Historical Fiction

Author’s Note:
Some novels do not fall into a particular genre. Some books defy the mold of either fiction or nonfiction. Truman Capote is credited with originating the nonfiction novel, In Cold Blood, his account of a quadruple murder in rural Kansas. Combining the techniques of a journalist with his writing style as a novelist, he wove facts into fictional scenes and dialogue.

I do not suggest that Masquerade reaches the caliber of Capote’s seminal work. But like In Cold Blood, the core of my story is true and required blending fact with fiction. Like Capote making the acquaintance of people in Kansas, I have personal knowledge of the man depicted in my book. Actual people, names, places, events, statements from FBI documents, and excerpts from contemporary periodicals are used fictitiously. Fictional characters, who do not portray anyone living or dead, mingle with real people from the past, many of them public figures. Some names are altered, others are real. After years of research and writing, I have lost track of which characters were actual people and which stepped into the story of their own volition and conned me into giving them a voice and action. I hope the variegated threads are seamless enough so that, fact or fiction, it doesn’t matter to readers.

* * * * *

The dismal economic times of the 1930s fostered a spree of major and minor crimes, including an army of con men roaming the country. One young Hungarian immigrant’s genius for masquerade extended to impersonating noted people in order to prey on industrialists and celebrities. Henry Ford provided a Tin Lizzie for the swindler’s first cross-country spree. His success at plying his trade prompted J. Edgar Hoover to write in the American Magazine, May, 1937:

“We sometimes refer to September 28, 1934, as Celebrity Day. That was the date of the great roundup, when we took into custody a German baron, several sons of American ambassadors, a few popular polo players, a member of the Wickersham Committee, a third assistant solicitor general of the United States, an Army colonel, a government undercover man, an around-the-world flier, a motion picture magnate, a number of house guests of industrial giants and multimillionaires, and the manager of the world’s biggest doll factory. But this crowd of important men sat in only one chair. They were all represented in the multiple personality of a single individual, George Robert Gabor.”

After the imposter’s 1936 deportation, Hoover said, “We haven’t heard of him again, and we don’t want to. But you never can tell.” Within months, the Bureau suspected that Gabor had returned, but they failed to find him. In 1942, a clever ruse by the swindler led the FBI to close the case. Hoover never learned that he, too, had been conned.

After a final identity change, Gabor went straight and became a successful businessman in the cable television industry. Only after his death was his secret uncovered.

A natural for the big screen, an earlier era Catch Me If You Can.

Swinging Sisters is a one-of-a-kind book, because there is no other story like it.

Come along for the ride with an all-girl band as they tour the country in a 1928 Packard hearse. The Texas Rangerettes garner headlines in Variety and Billboard before taking a fork in the road that subsequently has Paramount Studio cameramen camping on their doorstep hoping to film a history-making event featuring five of the band members. Time magazine devotes two paragraphs to their unique story in the February 7, 1938 issue.

Swinging Sisters is a glimpse behind the curtain at one of many female orchestras that traveled the country during the Depression. Considered novelty acts, these musicians were applauded more for their looks than talent. Club owners claimed that when it came to canary bands men looked first and listened second. But these early feminists challenged those chauvinistic views and proved they could compete in a mans world, paving the way for hundreds of female bands to flourish during World War II.

Based on a true story, Swinging Sisters celebrates the life of a family rooted in the Irish famine who achieve success in two diverse fields. The author stumbled upon the McLaughlin and Jones families while researching her family history. She declined an offer to collaborate on a screenplay of their story and instead penned this authentic account.

Award winning playwright Larry Parr, author of Ethel Waters: His Eye Is On The Sparrow, says, I traveled up to see a production of Ethel Waters in Philadelphia, and what better time to read than during a day traveling. I so enjoyed your book. Its so fun, and of course, I loved the music. Thank you so much for sharing it with me. Its just great.

Enjoy living in awareness vicariously.  Chaos and excitement erupt when Michele Sutherland is unavoidably caught up in the matching of wits with a privateer sea captain who befriended her grandparents during the British blockade.  With the losses of the Revolution tempering Michele’s usual confidence, Captain Damian VanCoven is unwillingly drawn to the beauty whose status as the granddaughter of dear friends creates unbidden rules of play.  In an effort toward distraction, Damian drives Michele to her mind’s limits to avoid seducing her outright and risking his friends’ trust.

Amidst Michele’s attempts to navigate the waters of sensual intrigue and Damian’s drastic measures to avoid her, this explosive relationship finds challenge from every unthinkable direction.  With a scheming grandmother whose morals are sometimes conveniently bent, and a hoodwinked privateer crew plotting against the Captain they know all too well, Damian and Michele discover a heady passion and a growing trust.  Yet, at the center of it all lies the threat of a bitter, jilted man who ceaselessly follows this dynamic pair north across the Atlantic Ocean.  
After repeated attempts to destroy their lives, this stranger’s actions bring about the discovery of a secret never told, revealing truths that cause untold heartache and fear and, ultimately, forging a love as strong as time.
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