Breaking Barriers in Bloomers: Abbey Downey on Her Adventurous Hearts Series
Welcome back to another LiteraryScape Book Club Friday! We're thrilled to bring you our latest podcast episode featuring the talented Abbey Downey, author of the captivating Adventurous Hearts series. This marks Abbey's return to our show—she holds the special distinction of being our very first podcast guest, and we couldn't be happier to have her back.
About the Adventurous Hearts Series
The Adventurous Hearts series consists of three standalone novels connected by an inspiring theme: women breaking barriers in the early 1900s. Set between 1905 and 1910, each book features a heroine pursuing an unconventional career path for her time.
The Remarkable Women
Abbey's inspiration came from real historical figures who defied expectations:
An Uncertain Road features a female race car driver competing in the 1905 Glidden Tour, a grueling 10-day endurance race. The character is based on an actual woman who not only raced but became a passionate advocate for teaching women to drive.
An Unexpected Catch introduces us to a female baseball umpire inspired by Amanda Clement, who remarkably began umpiring semi-professional baseball games at just 16 years old. Abbey shared that this was her favorite book to write, thanks to a special research assistant—her 13-year-old son, who is passionate about baseball history and statistics.
Uncharted Dreams follows a woman starting an explorers club, inspired by a group of women who actually founded their own explorers club in the 1920s. Abbey admits this was the most challenging book to write, requiring multiple rewrites, but it became the most spiritually resonant of the three.
Fascinating Research Discoveries
Abbey uncovered some delightful historical oddities during her research. The most memorable? A room at Coney Island that allegedly had cheese growing on the walls that visitors could sample. While she only found one mention of this bizarre attraction, the detail was too intriguing not to include.
For An Unexpected Catch, Abbey incorporated actual stories about Amanda Clement, including a throwing contest where she out-threw male players. When a reader questioned the distance, Abbey confirmed it was historically accurate—she had used the exact measurement credited to Amanda.
The research for Uncharted Dreams revealed fascinating camping equipment from the era, including ingenious tents that attached to automobiles, creating a combined shelter that incorporated the vehicle.
Reader Favorites
Our book club had passionate responses to all three novels. An Unexpected Catch resonated deeply with baseball fans, while Uncharted Dreams earned top marks for its inspirational elements. One reader wanted to give it "four or five lassoes" instead of our standard three-lasso rating scale! The mystery elements kept readers guessing, with the anonymous letters subplot earning particular praise for its unexpected resolution.
What's Next?
Abbey is currently finishing the first book in a new three-book series set to debut in September 2026. Staying in the early 1900s, this series will focus on women in entertainment:
Book one features an archery demonstrator
Book two will incorporate ice skating and vaudeville
Book three centers on early airplane exhibition shows
Connect with Abbey
Want to keep up with Abbey's writing and upcoming releases? Visit her website at https://abbeydowney.com/ where you can sign up for her monthly newsletter. She's also active on Facebook and Instagram as Abbey Downey.
Newsletter subscribers can participate in Abbey's popular antique identification game, where she posts photos of mysterious vintage items and challenges readers to guess their purpose. Be quick—you need to be one of the first responders to win!
Meet Abbey in Person
Abbey will be attending the Just Read Rendezvous in St. Louis on November 7-8, 2025, along with over 40 other authors. Registration is still open if you'd like to meet Abbey and connect with fellow book lovers.
We're already counting down to Abbey's next series release and looking forward to having her back on the podcast when it debuts. Until then, if you haven't discovered the Adventurous Hearts series yet, now is the perfect time to meet these remarkable women who dared to dream differently.
Listen to the full podcast episode to hear more details about Abbey's writing process, her research adventures, and the historical women who inspired these unforgettable stories.
