“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 […]
Category Archives: Behind the Masque
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 […]
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 […]
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) […]
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 […]
Bedford Springs, Pennsylvania
Every summer after the July 4th celebrations, Jack McCarty (the Protagonist in MASQUE OF HONOR) and his wife Lucy would bring their daughter to ‘take in the waters’ at the […]
Before Writing the First Word
In October 2017, I first started the MASQUE OF HONOR project (in the world of publishing, I’ve learned that the writing of a book is called ‘a project’). In those […]
Dear Diary – The Catalyst
From my journal October 23, 2017: “What an incredible weekend! It’s been a whirlwind at the Film Festival…I simply LOVE Anthony (McCarten). He’s an author and the screen writer and […]
Staying True to the Spirit of the Story
The key to keeping “history” in “historical fiction” is staying true to the SPIRIT of the story. I’ve stuck like glue to this principle. And when I say SPIRIT, I […]
Behind the Masque
Menasha, Wisconsin, December 31st, 1899 Written by: Sally McCarty Pleasants Col. John Mason McCarty, son of Col. Daniel McCarty, was born on the 14th day of March, 1795, at Cedar […]
