Oak Hill, WV (WOAY) – As America gears up to celebrate its 250th anniversary, a good way to celebrate is to take a look at the past.
Virginian author, historian, preservationist, and former entrepreneur, Sharon Virts’ latest book, Bargains of Fates, was released on Tuesday, June 23.
Sharon joined me to speak about her book series, focusing on Virginia history.
Sharon started with, “I love history. And if we don’t save our stories that go along with our history, then it’s lost forever.”
Sharon is taking inspiration from the stories of the past and writing these stories for audiences today.
“And for me, history is all about not just the events and the facts of what happened when, but those stories behind those facts, you know, that underlying narrative of what was really going on in people’s lives.” She continued.
Sharon takes that personal touch of history and uses it to make modern stories set in the past.
“These stories do feel modern in a way. We’re fighting the same battles we were fighting 100 years ago, two or three years ago. We have the same problems with the economy.
The question of taxation was a common issue. Then there was a pandemic in 1826 that occurred in Virginia. The issues are terribly much the same. And the difference is that we can learn something today from the past; they had no history, no, you know, 200 years of precedent, court cases to decide how we govern and how we live free going forward.” Virts stated.
One main theme of Sharon’s book series is honor. I asked Sharon to explain how honor has changed from the Regency era to modern day.
“And in the old days, you know, honor was if you if you all you have really was your reputation, your family name. Right. And if you were to trash my reputation or my family name, then you and I would be meeting on a dueling field at 30 paces, and we’re going to have it out. You’re going to stand by your word. And today we don’t quite do that. We but we do it in newspapers and on social media. And cancel culture has certainly been known to basically ruin people’s reputations. So we do have a bit of that culture.”
These books are great reads, promising fun with each page.
“There’s a lot of drama in bargains of fates. I mean, a lot there’s a you know, there’s a murder, there’s a duel, there’s illicit affairs, there’s cheating and stealing and lying and all the scandals that you could possibly want. And they’re based on a true story. Every one of the books, by the way, Jack McCarthy was involved with at least four or five duels that I know of.”
So what better way to celebrate America’s 250th than by exploring a rich story set in America’s early days? To keep up with Sharon and stay up to date on her work, you can follow her on Instagram @sharonvirtsbooks or Facebook @SharonVirts
You can also visit her website, https://theartoflivinghistory.com/
The history of America wasn’t just made by generals and presidents. It was made by everyday people.
Reporting in Fayette County, I am Tygra de Mello, Newswatch.
Watch the report on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/7P3SMftPeMg
