In Walks a Woman – Details, episodes & analysis

Candice Millard shares how she learned to do deep research and the leap of faith she took to land her dream job. She explains how she knows which topics she can develop into books, including how she came across the idea for her next historical study. Millard also shares some teasers about her next book that will thrill you if you like women's stories and a bit of wartime intrigue. Click play now: this is such a special interview with one of America’s most eloquent popular historians.

If you have not read one of Candice Millard's riveting historical accounts, you should run–not walk–to your local bookseller to get a copy.  Where to start?  No better place than her gripping, revelatory telling of President Garfield’s assassination attempt, in DESTINY OF THE REPUBLIC: A TALE OF MADNESS, MEDICINE AND THE MURDER OF A PRESIDENT.  Then, treat yourself to the wonderful Netflix adaptation, DEATH BY LIGHTNING.  The convention scene is fantastic, and Matthew MacFayden gives a brilliant performance as Garfield's crazed assassin.  

If you have not read any Traci Brimhall, you’ve missed out on seeing through the eyes of someone who somehow–almost magically, at points–sews disparate parts together:  grief and joy, loss and abundance, science and poetry.

Yes, we take her brave and incandescent 2024 collection, LOVE PRODIGAL, as our starting point, and yes, this episode is about poetry, but that’s not all:  it’s a truly fulfilling conversation about the power of words to shape us and help us understand how to keep on living when we’ve been utterly burned to the ground.  Can we reemerge?  Can that old story of the Phoenix help us? Or do we need a new story?

Traci has published 4 acclaimed poetry collections, she is a distinguished Professor of English at Kansas State University, the 2023-2026 Kansas Poet Laureate, and the 2025 Guggenheim Poet-in-Residence.  That’s all pretty impressive, but when you hear Traci, you’ll be struck by how warm, relatable, and downright funny she is.   Plus, Traci has some pretty ingenious methods to help aspiring writers find their voice. If you like poetry, you’ll love this episode.  If you are a writer–of any kind–you’ll value Traci’s insights.  If you find the creative process fascinating–as Sonja and Vanessa do–you may even find new pathways, as Traci explains her tricks for bringing that withering inner critic to heel. 

Along the way, we enjoy the sweet, romantic give-and-take of a physicist + poet’s love story; Vanessa requests an aubade, minus the lover, and Sonja takes another stab at poor little Bella Swan.

Welcome to Manderley…or, rather, the romantic dream of Manderley.  Who needs a repurposed abbey or a Alpine castle when you have the genuine fire-devastated, ivy-swarmed, misty ruins of a historic manor house along the tempestuous north Atlantic coast? As if that were not Gothic enough, let’s go all out with an orphaned heroine and a very carefully guarded family secret.

SPOILERS Ahoy when you join Sonja and Vanessa as they discuss this 1938 bestseller, REBECCA.  It’s often promoted as a Gothic romance…but is it?  Is Maxim De Winter a proper Gothic hero?  Would you ride in his car? Are there real ghosts?  How are we defining a haunting? Is our unnamed narrator reliable?  Do we like her? Do the servants–once again–add a vital dimension to the mood and twists to the plot?  And which Mrs. De Winter wins? It probably depends on how you feel about having tea with bread and butter.

Along the way, Sonja redefines “gentle flirtation,” and Vanessa blushes, perusing a sexy botanical Tinder profile. 

REFERENCES:

The edition of REBECCA with the really insightful Afterword by Sally Beauman that Vanessa mentions is the 2023 Back Bay Books Edition.

If you’ve ever contemplated a governess career, perhaps Henry James’s THE TURN OF THE SCREW will give you pause.  Or maybe this bite-sized Gothic ghost story will thrill you with the chance of being in charge of a beautiful English country house with no master to tell you what to do.  But choose your adventure carefully because you might end up haunted and/or crazy and/or murdering someone.  

Join Sonja and Vanessa as they do a quick Henry James 101, and explore WITH SPOILERS his classic, 1898 ghost story.  Are there ghosts?  Is the governess losing her mind?  Why did Miles get expelled from boarding school? Are Miles and Flora the OG creepy literary kids?  What role does hysteria play? Is there a spell cast over the entire plot?  Is the story a trap to catch the reader? How does the novella, set at Bly Manor, link to the Netfilx show, THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR? 

We’ll address these questions, and along the way, Sonja will propose a sexy theory, and Vanessa will suggest that the bosom can be a murder weapon. 

