The True Story That Inspired THE STRONG GIRL
Celebrate Women's History Month with a deep dive into the incredible story of Louise Armaindo
Happy Women’s History Month! Today, I wanted to talk about the woman who inspired The Strong Girl, one of Strong Girl Publishing’s first middle grade novels.
Before we dig into that—head over to StrongGirlPublishing.com to take a look at our site redesign, and shop some fantastic new merch inspired by our great new branding from Rune Creative.
OK, let’s get into it! I want to back up in my own history as an author. The idea for the Shred Girls Series—the books that eventually led me to start Strong Girl Publishing—came when I pitched and was assigned an article for Bicycling magazine about what keeps young girls in cycling.
We knew that the drop out rate for girls on bikes skyrocketed in the preteen years, so I was asking the question of “what made girls who kept riding keep riding?” I interviewed a few girls, and the answer was almost entirely one thing: They rode because their friends rode. (Psst: That’s why groups like NICA and their GRiT program are so important!)
Funny enough, my most recent book, The Strong Girl, also came from a Bicycling article. A few years ago, I pitched and was assigned an article for Women’s History Month about women who shaped cycling history. After some online research, I had quite an impressive list. But my personal favorite, the one I couldn’t stop thinking about, was Louise Armaindo.
Here’s what I wrote about her on Bicycling.com:
This 1870s Montreal-based strongwoman and circus performer went from a race walker to brawling velocipede racer. Louise Armaindo jumped from the walking track onto the high wheel, better known as a penny farthing, the more dangerous precursor to the modern bicycle. She raced all over North America, and in 1872, she set the American long-distance record, covering more than 600 miles in 72 hours.
While Armaindo doesn’t have the happiest of endings to her story—she was largely forgotten as the sport grew in popularity and more young women began to take racing seriously—her larger-than-life persona is a testament to the fact that to make a living in the sport of cycling, especially as a woman, you have to be tough. (Source: CBC)
That wasn’t all… the more I dug into her story, the more I found. She left home as a young teen to seek her fame and fortune in the circus, and that was where the idea for The Strong Girl was born. What must her life have looked like to make that choice?
I knew I didn’t want to write a full-on historical fiction retelling of her story—that’s not what I do, and the details that were available were mainly from her adult years. But a dramatic reimagining of that first year in the circus? That story, I could tell. And so, I wrote The Strong Girl about a young woman who made a bold choice in her life.
You can also read more about Louise’s full true story in Ann Hall’s fabulous book, Muscle on Wheels. (PS: The happiest moment of this author’s life was getting an email from Ann herself to say she’d come across The Strong Girl, read it, and loved it. High praise from the expert on Louise Armaindo!)
All of this to say—there are so many women in sports history who’s stories have yet to be told. Do a deep dive into your favorite sport and see just how far back you can trace women in it—I bet you’ll be surprised!
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And just a reminder, we’ve added a paid tier here on Substack. Our goal is to allow our authors to get the greatest percentage of payouts on their books. (Founder Molly Hurford’s book profits all go directly back into the business!) That means every little bit helps, and we’ll be using all proceeds from Substack subs to help promote author’s books, boost their payouts when we share their content, and generally keep the lights on.
UPCOMING FREEBIE: Get ready for a chapter from Canadian Olympic track sprinter Micha Powell’s upcoming memoir, SPRINTING THROUGH SETBACKS!
And while all newsletter content will remain free, paid subscribers will be getting some rad benefits, like sneak peeks from books months before they hit the shelves, and the chance to volunteer to be an early reader—meaning we send you a free book!
And with that, thank you so much for any/all of your support, it means the world. Whether you choose to jump into the paid plan or you continue free, I’m just so thankful you’re along for the ride. Anytime you share this with friends, send books to girls in your life, shop the Strong Girl Publishing store… my heart bursts with gratitude. I appreciate you all!
-Molly (and the Shred Girls)