Dear Reader,

You'd be forgiven for thinking that I'm a bit of a Johnny One Note at the moment. I'm truly anxious/curious/excited/doubtful about my Kickstarter campaign, which launches a week from today. Eeek!

I won't bore you by reiterating my reasons for doing it. All of that aside, I'm about to discover whether running a Kickstarter is just a ton of hard work, an incredibly useful exercise, or something that will give my new series the kickoff I'm hoping for.

Want to hold my hand on the day?

I went back and forth about whether to do this or not, and decided it couldn't hurt. I'm having a Zoom event where I literally click the "launch" button on Kickstarter.

Unlike other such events I've gone to, however, I'm not doing it so that we can watch the backers pile on and see the money go up. I'm doing it to have a conversation with anyone who's interested in the hows, whys, and what-ifs of my first Kickstarter campaign. Very informal. Maybe only half an hour, but we'll keep going if you have lots of questions.

Interested? Register to join me on October 1 at Noon eastern on Zoom!​

My weekly invitation to follow me on Kickstarter 😁.

The more followers I have, the more likely people in the Kickstarter universe are to find me once the campaign launches.

And don't forget that if you end up backing the campaign, there are goodies. ❤️

Remember: following does not commit you to backing.

A little background about The Pinkstocking Club

My fictional premise for my new series is—as always—based in real history. That history involves the Peninsular War. Those of us educated in the U.S. know little about this conflict, and so I offer a little background.

The Peninsular War was at the heart of England's fight against Napoleon's imperial ambitions. It raged on the Iberian Peninsula from 1808 to Napoleon's exile to Elba in 1814. Napoleon's final defeat at Waterloo is not generally considered part of this war.

The actual battles in Spain and Portugal were fought by military men. Gatherers of intelligence, however, were drawn from both military and civilian ranks. Such covert activities lend themselves to the imagination and open the door for suggesting that women might have had more of a role in the Napoleonic Wars than history allots them.

And of course, I walked right through that door and into The Pinkstocking Club.

Dangerous Drusilla is more than just my next book. It's the first step into the world I'm creating around a secret network of Regency ladies whose unusual talents are put to use for the Crown. The club has a Board of Governors (unnamed) and membership is by invitation only.

Members don't know each other, although at some point they may guess at each other's identities. They are never allowed to speak of their missions to anyone. However, circumstances may force them to work with a partner—willingly or unwillingly.

I'm having a wonderful time creating these characters and this world. I really hope you'll follow me there!

Today's poll: for the Pinkstockings among us

I'm looking forward to seeing what you'd choose 💗. Now I have to go and continue my work on book 2 in the series, which will come out in March of 2027 (you're the first to know that).

Until next time,

Susanne

P.S. Don't forget that I love to hear from you! Respond to this email and I promise I will respond back.