REFERENCES:

While we did not look at JANE EYRE as a Gothic tale, we did think about whether it counts as a female odyssey in Season 1:  Can a Lowly Governess Have an Odyssey?

Here is an overview of James Literary Criticism, including Edmund Wilson’s influential article, “The Ambiguity of Henry James” from 1934.

Here is the article about how Henry James felt about Jane Austen.

For more information about the Hysteria Diagnosis in the late 19th/early 20th century, check out this link. 

Here’s a great article celebrating the ambiguity of Turn of the Screw.

Here is a link to the article that offers Henry James's take on several women writers that Vanessa cites in the episode.

In the world of the Gothic, after you bang on a few castle doors, you’re bound to run into a vampire.  Bram Stoker, barrister and theater manager, notably closed out the 19th century by leaving us with his vampire masterpiece, DRACULA.

In this week’s episode, Sonja and Vanessa explore how Bram Stoker brews his very own brand of Gothic.  Legends of the Carpathian mountains mix with modern inventions and modern ideas, like that of the New Woman.  With 3 established female vampires, a newly-minted female vampire, and one beloved young wife teetering on the brink of the undead, women make up a crucial part of a tale that spans from England to the heart of eastern Europe. There are undeniably strong women in the novel, but is it a feminist text?  

Along the way, we meet a “train fiend,” Sonja muses on sexy lancets, and Vanessa concedes that lawyers may well be the greatest blood suckers of all.

REFERENCES:

Here is a link to the article by Dracula scholar, Elizabeth Miller, and her overview of scholarship of the novel. 

If you would like to know more about Dracula scholar, Elizabeth Miller, then check out her wiki page. It’s so impressive how much she single-handedly added to the field.  One might say, in walked a woman, and the rest is history.

Sonja read from supporting materials in her edition of Dracula that can be bought new or second hand.

Who wants to break all the rules? Who wants to tear it all down and make the world anew? Emily Brontë does, that’s who. 

If you imagined WUTHERING HEIGHTS was some quaint Victorian romantic ghost story…think again.  Honestly, there is just no other book like it.  This 1848 work is truly sui generis. It’s like Emily Brontë, in her one and only book, before she dies at age 30, writes an off-the-scale earthquake into life under the unassuming and isolated Yorkshire moors, and her quake violently, mercilessly shakes the foundations of Patriarchy, class distinctions, racial hierarchy, traditional marriage, expectations of femininity, the role of the Gothic heroine, traditional ideas of masculinity, Christianity, the legal system, traditions of hospitality, and the tropes of Romance, including the so-called brooding romantic hero.  Nothing escapes unscathed.  

Join Sonja and Vanessa as they share some brief biographical information on Emily Brontë, explain some notable critical takes on the novel, consider the outer limits of revenge, explain why Heathcliff is rarely portrayed accurately in film adaptations, and pretty much stand in complete awe of WUTHERING HEIGHTS, a page-turning labyrinthian story about storytelling. 

Along the way, Sonja pines for a dance with strangers while wearing a red dress, and we try not to think very hard about Heathcliff’s double-wide-coffin fantasy.  

REFERENCES:

If you have not read WUTHERING HEIGHTS, check out your local bookstore, and if you don’t have one, consider ordering from our legendary bookstore, The Raven, right here in beautiful, quirky, historical, downtown Lawrence, Kansas.

Here is the link to the Bronte House Museum page that details the racial history of Liverpool and how that affects our reading of Heathcliff.

The article that Sonja mentions about the symbolism of Catherine’s whip, by Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar, can be found here.

Here is an online edition of WUTHERING HEIGHTS that includes Charlotte Brontë’s introduction, explaining the sisters’ pen names, their publishing history, Emily’s temperament, and Charlotte’s take on her younger sister’s novel.  

Sonja mentions the term “femme covert,” and if you are not sure what that is, here is a link to an article from the National Women's History Museum about the concept and the huge impact it has had on women historically.

We also reference previous IWAW episodes linked here:  Interview with Heather Aimee O'Neill; Emily St. Aubert is the heroine of Ann Radcliffe’s novel, The Mysteries of Udolpho, which we cover in a two-part episode; our episode on Tristan & Iseult explores the origins of romance; and we have an episode on Jane Eyre that intersects with the WUTHERING HEIGHTS episode in terms of the Gothic and romance.

