII, Paulette
imagined a cultural exchange over tea, designed to soothe two wounded hearts.
Learn
more about Paulette and her writing at www.pbrooksauthor.com.
Teri M. Brown, “A Bit of Mountain Magic,”
Burnsville, North Carolina, 1932
Teri M Brown has published four
novels: Sunflowers Beneath the Snow, a historical fiction set in
Ukraine, An Enemy Like Me, a WWII family saga, Daughters of Green
Mountain Gap, a generational story about Appalachian healers, and Peg,
Unhinged, a humorous look at menopause. She’s excited her Feisty Deeds
II short story, “A Bit of Mountain Magic,” continues Josie Mae’s journey as
a healer. Her short story, “The Youngest Lighthouse Keeper” is included in Feisty
Deeds: Historical Fictions of Daring Women. Teri’s inspirational memoir, 10
Little Rules for a Double-Butted Adventure, details life lessons she
learned while riding across the US on a tandem bicycle. She wrote a children’s
picture book, Little Lola and Her Big Dream, at the request of her
granddaughter. In addition to writing award-winning books, Teri is host of
Online for Authors and the Book Hook, podcasts showcasing Indie and small press
authors. Follow Teri at www.terimbrown.com.
Elisabeth Carson-Williams, “Just Desserts,”
Franklin County, Virginia, 1934
Inspired
by her students and fueled by curiosity, native Virginian Elisabeth “Lis”
Carson-Williams is always on the hunt for stories of ordinary people who lived
through extraordinary times. She writes stories that capture the themes and
voices of those not found in a textbook. Her novel, Castaway on the Isle of
Devils, is an adventure tale based on the true fate of the Sea Venture, the
shipwreck that inspired William Shakepeare’s The Tempest, as experienced
by the women who were there. Her latest short story, “Just Desserts”, follows a
female moonshiner in Franklin County, VA. as she dispenses her special brand of
liquid justice. Every month, Lis shares stories of the untold, forgotten women
of history. To read Lis’ monthly feature, Women & Girls, or to sign up for
her newsletter, visit: www.ecarsonwilliams.com.
Gabi Coatsworth, “Trouble Brewing,” Wales,
1935
Award-winning writer Gabi
Coatsworth was born in Britain and says she writes with a British accent, even
when her books take place in Connecticut, where she lives. She has published
two novels, both featuring a benign ghost: A Beginner’s Guide to Starting Over
(2023) and A Field Guide to Library Ghosts (2025).
The idea for her short story
came from a newspaper article about a wife who poisoned her husband, but she
has no idea why she set the tale in Wales, except that it’s a land of mystery.
Perhaps it was Gabi’s memory of doing a little foraging there years ago. She
says she was lucky not to poison anyone herself!
To learn more or to sign up for
special bonus materials, start here: https://linktr.ee/gabicoatsworth
Joan Fernandez, “The Herring Girl,”
Shetland Islands, Scotland, 1906
In her short story, “The Herring
Girl,” Joan Fernandez explores the claustrophobic tension of a ticking clock,
trapping her characters in a jail where they are forced into quick confidences
and a clever escape. Fernandez is drawn to stories of young women who confront
old assumptions and have the courage to choose love over heartbreak, changing
the course of their own lives and the lives of others. This theme also drove
her debut novel, the award-winning Saving Vincent, A Novel of Jo van Gogh,
which recounts the true story of how a young woman’s devotion helped Van Gogh
rise to iconic status. A retired senior marketing executive, Joan now spins
tales from St. Louis and Sedona, breaking from authorly duties for imaginative
antics with her grandkids. www.joanfernandezauthor.com.
Beth Anne Hill, “A Whispered Miracle”
Appalachian Foothills, Alabama, 1866
Beth Anne Hill is a writer and
educator born and raised in the Appalachian Foothills of Alabama. Her first
publication, “Tracing the Spirit,” can be found in the first Feisty Deeds anthology.
Beth Anne’s family stories have featured in the Appalachian Bluebird news
column and on the Tennessee Valley’s longtime radio show, The Sundial
Writers Corner. When she’s not writing or teaching children, Beth Anne
enjoys antiquing, reading, and exploring the countryside. She shares her home
with her two-peas-in-a-pod husband and Goddaughter and playful fur-babies. www.bethannewriter.com.
Carolyn Korsmeyer, “Remedy,” Occitania, France,
1244
After a career teaching and
writing philosophy, Carolyn Korsmeyer turned her hand to fiction. She is
especially drawn to historical fiction and ways that novels can help us
understand beliefs that prevailed in the past. She has published three novels,
and a fourth, No Final Harbor, will be released in 2027. For details
about her work, see www.carolynkorsmeyer.com.
