This is Kate Danaher's first novel. She's been a member of Bonita Bay Club for over 18 years. She holds a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Delaware and is a former professor of English at Rosemont College, Pennsylvania. She is an Irish storyteller, fiddler, and a founder and emeritus board member of the Irish Heritage Theater in Philadelphia. She also performed with and served on the board of the Delaware Shakespeare Festival. Under the name Danaher and Cloud, she and her music partner, Amy Cloud Chambers, produced four Americana albums: Portraits, Late Bloomers, The Holiday Album, and the multi-award-winning album for kids, Just Kiddin'. All available on popular streaming services. Victoria Woodhull helped shape women’s rights in America, yet most of us never learn her name or we only hear the rumors. We talk with Bonita Bay Club member Kate Danaher Parks (pen name Kate Danaher), the debut author of Unstoppable: The Victoria Woodhull Story, a new historical fiction novel publishing in June that aims to put truth back where myth has taken over. Kate shares why Woodhull’s fight was bigger than “the vote” and how a falling out with better-known leaders helped push her out of the mainstream narrative. We get specific about what surprised Kate most during her research: how often sensational claims get repeated as fact, and how hard it can be to correct the record once a story becomes convenient. With support from longtime Woodhull researcher Mary L. Shearer (VictoriaWoodhull.com), Kate revisits the “free love” label, the misunderstandings around Woodhull’s personal life, and the real stakes of advocating for social freedom in the 1860s and 1870s. If you’re searching for women’s history, women’s suffrage, feminist pioneers, or the untold story of Victoria Woodhull, this conversation is a smart starting point. We also pull back the curtain on craft and process: why Kate wrote the screenplay first, what screenwriting forces you to cut, and how the novel finally gave her room to make Woodhull feel human and relatable. Kate shares the COVID-era routine that kept her drafting, what it took to deliver a full manuscript, and why “clear” beats “perfect” on the page. You’ll also hear about her community storytelling, from tournament articles to Irish music and live events, plus what’s next with the sequel volumes Shattered and Victorious. Subscribe for more member stories, share this with a friend who loves historical fiction and women’s rights history, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show. What part of Victoria Woodhull’s story do you think deserves the spotlight now?