Once a genre gains popularity, here come the parodies.  Jane Austen grew up, petticoats deep in Gothic novels, and Jane had thoughts on reading them, writing them, and the effect they had on women readers. Our last novel, Ann Radcliffe’s THE MYSTERIES OF UDOLPHO is mentioned multiple times in Jane Austen’s NORTHANGER ABBEY, finished in 1799 but not published until a few months after Austen’s death in 1817.

Join Sonja and Vanessa as they explore the historical and literary context of this lesser known and sadly lesser-loved Jane Austen novel.  Find out why being Mrs. Tilney would be better than being Mrs. Darcy. Hear about a Jane Austen narrator that is not ambiguous and hard to pin down in a meta story about reading…a story that seems to agree with IWAW: namely, that stories shape us.

Along the way, we discover  there is no crime in early 19th century England, we confirm that female frenemies have always been a thing, and Jane Austen finds herself caught in a late 18th century catch-and-kill publishing move.

REFERENCES:

If you have not read NORTHANGER ABBEY, you should stop by your local bookstore, and if you don’t have one, order it from our local Lawrence bookstore, The Raven.

The novel that references monks molesting nuns is Matthew Lewis’s THE MONK from 1796.

If you have not read Ann Radcliffe’s THE MYSTERIES OF UDOLPHO from 1794, you can dive into those 600+ pages, or let us do the reading for you by listening to our fun, educational, romp through the plot in our MYSTERIES OF UDOLPHO shows, Part 1 and Part 2. 

Also, as always, we highly recommend Rachel Feder’s brilliant study of romantic heroes, THE DARCY MYTH or at least check out  our show about it.

Much of the biographical information for this episode was taken from Claire Tomalin’s careful and thorough biography, JANE AUSTEN: A LIFE.

We also reference Charlotte Lennox’s THE FEMALE QUIXOTE  from 1752 & FORDYCE'S SERMONS a collection of advice to young ladies from 1766.

McCormick Templeman’s atmospheric, twisty, gothic mystery novel, ATLAS OF UNKNOWABLE THINGS came out October 7th, and if you haven’t ordered your copy, run–don’t walk–to your local bookstore!  

In this special double interview, McCormick talks about her book (no spoilers!), her literary influences, her creative process, and her friend and colleague, Rachel Feder, author of THE DARCY MYTH, offers her literary expertise and gives ATLAS her highest praise, calling it a Gothic novel that is “both subversive and progressive.” 

This interview digs into fascinating, larger questions about the Gothic. Why has the Gothic genre been so enduring? Is the Gothic femme-coded? What were Ann Radcliffe’s distinctions between “terror gothic” and “horror gothic?” What is the link between traditional Gothic and Dark Academia? Is Gothic always a commentary on patriarchy?  And, yes, we dare to ask if female writers do Gothic better. Writers that come up in conversation are Jane Austen, Edgar Allen Poe, Emily Brontë, Ann Radcliffe, Stephen King, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Mary Wollstonecraft, Matthew Gregory Lewis, Mary Shelley, and even William Carlos Williams pops in for a cameo.  

Plus, McCormick Templeman points us in the direction of some HOT NEW WRITERS to watch, and we’ve put links to all of them in the reference section below. 

Along the way, Edgar Allen Poe squeezes into a cheer uniform, “Raised Myself on Gothic” becomes a t-shirt slogan, and we plan a castle turret sleepover, replete with veils, casement windows, and reading from a copy of E. B. Browning’s AURORA LEIGH by moonlight, whilst keeping warm ‘round a wee fire, fed with pages torn from M. G. Lewis’s THE MONK.

REFERENCES:

Grab your copy of ATLAS OF UNKNOWABLE THINGS asap! Learn more about McCormick Templeman at her groovy website.  She is also on  Instagram.

To discover Rachel Feder’s oeuvre, Rachel's website is a great place to start.  And if you have a Swiftie fan in your family, DO check out her book, TAYLOR SWIFT BY THE BOOK, as a really special Christmas gift. Rachel is also very active on Instagram!

If you don’t have a favorite local bookstore, we always recommend stopping by or ordering from The Raven Bookstore in Lawrence, Kansas. 

If you have not read Rachel Fader’s THE DARCY MYTH, absolutely treat yourself to it, and if not that, listen to the In Walks a Woman Episode on The Darcy Myth. By the way, Rachel’s last name is pronounced “FAY-der,” and we got it wrong the whole episode before we knew better…thankfully, she has graciously forgiven us.  

