Women's History As Trivial Pursuit

My multiple choice game is strong

Now you know I can’t let Women’s History Month go by without blathering on about what may be the perfect subject mashup for this feminist history nerd. I’ve mentioned to you before how much I love love LOVE the research process. Fun fact: just because you write fiction doesn’t mean you don’t get to do research.

Straight-up ripping off this super fun recent post by Marshall Julius, I have created a little bit different format for you today. I’m of an age that I was around when the board game Trivial Pursuit debuted. Nerds everywhere rejoiced. We spent many a happy evening showing off our nerdiness, answering all manner of oddball questions so that we could collect those six little plastic pieces to complete our pies and advance to the center of the board.

But I digress. Back to the perfect mashup (women + history):

While researching my current YA trilogy I ran across many fascinating women, and they ended up inspiring some of the characters in my book. In the spirit of celebrating a command of trivia and some straight-up wild-ass guessing, I choose to share knowledge with you today in the form of the iconic game.

1. Once described by Orson Welles as the ‘most exciting woman in the world’, this actress performed such disparate roles as Helen of Troy, Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother, and Catwoman during her long acting career.

A. Sophia Loren
B. Eartha Kitt
C. Ava Gardner
D. Elsa Lansbury

2. Food scientist Marion Nestle lays claim to all but one of the following. Which one is the red herring?

A. Founded a food studies program at NYU
B. Won the James Beard Literary Award for her book Food Politics
C. Holds an honorary degree from Transylvania University
D. Is heir to the international food conglomerate that shares her name

3. Many of us have succumbed to the urban legend of this entrepreneur’s ‘secret recipe’ circulating via chain letter in the days before the Internet.

A. Paula Deen
B. Martha Stewart
C. Debbi Fields
D. Rachel Ray

4. Before she became an international food superstar, Julia Child worked for the OSS. Some of her projects there included which one of the following?

A. Working undercover as a male agent because of her height (6’-2”)
B. Personal driver for the head of the OSS due to her extensive knowledge of Washington DC area restaurants
C. Translating high security documents from French into English
D. Developing a shark repellent to prevent them from exploding underwater ordinance

ANSWERS

1. Eartha Kitt. Who isn’t in love with the sultry sound of her voice? I was inspired by Ms. Kitt to give one of the main antagonists in my trilogy a very distinctive voice. This allows my main character, Brody, to describe her to others in a key scene.

2. Dr. Marion Nestle is many things, but she is not related to the Nestlé family or its behemoth corporation. Her last name is pronounced like the verb ‘nestle’, not NEST-lee.

3. Debbi Fields of Mrs. Fields Cookies. Yes, I have actually received an honest-to-dog chain letter in the US mail back in the olden days. It was for Neiman-Marcus chocolate chip cookies and was also a fake. Nevertheless, Ms. Fields inspired me to name one of my characters ‘Cookie’ as well as give her a famous entrepreneurial mother.

4. Shark repellent, believe it or not! Yes, I was amazed at this one as well. Ms. Child led an extremely remarkable life. While it is true she was quite tall for a woman, she spent most of her time at the OSS sitting in front of a typewriter - until they needed a recipe for something extremely nasty. Oh, the irony.

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I will leave you with three things.

• Thank you to my dear friend Kathi Appelt for gifting me with Barbara Kingsolver’s latest book, Demon Copperhead, and to my local library book club for choosing to discuss it recently. Kingsolver is a freaking genius.

• Are you of the opinion that fancy manicures are for the birds? They may actually be FROM The Birds. And that statement will only make sense if you watch this TikTok video. Nailed it.

• I’ve made this curry so many times, it barely resembles the original anymore. I usually sub shrimp for the tofu. I serve it over rice instead of ramen or quinoa. But the red curry sauce itself is sacrosanct. So easy. So good.

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When an investigation of illegal match fixing by the Russian mob brings the FBI to her tennis club in the person of hunky agent Wilson DuBois, Veronica Burk vows to help him solve the case quickly before her own very successful gambling habit falls under suspicion.

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Ventured is available now on Amazon.

When she takes a chance on making a new life for herself, French orphan and cutpurse extraordinaire Belle must find a way to survive in the New World—or she may not live long enough to enjoy it.

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My YA trilogy is also still available if historical fiction isn’t your thing.

Brody Morgan grew up starring in commercials for his dad's mega food corporation. What will Brody do when he discovers what he's really been selling?

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