In fourteen hundred ninety-two,Columbus sailed the ocean blue… Most of us have recited this rhyme to remember the year of America’s discovery, but how many know the motivation behind Christopher Columbus’ ocean voyage? Columbus was trying to find a new route to the far east, but why? The answer: to bypass the Silk Road tariffs. […]
Category Archives: Behind the Masque
Guest Blog: Sharon Virts and the Making of Bargains of Fate
By KM Brown Bestselling author Sharon Virts is deep into writing Bargains of Fate, the long-awaited sequel to Masque of Honor. This novel, the second in what will become part of the Fields of Honor series, continues the story of Jack McCarty following his infamous duel with Armistead Mason. As Sharon has developed the plot […]
The Irish Legacy of Storytelling: Tales of Honor and Heritage
March is a month of transition—a time when the last whispers of winter give way to the green promise of spring. And, of course, it’s the month we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, when streets fill with the hum of bagpipes, the clinking of glasses, and the proud echoes of an Irish past that still shapes […]
Revisiting History: Exploring the 1824 Election and Its Legacy
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 […]
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 […]
