As we step into 2025, marking 200 years since the pivotal events of the 1824 presidential election, my next novel invites readers to revisit one of the most contentious and transformative periods in American history. A sequel to Masque of Honor, this new story, which is based on true events, delves into the political and […]
Category Archives: Behind the Masque
A Box of Books for Christmas
From my earliest days, my world has been filled with writing and reading. When I was growing up, my parents had little money to spend on non-essentials, and Christmastime was no exception. New toys were few, with most of Santa’s gifts having been loved before by some other child. Every Christmas, my biggest gift under […]
The Lovely Lee Sisters of Coton Farm
“The sisters were surrounded by a gaggle of doting admirers. Winnie Lee, the fiery, red-haired, hazel eyed beauty, was directly behind Fanny, sitting in an oversized chair between the fair-haired Betsy and the dark-haired Molly. There were nearly half a dozen men at their feet.” –Masque of Honor There are various accounts of just how […]
The Charm of Loudoun County Virginia and Belmont Manor
Like most grand houses with a past, Belmont Manor had a long trajectory as the place to see and be seen. Built by Ludwell Lee between the years of 1799 and 1802 on land he acquired through marriage to his first cousin Flora Lee, Belmont saw its fair share of luminaries brighten its imposing doorstep. […]
Belmont Manor House, Lee Family Seat in Loudoun County Virginia [Part One of a five-part series.]
Loudoun County Virginia’s countryside was once dotted with the plantation homes of some of the most influential families in American history. If the house had a proper name attached, you could bet it belonged to someone of note, or a direct descendant. An example is the first house on our Masque of Honor historical home […]
Rack ’em up! – The History of Billiards
“The winter solstice was the shortest day of the year, but already it felt like the longest. Armistead sent the cue ball flying, breaking the neatly racked balls across the green felt of the table. He had hoped that billiards would distract him. He was wrong.” –Masque of Honor Fast Eddie Felson (who had the […]
Breathe In, Breathe Out: The Invention of the Stethoscope
In the 19th century malaria was extremely common in the UnitedStates; at its height, more than one million cases were reported, this isprobably a conservative number since not everyone had access to a medicaltreatment. In Masque of Honor,Armistead Mason bemoans the almost “ordinariness” of suffering from malariawhile in battle. A lot of the research Idid while writing […]
Christmas in the Early 19th Century
As I wrote Masque of Honor, I wanted to include a scene to recreate Christmas in the early in 19th century. Christmas as we know it today dates to the later half of the 19th century. But how did Virginians celebrate Christmas in 1817? To figure that out, I had to do more than a […]
The History Before the Era of Good Feelings
Except for an opening scene, Masque of Honor is set in Virginia between 1816 and 1819. This period in American history is known as the Era of Good Feelings (~1817-1825) and was dominated by one political party, Thomas Jefferson’s Democratic Republicans. But Masque of Honor is about the Mason-McCarty duel that was fought as a […]
Raspberry Plain Manor
“The Great Hall of Raspberry Plain, with its high, white, plastered walls and walnut trim, was alive tonight with the laughter of guests enjoying whiskey and wine.” Masque of Honor In Masque of Honor, Raspberry Plain served as the family seat of the Mason family. In the opening scenes of the book, the manor house […]
