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PEOPLE can exclusively reveal the cover of Kate Schatz's debut novel Where the Girls Were

The author and activist was inspired to write the novel after learning of her mom's time in a home for unwed mothers

"I hope to show what can happen when we are allowed to make our own decisions, and tell our own stories,” Schatz says of the novel, which will be published in spring 2026

When author and activist Kate Schatz was in her twenties, her mother told her she had a confession to share: In the 1960s, Schatz's mom placed her first two babies for adoption, after she was sent to a home for unwed mothers.

That story, as well as those of other women in similar circumstances, would become the basis for Schatz’s forthcoming debut novel Where the Girls Were , for which PEOPLE can

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