Blog Tour: WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING TOUR of Idaho Madams by Milana Marsenich

WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING TOUR

of

Idaho Madams

by

Milana Marsenich

Non-Fiction / History / Local Interest
Prostitution / Sex Trade
Publisher: Farcountry Press
Publication Date: March 3, 2023
Page count: 160 pages

SYNOPSIS:

Fur, silver, and gold first lured men to Idaho Territory. Women soon followed. And what women they were! Molly B'Damn, Peg Leg Annie, Spanish Belle, Lou Beevers, Diamond Tooth Lil—the names alone promised excitement and intrigue.

In fact, these madams led complex, turbulent lives. Meet Maggie Hall, a devout Catholic whose husband used her to pay off his gambling debts. Working as a prostitute, Maggie made her way west and, as Molly B'Damn, became the guardian angel of an Idaho mining camp. Or Annie McIntyre, a young girl among the prospectors and ne'er do wells of Rocky Bar who amassed a small fortune as the local madam only to lose it all—along with both her legs.

Idaho Madams uncovers the enigmatic and salacious lives of 30 women who ran brothels in the Gem State from the 1850s to the 1980s. Here are the hedonistic and sometimes heroic exploits of Effie Rogan, Jennie Girard, Nettie Bowen, Ginger Murphy, Dixie Colton, and Dot Allen, but also the unsung sagas of Carrie Young, Grace Freeman, Willow Herman, Hattie Carlton, and many more. As told by author Milana Marsenich, the stories of these women come alive with voluptuous detail, historical photographs, and the social context of the times.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Award winning author, Milana Marsenich lives in Northwest Montana near Flathead Lake at the base of the beautiful Mission Mountains. She enjoys quick access to the mountains and has spent many hours hiking the wilderness trails with friends and dogs. For the past 20 years she has worked as a mental health therapist in a variety of settings. As a natural listener and a therapist, she has witnessed amazing generosity and courage in others. She first witnessed this in her hometown of Butte, Montana, a mining town with a rich history and the setting for Copper Sky, her first novel.

Copper Sky was chosen as a Spur Award finalist for Best Western Historical Novel in 2018. Her second novel, The Swan Keeper, was a Willa Award finalist in 2019. Her short story, Wild Dogs, won the Laura Award for short fiction in 2020.

She has an M.Ed. in Mental Health Counseling from Montana State University and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Montana. She has previously published in Montana Quarterly, Big Sky Journal, The Polishing Stone, The Moronic Ox, BookGlow, and Feminist Studies. She has four published novels, Copper Sky, The Swan Keeper, Beautiful Ghost, and Shed Girl, and one popular history book, Idaho Madams. Her popular history book, Mary MacLane: Butte’s Wild Woman and her Wooden Heart, will be out sometime in 2025.

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REVIEW:

5 stars!

Fascinating look into prostitution and the madams of Idaho, the 1800s-1990s. 

Idaho Madams by Milana Marsenich is a fascinating exploration of madams and prostitution in Idaho from the 1800s through the 1990s. While the topic may bring up salacious speculation, the author has created a well-researched, factual, and respectful presentation of the topic and its long history in the state. 

The discussion is organized around the towns where the author uncovered enough source material to build a comprehensive picture of the women who operated brothels or similar businesses within that particular location and under what circumstances, such as the economic conditions and vacillating public opinion. Several well-known madams (approximately 30) are highlighted along the way, and their stories are nothing less than mesmerizing. Their lives, many of which are stranger than fiction, have been reconstructed from public records, newspaper accounts, and previous academic works on the topic. 

Hats off to the author, a confessed novice researcher, for her incredible diligence and the results of her seat-of-the-pants/thrown-to-the-wolves introduction to research methodology and sourcing primary documentation that she absolutely killed. I appreciate how the author delivered the stories unvarnished without romanticizing this incredibly tough way of life and doing it in such a compelling manner, making these women and their history come to life. 

I recommend IDAHO MADAMS to nonfiction readers with an interest in Idaho history, frontier life, madams, or prostitution.

BLOG TOUR CALENDAR:

November 18th @ The Muffin - Join us as we celebrate the launch of Milana Marsenich's Idaho Madams. Read an interview with the author and enter to win a copy of her book.

November 20th @ A Storybook World - Learn about Researching History from writer Milana Marsenich.

November 22nd @ Musings of a Literary Wanderer - Angela is celebrating Non-Fiction November with a review of Idaho Madams by Milana Marsenich.

November 23rd @ A Wonderful World of Words - Author Milana Marsenich transports us to the Wild West with the story of Mary MacLane, Butte’s Wild Woman. Also, enjoy an excerpt from her latest book, Idaho Madams.

November 25th @ Choices - Author Milana Marsenich visits with a guest post about The Town as Character.

November 27th @ Reading Is My Remedy - Read a review of Milana Marsenich's nonfiction book, Idaho Madams.

November 28th @ The Faerie Review - Lily is reviewing Idaho Madams, a nonfiction history of the shady side of the Wild West.

November 29th @ Candid Canine - Today's guest post by Milana Marsenich features Auditor, the Mining Dog.

November 30th @ Nikki's Book Reviews - Nikki is reviewing Idaho Madams and hosting author Milana Marsenich with a guest post about Keeping the Perspective within the Heart and Mind of the Character.

December 5th @ Tracey Lampley - Read about the Brothel Freeze Framed in 1991 when author Milana Marsenich, author of Idaho Madams, visits today.

December 7th @ Guatemala Paula Loves to Read - Don't miss the review is of the non-fiction history, Idaho Madams, by Milana Marsenich.

December 9th @ Chapter Break - Author Milana Marsenich tells the tale of the 1912 Speculator Mine Disaster.

December 11th @ Reading Is My Remedy - Today's guest post by Milana Marsenich is about The Character of Wallace, Idaho.

December 12th @ Some Thoughts - Everything Creativity - Writer Milana Marsenich addresses the ghostly aspects of a town or event in today's guest post.

December 13th @ StoreyBook Reviews - Get a peek at an excerpt of Milana Marsenich's book, Idaho Madams. She's also posting about Dogs and other Animals in Story Development.

December 14th @ Words by Webb - Head to the Wild West for a review of Idaho Madams.