Catherine Kerrigan, Author

Lozen, Apache warrior and prophet. Fought alongside Geronimo. Could reportedly sense enemy locations. Never captured. Died of tuberculosis in captivity. Should be more famous. #NativeAmerican

Writing a Regency heroine who genuinely LIKES other women is apparently revolutionary? The bar is on the floor and yet here we are. Female friendship > rivalry. Always. #WritingTips

Qiu Jin, Chinese revolutionary, poet, feminist. Fought against foot-binding, wrote radical essays, led an armed uprising. Executed at 31. Her writing survived. She's immortal. #ChineseHistory

My heroine just told the hero 'I don't need you to save me, I need you to invest in my business venture.' Romance in 1820: Now with financial literacy! #HistoricalRomance #StrongHeroines

Freydís Eiríksdóttir, Viking explorer, allegedly fought off attackers while PREGNANT by slapping a sword against her bare chest. Saga material. Norse history is wild. #VikingWomen #History

The villain is more interesting than the hero. This is a problem. Or is it? Asking for a friend. (The friend is me. I'm in too deep.) #WritingLife #PlotProblems #AmWriting

Hildegard of Bingen: 12th century mystic, composer, naturalist, physician, writer. Invented her own language. Corresponded with popes and emperors. Absolutely untouchable. #MedievalWomen

Day 3 of this chapter: He's trying to tell her he loves her. She's explaining compound interest. Neither is listening to the other. This is realistic dialogue, right? #WritingStruggles

Julie Taymor became the first woman to win a Tony for directing. But I'm thinking about Julie d'Aubigny again. The opera singer who dueled. Always thinking about her. #HistoricalWomen

Real talk: Writing a marriage of convenience where they actually DISCUSS terms, expectations, and boundaries before the wedding? Revolutionary. Also should be standard. #WritingTips #HistRom

Tomyris, 6th century BCE queen, defeated Cyrus the Great. When he killed her son, she promised to give him his fill of blood. She did. Literally. Don't mess with warrior queens. #AncientHistory

My hero's character arc: Thinking he's superior → Realizing she's smarter → Panic → Admiration → Love. It's the only acceptable trajectory. #CharacterDevelopment #HistoricalRomance

Isabella of France invaded England with an army, deposed her husband the king, ruled as regent. 'She-Wolf of France.' 14th century. Women have always known how to fight back. #MedievalHistory

Currently writing a scene where they argue about philosophy while dancing. This is what happens when both your leads are intellectuals. Footnotes in a romance novel? Maybe. #AmWriting

Nanny of the Maroons led guerrilla warfare against British colonizers in Jamaica for decades. Never defeated. Negotiated her own peace treaty in 1739. Legendary strategist. #BlackHistory

The spectrum of how my characters follow my outline: Villain (perfectly compliant) → Hero (mostly) → Heroine (has notes) → Heroine's best friend (has REWRITTEN IT). #AuthorLife

My search history today: 'Regency-era poisons that look natural' 'how long does arsenic take' 'symptoms of hemlock' I write ROMANCE, I swear. #WriterLife #HistoricalRomance

Sitt al-Mulk ruled the Fatimid Caliphate in the 11th century. Brilliant politician, possibly had her brother assassinated. History is... complicated. And fascinating. #HistoricalWomen #Medieval

The duke thinks he's in a romance novel. The heroine knows she's in a mystery. I'm letting them figure it out together. This is fine. #PlotProblems #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

Charlotte Corday assassinated a revolutionary leader in his bathtub. Walked calmly to the guillotine. Her last words: a request that someone paint her portrait. 1793. Icon energy. #FrenchRevolution

Writing tip: If your Regency heroine needs to eavesdrop, remember servants' corridors existed. Also, ladies knew them well. Ask me how I know. (Research. So much research.) #WritingTips

My characters are slow-burning so hard they've been in the same room for 6 chapters without touching. The YEARNING. This is the good stuff, people. #SlowBurn #HistoricalRomance

Zenobia of Palmyra declared herself Empress of the East, conquered Egypt, challenged Rome. It took Emperor Aurelian himself to stop her. 3rd century power move. #HistoricalWomen #Ancient

Fun fact: Aspasia of Athens (5th century BCE) ran a salon, taught rhetoric, influenced Pericles' speeches. Socrates literally credited her. We've always had brilliant women. Always. #History

Today's mood: My heroine's rage at being called 'hysterical' when she's actually just CORRECT about the financial crisis she predicted three chapters ago. #WritingLife #Regency

The hero just apologized for mansplaining. In the year 1820. I've broken historical fiction. Or fixed it? Time will tell. #CharacterDevelopment #AmWriting

Research discovery: Regency ladies hid love letters in their music sheets. My heroine is hiding financial ledgers and escape plans. Priorities have evolved. #HistRom #StrongWomen

Writing a ballroom scene where absolutely nothing happens except meaningful eye contact and the slow removal of one glove. This is peak Regency tension and I'm HERE for it. #WritingLife

My heroine just demanded a prenuptial agreement. In 1818. The duke is horrified. I'm taking notes. She's teaching ME about feminism. #AmWriting #HistoricalRomance

Writing strong-willed women means they argue with YOU, the author. Lady Adelaide refuses to faint on cue. "I've survived childbirth twice," she says. "A mere scandal won't fell me." Touché. #WritingLife