I’m currently working on the edits for the second book in my Pine Lake Girls trilogy and it brought up an interesting research question. Suffragist or suffragette? What’s the difference?

The fact that the question crossed my mind doesn’t mean much because I’m always asking myself such things. I love any reason to do some historical research. In fact, it’s one of the number one reasons I give for why I’m not actually writing. I’m doing very important research. But when my editor calls to ask me that very same question, I know my readers are going to question it as well.

So, research I must . . . and happily.

This is what I found: A suffragist is peaceful and can be either male or female. The suffragist believes in the cause of women’s suffrage, the right to vote, but they voice their opinion by writing letters to politicians, by writing opinion pieces and newspaper/journal articles, speaking to groups. A suffragette, on the other hand, is a woman who believes her voice must be heard to make a difference. She marches, protests, and in some cases, is violent in the form of vandalism or arson. A suffragist may be mocked or looked down upon for their beliefs. A suffragette is willing to risk arrest.

Watch for “Betty: The Rebel” to be released later this summer.