
The tragic true story of a real life radium girl.

Luminous: The Story of a Radium Girl
by Samantha Wilcoxson
Genre: Biographical Historical Fiction

Tragic true story of a radium girl.
Catherine’s life is set on an unexpected course when she accepts a job at Radium Dial. The dial painters forge friendships and enjoy their work but soon discover that an evil secret lurks in the magical glow-in-the-dark paint. When she and her friends start falling ill, Catherine Donohoe takes on the might of a big corporation and becomes an early pioneer of social justice in the era between world wars.
Emotive and inspiring – this book will touch you like no other as you witness the devastating impact of radium poisoning on young women’s lives.
It’s too late for me, but maybe it will help some of the others.
~ Catherine Wolfe Donohue
**Celebrate the 5 year anniversary and get it On Sale for Only .99cents 6/5 – 6/8!**
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Thank you for welcoming me to your blog to celebrate the 5 year anniversary of Luminous! I was inspired to write about Catherine Donohue after reading about her in Kate Moore’s book, The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women. I was astounded by the tragic history of the women who worked with radium, and I wanted to take a closer look at what it would have been like to live this history.
Catherine was nineteen when she started working as a dial painter using the radium infused paint at Radium Dial in Ottawa, Illinois. Women counted themselves lucky to obtain a job there for the high wages and relatively pleasant working conditions. They wouldn’t realize until years later that the material they were using every day was slowly poisoning them.
Once the women understood what was happening to them, they were faced with the fact that few were willing to help. The radium industry denied liability. Doctors were reluctant to label radium as a poison when they had been using it as a medicine. Legally, they had little or no protection or path of receiving compensation. Therefore, small-town girl Catherine Donohue decided to stand up for herself and her friends to make a change.
In this excerpt, Catherine’s friend, Peg, admits that she is secretly suffering and does not know the cause.
Excerpt from Luminous: The Story of a Radium Girl by Samantha Wilcoxson
It was not until they broke for lunch that Catherine had the opportunity to tell Peg that she had brought enough to share.
“That’s too kind of you, Catherine, but I couldn’t take advantage.”
“You wouldn’t be,” Catherine insisted, thrusting the sandwich into Peg’s hands.
“You don’t understand.”
Peg’s voice was quiet, her words oddly slurred. Catherine realized that she hadn’t heard Peg speak much lately.
“Then help me understand.” Catherine placed her hands on Peg’s shoulders, gently but firmly. “Tell me what is wrong. Let me help you.”
Peg sighed and gave in, gesturing for Catherine to follow her into the tiny bathroom shared by all the dial painters. Once they were snugly closed inside, Catherine examined Peg’s face and saw her own concern mirrored there.
Peg surprised her by not speaking. Instead, she opened her mouth wide and pulled at the side of her mouth for Catherine to see inside.
“Oh, Peg! How in the world?”
“They just fell out,” Peg whispered.
Having seen the inside of Peg’s mouth, understanding flowed over Catherine. Her friend wasn’t avoiding food and conversation because of money problems. She must be in constant pain from the throbbing, angry abscesses that flared irritably where two of Peg’s teeth should have been.
“You poor thing!” Catherine wrapped her arms around Peg, which was easy to do in their close quarters. Peg’s shoulder blades and ribs felt sharp. “How long have you been suffering?”
Peg only shook her head as her tears began to fall.
“Oh, shush, love,” Catherine murmured, swaying slightly on her feet. “We will talk about it when you’re ready, and we will find you help.”
“That’s just it,” Peg suddenly cried out. “I’ve been to the dentist. He doesn’t know what could be wrong, and four more of my teeth are loose.”
“Four?” Catherine’s voice was scarcely more than a whisper, and she felt a sliver of fear pierce her heart. What could be wrong?