Beata Kurcz, “The Lublin Cebularz,”
Lublin, Poland, 1944
Beata has always been drawn to
historical fiction that features quiet acts of courage, especially in times of
upheaval. She draws inspiration from her family’s archives: military draft
slips, land deeds, and an identification card her grandfather brought home
from a labor camp. Her research often uncovers colorful, heroic women and men
hidden in historical footnotes. She digs through those footnotes to bring their
stories to light.
Her short story “The Lublin Cebularz”
explores
wartime separation through the lens of the women left behind: wives, daughters,
and mothers waiting for their men to return.
Beata lives with her partner and
two children in a quiet town outside Warsaw, Poland, where she spends her days
writing, reading, and hiking in the nearby forests. Follow her journey at www.beatakurcz.com.
Heather Dodge Martin, “Chicory is Not Coffee,” Northern
California, 1970
Heather Dodge Martin weaves
stories of women making a place for themselves in the complex world of the
1970’s. She believes that the political, cultural, and economical upheavals of
that decade still echo today. The back-to-the-land movement setting of “Chicory
is Not Coffee” also inspired her short story “The Harvest in the Seed,”
published in Beginnings and Endings: The San Joaquin Valley Writers 2025
Anthology, as well as her novel-series-in-progress. Heather’s
writing blends her passion for nature with re-imagined snippets of family
history and a desire for a better world.
When she’s not visiting museums
to indulge a deeply nerdy passion for history and archaeology, she enjoys
outdoorsy, hippie-ish pursuits. Heather lives in rural Northern California with
her human family, plus three chickens and their two feline overlords.
You can find her by name on
social media or on her website www.HeatherDodgeMartin.com.
N.J. Mastro, “Breadline,” St Paul,
Minnesota, 1935
N.J. (Nancy) Mastro writes
historical fiction. After a four-decade career in education, in 2025, she
published her debut, Solitary Walker: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft.
“Breadline” was inspired by her maternal grandmother, Mabel, to whom she was
especially close. Grandma Mabel really did work at a Swedish boardinghouse in
Waukegan in the 1930s, but the rest of the characters are fictional. Rounding
out the tale is Minnesota and St. Paul history during the Great Depression.
Nancy also publishes a blog called Herstory Revisited, where she
combines facts with biographical fiction that shines a spotlight on women from
the past. Besides writing, she reads extensively, loves Italian and French
wines, and is an avid cook. Her specialty: baking bread, which she learned, of
course, from Grandma Mabel.
Find out more about Nancy’s
novel, blog, and her other writing projects at www.njmastro.com.
Christy Matheson, “Escape to the Peaceful
Valley,” Ireland, 3rd Century
Characters you connect with.
Adventure. Love. Family… and endings that are more than a sugar rush.
When Christy Matheson is not
throwing ordinary characters into fairy tales, she is busy raising five
children. (Very busy.) She writes character-driven historical fiction with and
without fantasy elements, and her “fresh, smart, and totally charming” stories
have won multiple awards.
Christy is also an embroidery
artist, classically trained pianist, and sews all of her own clothes. She lives
in Oregon, on a country property that fondly reminds her of a Regency estate
(except with a swing set instead of faux Greek ruins), with her husband, five
children, three Shelties, one bunny, and an improbable quantity of art
supplies.
Please join Christy in
conversation about books and determined women throughout history.
Join her newsletter to get free
stories, art giveaways, & puppy pictures. https://sendfox.com/ChristyMatheson. And you can always find her
at: https://christymatheson.com.
Kimberly Nixon, “Promises and Pie Crusts,”
Northwest Ohio, 1929
Kimberly Nixon writes family
stories featuring strong, determined—and sometimes delightfully
wild—characters. Drawing inspiration from real people, she shapes and
embellishes their personalities into unforgettable protagonists. She is the
author of Rock Bottom, Tennessee and Rock Bottom Rising novels
based on the true story of her grandmother’s felony conviction in 1925
Appalachia. Her latest release Cutie Pies by the Slice explores found
family and the environment in a small 1930s Midwestern town. An International
Firebird Book Award winner and Bookshelf Awards finalist, Kimberly divides her
time between Austin, Texas, and Crested Butte, Colorado, and commits to living
a story worth telling. Learn more about her literary journey at www.kimberlynixon.com.
