Honoring Women’s History Month
From the desk of Tara Huck, co-owner and managing editor
Making Waves as a Women-owned Business
We conceived Fresh Water Press—an independent press on Wisconsin’s Lakeshore—not as women, but as earnest writers who wanted to provide an opportunity for local authors to publish with a locally-owned, traditional-model publishing company. We are literary entrepreneurs who just happen to be women.
During Women’s History Month, it is worth considering that today approximately thirty percent of independent publishers are women-led. This reflects growth and progress, but it also speaks to a persistent imbalance in the industry. Women authors make up about half of all titles published, but leadership in publishing is lagging.
Our company’s vision is to add fresh stories from Wisconsin’s authors regardless of gender to the rich diversity of American literature. We are doing just that, and our stories are resonating with readers.
In honor of Women’s History Month, we are highlighting some of our inspirational women authors and characters:
Our Forthcoming 2026 Books
Bicentennial Eve: A Wisconsin Novella by Julie A. Jacob features a look at generations of strong women in traditional and progressive lifestyles. “I’d like to read a book written by a woman with her perspective on history,” the character Alma comments. “It would be a completely different story than the one the men tell.”
Brittni Nelson’s middle-grade mystery, The House on Hemlock Hill’s main character is twelve-year-old Alyssa. She is curious, open-minded, and smart—a spelling-bee champion, in fact! She stumbles upon the forgotten diary of a girl from the 1950s who was empathetic and caring, traits that Alyssa adopts throughout the book.
Our 2025 Books
RADIO STARR, a novel by Lisa Lehmann follows main character Eva LaVette as she works to make her way in the male-dominated field of radio during the 1980s. Throughout her career, Eva adopts various on-air personas such as Billie Soul, Lizzy Taylor, and Tanya Starr, reflecting her struggle to find an authentic voice.
Ghost(ed) Woman & the Electric Purple Pants by Emilie Lindemann is about the strange distortion of time during the pandemic and the time period after. The poems explore common feelings of loneliness and uncertainty in the aftermath of job loss and other changes during the pandemic. In them, she finds refuge in nature, power in dreaming and creativity, and magic in electric purple pants.
Dial Down: Holistic Strategies to Move from Chaos to Calm is written by the State of Georgia Woman Veteran of the Year 2025, Raquel Durden. This woman’s service and leadership in wellness exemplifies courage—she is a warrior!
Fresh Water Press is proud to bring these stories to light, and we’re just getting started.