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10/5/2024​

20 Scary Books to Read This Halloween — Just Don’t Turn Off the Lights!

As the nights get longer and colder, there is no better time to curl up in your favorite chair with a cup of mulled cider and a spooky book. While I’m not an “all-out horror” kind of gal, I do love a really scary story that makes me jump at every plot twist — or at every creak of my 200-year-old home.

With Halloween just around the corner, who can resist a good scare? So, forget streaming. Pick up one of these haunted tales that’s sure to keep you turning pages and thinking twice about turning off the lights!

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Bookish Flights 10/30/2024

Exploring the People Behind the Stories of History with Author Sharon Virts (E111)

In our conversation, Sharon discusses her journey as a writer, sharing the in-depth research she undertakes to build authentic historical stories and the powerful influence of reading on her writing. We discuss her belief that the most compelling histories are about the people behind the events, bringing history to life with intimate and relatable storytelling.

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Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb 10/29/2024

Q&A with Sharon Virts

Q: What inspired you to write The Grays of Truth?

A: I first learned about this story while researching 19th-century forensic science for my second book, Veil of Doubt. As I delved into the work of chemist Professor William Tonry, I stumbled upon the trial of Baltimore socialite Ellen Wharton.

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Book Reporter 10/29/2024

The Grays of Truth by Sharon Virts

Jane Gray Wharton spends her days in fear of her husband Ned’s moods. Love is not a word that would be used to describe their marriage. Jane truly loved Ned’s brother, Hank, but now she is forced to see him regularly as her brother-in-law. While she is cordial with Hank, her relationship with her sister-in-law, Ellen, is full of strife. But Jane does her best to do what everyone expects of her.

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The Crime Cafe Newsletter 10/28/2024

October New Releases, Short Stories and More

Find your next great crime, suspense, or thriller read right here!

Sharon’s passion truly lies in the creative. She is an accomplished visual artist and uses her gift for artistic expression along with her extraordinary storytelling to build complex characters and craft vivid images and sets that capture the heart and imagination.

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The Fictional Cafe 10/28/2024

The Fictional Cafe Interview with Author Sharon Virts

It’s 1867 in Baltimore and Jane Gray Wharton’s orderly world begins to unravel. What begins as an unexpected tragedy quickly spirals into something far more sinister and Jane is left questioning everything—her family, her past, and her own sanity. A gripping tale of suspense that will keep you guessing until the very last page.

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The Nerd Daily 10/27/2024

Q&A: Sharon Virts, Author of ‘The Grays of Truth’

We chat with author Sharon Virts about The Grays of Truth, which is by true events involving one of Baltimore’s most powerful families and a story of one woman’s quest for answers in her fight for redemption—and to save the man she loves.

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Novels Alive 10/27/2024

Live the Story: The Grays of Truth by Sharon Virts

An intense mystery filled with heartache, vitriol, and a cast of forceful characters, The Grays of Truth is a dark whodunnit murder mystery that will leave you gasping, cringing, and doublechecking your drink. With its vivid scenes, graphic details, and dramatic atmosphere building, The Grays of Truth is intense, from the opening sentence to the equally dramatic ending.

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Loudoun Times Mirror 10/24/2024

Leesburg Author Releases New Novel

Leesburg resident and author Sharon Virts will release her latest historical fiction novel, ‘The Grays of Truth’ on Oct. 29.

Set in Reconstruction-era Baltimore, the story — inspired by true events — weaves together a murder mystery with power, wealth, mental illness and a botched investigation. 

“It has everything I could want in a good story,” she said.
Like her previous novel, ‘Veil of Doubt,’ this book required many hours of research, which she says included visiting grave sites and the scenes for the story. 
 

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Crime Fiction Lover 10/17/2024

On the Radar: It is Time for Stormy Weather

It’s time for some historical true crime. The Grays of Truth by Sharon Virts is set in Baltimore in the aftermath of the American Civil War. Jane Gray Wharton finds herself unexpectedly widowed when her husband, Ned, dies suddenly while overnighting at his brother’s home. A straightforward death, it seems, until Jane and her daughter also fall ill at the same house a few weeks later. Could there be foul play? As a trained chemist and former nurse, Jane seems the perfect person to get to the truth. But she’s suffered from mental issues in the past, and as the number of unexpected deaths grows Jane begins to question her hold on reality.

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Book report network 10/24/2023

Bookreporter Talks With
Sharon Virts

Sharon Virts joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about her latest novel,  Veil of Doubt, a mystery set in 1872. She shares how her love of history helped her to discover this story.

She talks about the character of Emily, who is accused of poisoning her daughter, and how she had to learn not only the legalese of the day, but also about chemistry and how poisoning may have happened in that time frame. 

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Loudoun Times Mirror 10/18/2023

Sharon Virts releases historical fiction novel ‘Veil of Doubt’

With themes of murder and courtroom drama, “Veil of Doubt,” set in the late 1800s in Leesburg, is a local author’s second historical fiction novel.

Sharon Virts, a Leesburg businesswoman and philanthropist, said she has a passion for history and spent about three years researching the book, which is about an 1872 murder trial of accused killer Emily Lloyd.

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Business Journal 5/9/2021

Sharon Virts and Scott Miller the philanthropists behind a new wine brand

The philanthropists and historic home renovators turned to Napa for their first vintage.

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Loudoun Now 2/27/2021

Loudoun Authors Explore Local Legends

Sharon Virts’ “Masque of Honor” Brings a Historic Duel to Life

Entrepreneur, noted preservationist, philanthropist. Now Sharon Virts can add best-selling novelist to the list.

When Virts and her husband Scott Miller took on the renovation of historic Selma mansion in 2016, she didn’t know the fascinating story of the property’s original owner would inspire her first work of fiction.

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The Inside Flap
A Weekly Book Podcast 2/14/2021

Inside Chat: Dueling It Out With Sharon Virts

Today we chat with the delightful Sharon Virts about her debut novel Masque of Honor, living in the house built by her main character, how an Oscar nominated screenwriter convinced her to write the book, the “ghost written” chapter she doesn’t remember writing, chinchilla stoles and period detail, strong female characters, calling cards, duels, and the joys of the hurdy-gurdy. Plus – Dave is (again) pulled over while out for a run.

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Lu Reviews Books 2/9/2021

A Duel in the Name of Honor

Masque of Honor by Sharon Virts is a riveting novel that brings history to life in a very engaging tale of honor, pride, and ambition.

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The Book Report Network 2/5/2021

Bookreporter Talks With
Sharon Virts

Sharon Virts joins us to discuss her debut novel, Masque of Honor: A Historical Novel of the American South. Inspiration for this book came as Sharon was restoring the historic home where she now lives, called Selma.

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WASHINGTON LIFE - 07/14/2019
Inside Homes

Sharon Virts and Scott Miller embarked on a two year project to renovate an abandoned historic property in Leesburg, Va. only to find they were not alone on their journey.

They became so entrenched in the stories that Virts is publishing her first historical fiction novel, “Masque of Honor,” about a duel that left one of the property owners dead.

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Loudoun Times Mirror 1/3/2019

Loudoun County Good Scout Award presented to Sharon Virts

Sharon Virts, executive director for the Virts Miller Foundation is the recipient of this year’s Loudoun County Good Scout Award presented by the Goose Creek District of the Boy Scouts of America National Area Council.


Recognized for her leadership and ideals connected to the Scout Oath, Virts was presented the award last week at Stone Tower Winery in Leesburg.

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