Lorraine Norwood, “Feast and Famine,”
Warwickshire, England, 1320
Lorraine Norwood is living proof
that you can take the girl out of the mountains but not the mountains out of the
girl. After many years away, she has returned to the Blue Ridge Mountains of
Western North Carolina where she is working on The Margaret Chronicles,
an historical fiction series set in14th century England, Germany,
and France. The Solitary Sparrow, the first book in the series, was
published in 2024. While doing research, she was fascinated to learn of the
climate changes that occurred early in the century causing thousands of
peasants to die of starvation. Luckily, Meg, her main character survived. Learn
more about Lorraine and her writing at www.lorrainenorwood.com.
Margaret Porter, “The Manx Charmer,” Isle
of Man, 1777
Margaret Porter is the
award-winning and USAToday bestselling author of fifteen historical novels in
multiple subgenres and two contemporary romances. After studying British
history in the U.K., she trained as an actress, performing on stage and screen,
and earned an M.A. in Radio-Television-Film. Her Manx ancestry inspired
memorable journeys to the Isle of Man, a favorite setting for her stories.
Members of the Teare family, the most renowned of Manx “fairy doctors,”
dispensed folk medicines and charms until well into the 20th century, passing
secrets from male to female, and female to male. Their fictional descendent
Calybrid—and others in “The Manx Charmer”—appear in The Islanders Series,
a trilogy set twenty years later, published in multiple editions and languages.
Margaret has been recognized by Who’s Who in Authors, Editors and Poets and
Who’s Who in Entertainment. www.margaretporter.com.
Barbara Buckley Ristine, “The Tearoom,”
Virginia City, Nevada, 1880
Barbara Buckley Ristine is a
former trial attorney who has returned to her first love, writing. Her short
fiction has appeared in many fine literary journals and anthologies. Her debut
novel, The Face Painter, set during the First World War, will be
published in late 2027.
“The Tearoom” draws from the
rich history of Nevada, where Barbara lives, and from current events concerning
women’s reproductive rights. Virginia City boomed as a mining town in the late
1800s, becoming the largest industrial city between Denver and San Francisco
for a time. Anthony Comstock, the anti-vice crusader, never visited Nevada, but
he instigated national legislation banning contraceptives, abortifacients, and
“obscene” materials. The Comstock Act is still on the books in the U.S.
You can follow Barb’s Substack, Postcards
from the Past, at https://barbristine.substack.com/ and learn more about her work
at www.BarbaraRistine.com.
Suzanne Uttaro Samuels, “The Sweetest
Burden,” Girgenti, Sicily, 1859
Suzanne
Uttaro Samuels is an award-winning legal scholar turned novelist whose writing
explores resilience, hidden histories, and women’s voices across time. Her
debut novel, Seeds of the Pomegranate
(Sibylline Press, 2025), follows a young Sicilian artist entangled in a
counterfeiting scheme in New York. Her fiction and essays appear in Petigru Review, Snapdragon, and the anthologies Main,
Feisty Deeds: Historical Fictions of Daring Women, and Desert of Dreams. She has taught writing workshops from Denali
National Park to the Adirondack Center for Writing. Her contribution to Feisty Deeds II: Batches and Brews draws
on her fascination with marzipan, a confection central to Sicilian culture.
This motif carries forward into her forthcoming novel, The Orphans’ Wheel, where marzipan becomes a symbol of memory,
survival, and transformation amid Sicily’s nineteenth-century political and
social upheavals. www.suzannesamuels.com.
Elaine Aucoin Schroller, “Sandwiches and
Shortbread,” Sydney, Australia, 1922
Elaine Aucoin Schroller is a
former technical writer who writes about love, loss, secrets, and redemption
during challenging historical times. She became enthralled by stories of Americans
and Australians working and fighting together in WWI France and WWII Australia
and has published two award-winning novels, Dare Not Tell and The
Bravest Soldiers, and is finishing The Last Post, her third novel
in the series. Her short stories, “Ripples in a Pond” in Feisty Deeds:
Historical Fictions of Daring Women and “Sandwiches and Shortbread” in Feisty
Deeds II: Historical Tales of Batches and Brews, are companion pieces to
her novels. When she isn’t writing the next chapter or dreaming up travel plans
for fun and research, Elaine wrangles the rescue cocker spaniels that she and
her husband have welcomed into their home and hearts. Learn more about Elaine’s
work at www.elaineschroller.com.
Kay Smith-Blum, “Intersection,” Dallas,
Texas, 1951
A sunrise writer, Kay Smith-Blum
pens tales from a bayside perch in Seattle. Her multi-award-winning debut
novel, Tangles, a Cold War story of
love, loss, and hope is centered on the dangerous aftermath of the Hanford
Nuclear Reservation. “Intersection” is a companion tale to one of three works
in progress. She works out her writer’s block in the nearest lap pool and her
three sons’ gardens. Smith-Blum’s Pushcart and Best of the Net nominated short
pieces may be found in many fine literary journals and on her website: www.KaySmith-Blum.com. Follow her writing journey on
Facebook at Author Kay Smith-Blum, on Instagram @discerningKSB and on TikTok
@KSBwritesfiction.
