AMERICA'S FIRST DAUGHTER
Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie
Releasing March 1st, 2016
"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".
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.
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.