Here are the Author Names that McCormick Templeman mentions in the episode:

Thirii Myo Kyaw Myint https://www.thiriimyokyawmyint.com/

Dennis J. Sweeney https://www.dennisjamessweeney.com/

Khadijah Queen https://www.khadijahqueen.com/

Camille DeAngelis https://www.cometparty.com/

Heather Aimee O’Neill published her debut novel, THE IRISH GOODBYE, on the last day of September, and it’s already started a reading wildfire:  People Magazine just made it their Pick of the Week, it’s Apple Books’s October Staff Pick, and Jenna Bush Hager announced it as her “Read with Jenna” on the Today Show last week.  Go, Heather!  

Join Sonja and Vanessa as they ask Heather about dyslexia, her early years as a poet, the mentors who inspired her, her transition from poetry to prose, the importance of sisters, and the emotional work of finding her way to and through the creation of this beautiful first novel, THE IRISH GOODBYE.  To spend time with Heather Aimee O’Neill is to dip into our shared cultural struggles and losses and to find a way to embrace and be at peace with all the messiness of relationships–especially with family.  If you’ve ever simultaneously anticipated and dreaded holiday family gatherings, you’ll relate to her characters, and you’ll value Heather’s warmth and honesty in this interview.  

Everyone is trying to get 5 minutes of this hot new novelist’s time, and she graciously gave way more than that to In Walks a Woman, so we’re betting you won’t find another interview that is as deep and thoughtful as this one. Start October right with the fourth in IWAW’s Authors’ Series! 

Along the way, Sonja admits to some baking trauma, Heather invents “Long-Island Gothic,” and Vanessa loses track of Chekhov’s raccoon.

REFERENCES:

To learn more about Heather Aimee O’Neill, here is website & she’s can be found on Instagram.

If you live in Lawrence, Kansas, head on down to The Raven Bookstore on Mass or place an order through them at  the Raven Bookstore Website.

When we mention “Eric” in this interview, that would be English professor and former Poet Laureate of Kansas, Eric McHenry.  Heather considers Eric one of her most important mentors, and Sonja is so fond of Eric she married him and has two kids with him.  If you want to check him out, here’s a good place to start!

Heather Aimee O’Neill references The Shit No One Tells you About Writing Podcast, and it’s legit–go check it out if you’re an aspiring writer!

If you want to purchase The Irish Goodbye, Heather Aimee O’Neill has been collaborating with Barnes & Noble, and this link will let you support them.

If you are looking for Heather Aimee O’Neill 2011 poetry collection, Memory Future–the one Sonja mentions–you should see if your local bookstore can order it for you…but if not, here is a link to Amazon.  It’s not as widely available as her new novel, but it’s fantastic and totally worth hunting down.

As with the first part of our Udolpho episode, this is full of spoilers, so don’t listen if you are up for reading about 300 pages (approximately half) of this Ann Radcliffe novel.  However, if you are seeking a lively summary that will allow you to chat confidently about THE MYSTERIES OF UDOLPHO at your next cocktail party, do push play.

When you do, you will find yourself waist deep in banditti and pirates (which might seem like the same thing, but you’d be wrong).  The story leaves the fabled Castle of Udolpho, but the intrigue does not end as Emily winds her way back, by road and by sea, to her homeland of France, and the patriarchal real estate hustle continues, while Radcliffe makes sure that every, single imaginable moment of mystery that we’ve encountered in the novel is tidily and rationally explained. 

Then, we turn to the question of whether you should go ahead and read this novel yourself.  What will you gain?  What is there that we have not captured in our summary?  The answer might surprise you.

Along the way, Sonja finds handy travel cash under a horse’s saddle, Vanessa does some “performative sighing” after summarizing this brick of a novel, and both Sonja and Vanessa agree that wallowing in melancholy does have its undeniable charms.  

REFERENCES:

After recording about 50 episodes, itt’s hard not to refer back to books we’ve read for the pod, and you can find all of it in our previous seasons:  check out our episode on Samuel Richardson’s 1740 Pamela: or, Virtue Rewarded; for the reference on Mrs. Ramsey and Lily Brisco, here is a link to our To the Lighthouse episode; in the discussion about metaphorical windows, you might like these episodes: Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, Madeline Miller’s Circe, Federico Garcia Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba,  Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre and our 3-part analysis of Juliet in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

If you are interested in our spicy episode on Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” you’ll have to go to our Patreon–but we promise it’s worth it.