Kimberly Sullivan, “The Girl from
Sermoneta,” Italy, 1507
Kimberly Sullivan is a New
Yorker in Rome. She writes contemporary and historical women’s fiction and is
the award-winning author of six novels and one short story collection. Back in
elementary school, Kimberly was assigned a research project on Cesare and
Lucrezia Borgia. She still has no idea what the teacher was thinking – but she
was hooked. Since then, she’s been a devoted groupie of Pope Alessandro VI and
his brethren. In Rome, she lives close to Cesare and Lucrezia’s mother’s home,
and often climbs the “Borgia staircase”. She’s attended lectures on the
mysteries of the deadly Borgia wine of her story, read Machiavelli’s ode to
Cesare, visited castles where Lucrezia resided and lands Cesare conquered. In
Ferrara, she admired the lock of Lucrezia’s (painted) hair and tasted
Lucrezia’s wedding cake, topped with spaghetti to replicate her golden hair.
Kimberly will be forever grateful for the age-inappropriate research!
kimberlysullivanauthor.com
Ashley E. Sweeney, “Snowberry Season,”
Oregon Territory, 1814
A native New Yorker, Ashley E.
Sweeney is the 2017 Nancy Pearl Book Award winner for her debut novel, Eliza
Waite (2016). Since then, she has published three additional novels: Answer
Creek: A Novel of the Donner Party (2020), Hardland (2022), and,
most recently, The Irish Girl (2024). Her short stories have appeared in
three anthologies and her works have won more than 20 literary awards. Sweeney
lives in the Pacific Northwest and Tucson and enjoys gardening, art quilting,
reading, traveling, and mosaic art. www.ashleysweeneyauthor.com.
Nina Wachsman, What Happened in Vegas,”
Las Vegas, Nevada, 1948
Nina Wachsman writes stories
with strong female protagonists, and has been a featured speaker on “Writing
Kick-A Female Protagonists” at international writers’ conventions. Her female
painter-assassin in Feisty Deeds I and the female PI in this anthology,
though from different eras, demonstrate the same boldness and savviness in
facing their challenges and enemies. An elite courtesan of Venice who must
rescue her pirate lover in Nina’s latest historical mystery, The Courtesan’s
Pirate, set in 17th Century Venice and the Caribbean, is a 2025
Anthony nominee for Best Historical. Website: www.ninawachsmanauthor.com.
Patty W. Warren, “Love Happily Ever
After,” Raleigh, North Carolina, 1969
Patty W. Warren is also the
author of “Junebug,” a story of a young woman yearning to be a Women Airforce
Service Pilot during World War II, in the award-winning anthology, Feisty
Deeds: Historical Fictions of Daring Women. She writes stories of everyday
women, who make decisions in the face of doubt and conflict, changing their
lives. Patty grew up in the South, where her family seeded her imagination with
storytelling and the importance of those who went before her. Patty is a member
of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, where she does a weekly newsletter
for the Historical Fiction Affinity Zoom Group. She is also a member of the
N.C. Writer’s Network and the Historical Novel Society. She is currently
finishing a novel highlighting the strength of a mother’s love. She lives on
the southern coast of North Carolina where she enjoys the beach, golfing,
reading, and writing. More information about Patty can be found at www.pattywwarren.com.
April Quarto Wright, “Detritus Cake,” Manilla,
Philippines, 1945
“Detritus Cake” was inspired by
the food ingenuity and resilience of the internees at Santo Tomas Internment
Camp in the Philippines during World War II. Over three thousand internees,
primarily American and British civilians, were interned by Japanese armed
forces in Santo Tomas University from January 1942 to February 1945. They were
liberated by the U.S. military with the aid of Filipino guerillas on February
3, 1945.
As a professional artist, hula
dancer, and certified book coach, April Quarto Wright is inspired by all facets
of storytelling. Her historical novel set in 1930s Hawai’i was a finalist for
the 2025 WFWA Rising Star Award, and she continues to write stories based on
her Filipino/Okinawan heritage and experiences as a military spouse living overseas.
Most of her writing time is spent in an ice rink as a hockey mom of three boys,
and she will bring her cherished cookbook collection wherever the military
sends her family next. You can find more about her book coaching, writing, and
art at www.aprilwrightcreative.com.
If you enjoy discovering new stories,
you may also like The AnaRose Chronicles—a trilogy of award‑winning
adventure novellas. https://books2read.com/u/4jzKAY
