Feeling grateful today for all the launch day love for The Double Standard Sporting House.

Special thanks to everyone who came to last night's launch event, asked insightful questions, and of course @belmontbooks.bsky.social for being wonderful hosts.

Happy reading!

Today's the day: The Double Standard Sporting House is officially published!

Many thanks to She Writes Press for taking a chance on a story that defies categorization into a single genre, and everyone else who has supported the book on its road to today. I'm so grateful.

With love, Nancy

Thank you @marjankamali.bsky.social for the kind words about The Double Standard Sporting House, which comes out next week!

Order from your favorite independent bookstore, or anywhere else that sells books: www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Do...

The Double Standard's protagonist fights for women in 1868, and we are still fighting. Three essential reads on the war on women's reproductive rights today:
@irincarmon.bsky.social's Unbearable
@sarahweinman.com's Without Consent
@jessicavalenti.bsky.social's Substack "Abortion Every Day"

Join me for the launch of The Double Standard Sporting House on January 20!

Get a peek into the secret history of elite courtesans fighting a criminal syndicate trafficking girls, with discussion and Q&A at the wonderful @belmontbooks.bsky.social.

See you there?

Virtual event tomorrow with History Through Fiction and three other great authors! Sign up here: www.eventbrite.com/e/whats-new-...

Each of these books is deep in the foundation of The Double Standard.

@melissafebos.bsky.social put words to many of my defining experiences; @salesses.bsky.social inspired a story structure that talks back to literary misogyny; Maria Tatar validated the choice to make my feminist heroine a healer.

Three weeks until publication day!

I'll be celebrating with a launch party at @belmontbooks.bsky.social on January 20. For those in the Boston area, I'd be thrilled for you to join me: belmontbooks.com/event/2026-0...

See you all in 2026.

In my research for The Double Standard Sporting House, I came across art and illustrations that give contemporary viewers a window into 19th century culture.

The Christmas Tree by James Stephanoff, 1850s, shows a sweet holiday celebration.

Wishing good holiday cheer to all!

Story and characters often resonate because they’re rooted in good history.

I wrote about some of the books that informed The Double Standard Sporting House for WOW Women on Writing: muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/2025/12/frid...

How does society today resemble the time period and events in The Double Standard Sporting House?

Read more at Lit World Interviews: litworldinterviews.com/2025/12/08/a...

Need a gift for a reader?

Pre-order The Double Standard Sporting house and, for the holidays, you can give them a free bookmark and signed bookplate, plus the promise of a juicy read in the depths of January. Pre-order from your local bookstore, and request here:
www.nancybernhard.com/preorder-gift

Even in 2025, women are at a financial disadvantage. I wrote about the costs of being a woman over at GirlTalkHQ, from lost earnings and unpaid labor to additional expenses and even the time and energy spent avoiding violence.

www.girltalkhq.com/the-cost-of-...

Thank you to Kirkus Reviews for the kind words about The Double Standard Sporting House. Read the full review on their website, and preorder now to read the book when it comes out in six weeks!

www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews...

www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Do...

Excited to announce my first novel is launching in three months! The women of an elite 1868 New York brothel fight a corrupt political syndicate victimizing girls. Sound familiar? #historicalfiction #bookstagram #books #historicalfictionbookstagram #feminist #feminism