About
Welcome to my online home. This is where I open the door and invite you inside to meet my literary family: my ten nonfiction books, four podcasts, and almost 200 magazine articles–many available right here–and my Roaring Twenties mystery series written by my alter ego, Mary Miley. I’ve been busy with two books published last year and another, Silent Murders, coming out in six months. And Colonial Williamsburg has just contracted for another book, one on 18th-century transportation–carriages, carts, boats, and of course, feet. My focus right now is on the The Impersonator, a murder mystery that came out last September. My calendar is crammed with visits to book clubs, libraries, and museums where I usually bring my “show and tell,” give a short talk, and sign books. I’ll be in Philadelphia (twice!), Raleigh, and of course, Virginia (Richmond, Fairfax, McLean, Charlottesville, Crozet, and Williamsburg) during March, April, and May and would love to see you at any of these events (below) that are open to the public.
News & Events
Planning the Next Book Launch
SILENT MURDERS won’t be released until September 23, but it isn’t too soon to plan its book launch. The Library of Virginia has offered to host an evening event to introduce the book, and we decided on Wednesday, October 15 because then it can be part of the annual Literary Festival. Since SILENT MURDERS takes the setting from vaudeville to silent movies, I’m planning to screen the 111-minute film that plays a role in the story, Don Q: Son of Zorro. This marvelous silent features Douglas Fairbanks, the man who invented the action hero. We’ll have champagne and hors d’oeuvres and I’ll work up a brief talk or maybe read a short selection. So, it’s a bit early to put this on your calendars, but it’s on mine!
Articles & Podcasts
Some Women in the Twenties Roared Quietly
“She Was Not One to Toot Her Own Horn”
If Williamsburg’s Restoration were a movie, its co-stars would be the Reverend Dr. W. A. R. Goodwin, who provided the vision, and John D. Rockefeller, Jr., who provided the funds to bring the colonial capital back to life. Just as movies have supporting actors, the early Restoration did, too. Among the most significant was Elizabeth Hayes, secretary to Goodwin. Today we would call her an executive assistant, a senior administrative assistant, or a chief operations officer, but in the 1920s, the job title for almost every woman who worked in an office was “secretary.” Keep reading . . . go to page 60.
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