Welcome to my tour stop for this exciting Blog Tour for America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie! We'll be sharing an exciting excerpt from the book! Plus, there is a tour-wide giveaway...at the end of the post!
Genre:
Adult
Historical Women's Fiction
Publish Date:
March 1, 2016
Publisher:
William Morrow
Synopsis:
In a compelling, richly researched novel that draws from thousands of letters and original sources, bestselling authors Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie tell the fascinating, untold story of Thomas Jefferson’s eldest daughter, Martha “Patsy” Jefferson Randolph—a woman who kept the secrets of our most enigmatic founding father and shaped an American legacy.
From her earliest days, Martha “Patsy” Jefferson knows that though her father loves his family dearly, his devotion to his country runs deeper still. As Thomas Jefferson’s oldest daughter, she becomes his helpmate in the wake of her mother’s death, traveling with him when he becomes American minister to France. And it is in Paris, at the glittering court and among the first tumultuous days of revolution, that she learns of her father’s liaison with Sally Hemings, a slave girl her own age.
Patsy too has fallen in love—with her father’s protégé, William Short, a staunch abolitionist intent on a career in Europe. Heartbroken at having to decide between being William’s wife or a devoted daughter, she returns to Virginia with her father and marries a man of his choosing, raising eleven children of her own.
Yet as family secrets come to light during her father’s presidency, Patsy must again decide how much she will sacrifice to protect his reputation, in the process defining not just Jefferson’s political legacy, but that of the nation he founded.
*Excerpt*
“Our first real experience with a republic. That’s why they’re trying so hard to bring him down. President Jefferson needs a hostess to set the example, making no distinction between our people and theirs. Everyone will look to you for a model of what a virtuous daughter, wife, and mother of the republic should be. So don’t you worry about gowns. I’ll order everything for you and your sister. Hairpieces and every fashionable thing universally worn by ladies in society today. You must simply play the part.”
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A First Lady
My father had finally decided that he was the president of the United States, and if he wanted both his daughters with him, he would have us. Papa needed us, so we’d join him in Washington City in November, and that was all there was to it.
“Martha, don’t fret!” Dolley said, adjusting the lace of my shawl. “All you need are some new dresses that flatter your bosom. Something distinctive and stylish. You’re already a lovely and charming hostess, so it’ll be no difficulty to transform you into what your father so desperately needs.”
It pained me that my father should so desperately need anything. Dolley was too much of a southern lady to ask if the stories about Sally were true. She didn’t even acknowledge them, but she knew. Everyone knew.
Dolley retrieved her bonnet from where it lay upon the alcove bed in the octagonal bedroom she and Mr. Madison always used when they visited Monticello. Trellis wallpaper in green and white covered the walls, a relic Papa brought home with him from France. “What your father needs right now is a . . . a first lady. And given that he’s a widower, a first daughter will have to
do. There needs to be a woman of grace and good sense at the presidential mansion, since there hasn’t been one there before now. Mrs. Washington retreated, and her daughter flitted about at parties like a shameless princess, born to deference. And that’s to say nothing of Her Majesty, Mrs. President Adams, who received visitors seated like royalty in Buckingham Palace.”
Though I still harbored soft affections for Abigail Adams, I knew better than to say so to Dolley, despite the fact that this conversation reminded me of one I’d had long ago with Mrs. Adams as
she guided me through what fashions I’d require in France.
“I shouldn’t like to cause any sort of scandal by doing the wrong thing,” I said, glancing out the window toward the corner terrace.
“Martha, your father’s presidency is a new start,” Dolley replied.
“Our first real experience with a republic. That’s why they’re trying so hard to bring him down. President Jefferson needs a hostess to set the example, making no distinction between our people and theirs. Everyone will look to you for a model of what a virtuous daughter, wife, and mother of the republic should be. So don’t you worry about gowns. I’ll order everything for you and your sister. Hairpieces and every fashionable thing universally worn by ladies in society today. You must simply play the part.”
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**About the Authors**
Stephanie Dray is a bestselling and award-nominated author of historical women’s fiction. Her series about Cleopatra’s daughter has been translated into six different languages, was nominated for a RITA Award and won the Golden Leaf. As Stephanie Draven, she is a national bestselling author of paranormal romance, contemporary romance, and American-set historical women’s fiction. She is a frequent panelist and presenter at national writing conventions and lives near the nation’s capital. Before she became a novelist, she was a lawyer, a game designer, and a teacher. Now she uses the stories of women in history to inspire the young women of today.
Stay connected with Stephanie Dray
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Laura Kamoie has always been fascinated by the people, stories, and physical presence of the past, which led her to a lifetime of historical and archaeological study and training. She holds a doctoral degree in early American history from The College of William and Mary, published two non-fiction books on early America, and most recently held the position of Associate Professor of History at the U.S. Naval Academy before transitioning to a full-time career writing genre fiction as the New York Times bestselling author of over twenty books, Laura Kaye. Her debut historical novel, America's First Daughter, co-authored with Stephanie Dray, allowed her the exciting opportunity to combine her love of history with her passion for storytelling. Laura lives among the colonial charm of Annapolis, Maryland with her husband and two daughters.
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