Why I Won’t Publish Nellie Bly’s Racist Novel

Why I Won’t Publish Nellie Bly’s Racist Novel

When I found the treasure trove of novels by Nellie Bly hidden in the pages of the London Story Paper, I did not start transcribing them in their chronological order. Instead I farmed out the most legible ones to friends while reserving the hardest to discern to myself, postponing the transcribing of the middle-ground ones, neither illegible or perfectly clear.

This was fortunate, because it left her seventh novel, for the end of the queue.

I had finished nine of her novels when I started transcribing and editing Dolly. Instantly, I knew I had a problem on my hands.

Nellie Bly – The Research

Nellie Bly – The Research

For me, inspiration always comes from reading. Be it history, fiction, essays, or comics, I find my best ideas are sparked from gaps I discover in narratives. What was the cause of the famous Capulet-Montague feud? What was Shakespeare doing during his...
Why Nellie Bly?

Why Nellie Bly?

Late one April evening in 2016, sitting at my desk not writing, this article in The Atlantic caught my eye. The premise was that there were more female action stars 100 years ago than today. Most were in the mold of the Perils of Pauline, with an intrepid young woman...