March 2021

I have heard a lot of authors talk about what inspired them, but Sharon Virts’ inspiration for her first work of historical fiction, MASQUE OF HONOR, truly fascinated me. She was restoring her home in Leesburg, Virginia, called Selma when she started looking into its history. She came upon the story of a duel between Armistead Mason and John “Jack” Mason McCarty, who were brothers-in-law, second cousins and descendants of founding father George Mason IV.

Though she had never written before, the story behind this duel captivated her, and she researched further to come up with the bones of her debut novel. Yes, it has the duel, but it also has passion, scheming and lots of wonderful period details.

Set during the same time period as that of “Bridgerton,” which many have lapped up on Netflix, the book gives an intimate look at a time in history that has not been dwelled on much in contemporary historical fiction. I am looking forward to what Sharon does next.

Curious to hear more? Watch or listen to my “Bookreporter Talks To” interview with Sharon.