Writer, history enthusiast, and sufferer of wanderlust, Samantha enjoys exploring the lives of historical figures through research and travel. She strives to reveal the deep emotions and motivations of historical figures, enabling readers to connect with them in a unique way. Samantha is an American writer with British roots and proud mother of three amazing young adults. She can frequently be found lakeside with a book in one hand and glass of wine in the other.
Samantha’s most recent release is a biography of James Alexander Hamilton published by Pen & Sword History. She is currently writing a trilogy set during the Wars of the Roses for Sapere Books.
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The Forgotten History of the Radium Girls
By Samantha Wilcoxson
I have loved reading about history for as long as I can remember. Yet, I was not familiar with the story of the “radium girls” until I first picked up Kate Moore’s excellent book. It was one of those snippets of history that sounds unbelievable. Just when you think things must change for the better, it somehow gets worse.
Called radium girls because of the luminescent paint they used to make watch and instrument dials glow in the dark, the young working-class women who were exposed to radium on a daily basis began sickening and dying in the years immediately following World War I. The companies they worked for denied liability, rejected the idea that radium was the cause of their symptoms, and made many excuses to avoid a decrease in profits.
The women found little support for their cause. Doctors, who had been using radium as a sort of miracle cure, were reluctant to admit that it might be dangerous. Most lawyers had no interest in taking on the case of women with little ability to pay fees and insufficient support to win their case. Worker compensation laws varied by state and didn’t include protection against radium poisoning. The women were at the mercy of the industry that had caused their health to fail and then often fired them for being too ill to work.
When women died of radium poisoning, the symptoms were attributed to other diseases. Diphtheria, tuberculosis, and even syphilis was inaccurately documented as causes of death. Some of the results of radium poisoning, such as sarcoma and infections, were listed as causes of death without exposing the underlying cause. Some doctors were in the pocket of the radium industry. Others simply didn’t know any better.
In Luminous, I have focused on the story of Catherine Donohue, an employee of Radium Dial in Ottawa, Illinois. Catherine was a typical small town girl, who was excited to obtain a good paying position at the dial studio. . . until she developed a limp that never healed. Then she watched one of her friends collapse at work and another die of an infection that spread like wildfire. Catherine stood up for the Ottawa dial painters, even as her own health failed. Luminous is her story, and I hope that it is one that inspires curiosity about the past as well as a hunger for justice in the present.

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
June 5
Kickoff at Silver Dagger Book Tours
IS HISTORY THE AGREED UPON LIE? Historical Fact & Historical Fiction.
Book Bites….with a side of coffee
June 6
Book Reviews by the Reluctant Retiree
☼ A Place In The Spotlight ☼ with M.C.V. EGAN
Stormy Nights Reviewing & Bloggin’
June 7
Inside the Insanity – GUEST POST
June 8
Ellwyn’s Blog – GUEST POST
Sarcastically Yours, Jen – GUEST POST
Books all things paranormal and romance

Great cover!
Interesting story line, love the cover:)
I like the cover art. Looks great. Sounds like a really good story.
The concept of this plot sounds very grim indeed.
Thanks so much for celebrating the 5th anniversary of Luminous with me!
A very nice cover.
Love the name og the book ?& the cover
I like everything about this – genre title and cover!
Thank you for sharing the excerpt.
I would love to read this tragic story.
The book sounds very intriguing. I love the cover!
Sounds like a book I will enjoy reading.
this sounds like an interesting story
I like the cover and the excerpt was interesting.
This sounds like a great read.
Great cover
I enjoyed the excerpt for Luminous: The Story of a Radium Girl. Thank you for the giveaway!
nice
Looks very exciting Do you write in a daily journal?
This sounds like an amazing historical fiction book based on a true event!
Loving the sound of this book so much and the cover art is everything!
I wonder how many of the posters really understood that this is a true story? Can’t remember when learned of this, but even though we now know much more of the dangers of nuclear exposure of any kind, I don’t think it is well known.
Good vibes coming your way.
Excellent author! Congrats on your tour.
I like the book details.
looks like a fun one.
This sounds like an interesting book and I also like the cover.
this looks good!
question for author-What personal experiences or observations influenced your writing?
Sounds good.
Sounds like an interesting read!
It looks like a good read.
Sounds like a.great book
Sounds like one that I would love to read this summer. I am also liking the cover of this one.
The Biographical Historical Fiction sounds fun to read.
sound good cant wait to read it
Sounds like a great book!
Sounds good