Growing a Fictional Family Tree

I should have thought of it earlier – for a family saga that sprawls over three volumes and three centuries, readers would welcome a family tree that sets out who was connected to who, when, and how! I didn’t think of it until we were finishing corrections for Book 2 of the Overstreet Saga, The…

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Coming April 4: THE BURNING LAND!

  Book Two of my fictional Overstreet Saga, The Burning Land, will launch on April 4, 2023.  Here’s the cover — revealed for the very first time!  The image is from a painting by Edwin Forbes of the Battle of Gettysburg.  Forbes was an illustrator for Frank Leslie’s Magazine  during the Civil War and traveled with the Union…

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Interview about GEORGE WASHINGTON and THE NEW LAND

The August 2021 edition of The Biographer’s Craft, which is produced by Biographers International Organization (of which I am a member), includes an interview with moi, about writing, my recently-released George Washington biography, and my forthcoming historical novel, The New Land, which will launch on November 16: MEMBER INTERVIEW Seven Questions with David O. Stewart What person would…

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Madness at the U.S. Capitol

In the aftermath of yesterday’s attack on the U.S. Capitol, a history publication posed provocative questions to me.  These are my responses:  What is your view of what happened at the Capitol yesterday? Was this an attempted coup d’etat, or peaceful demonstration gone wrong? Neither.  The attack on the Capitol was not a true coup…

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It Matters How You Leave!

Harrassed by a clown car of irresponsible lawyers, our political life today is a mind-warping coda to a four-year period of smashed behavioral norms and personal vituperation, all in service to a corrosive cult of personality.  For those who pine for sanity and integrity in our public sphere, there is no better era to consider…

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What Happens When the President Gets Sick?

The recent news of positive COVID-19 tests for a valet for President Trump and an aide to Vice President Pence revive a thorny question:  What happens if the president gets sick?  As shown by the corona-related illness of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the virus can incapacitate those in high office.  What happens if we…

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April 24, 8 p.m.: DC Virtual Noir at the Bar

In many cities, like Washington, DC, “Noir at the Bar” has swiftly become an institution.  The elements are predictable, atmospheric: Crime, mystery and thriller writers take over the back room of a bar, preferably a seedy one in an iffy neighborhood. Someone arranges for a scratchy sound system. Recognized and not-yet-recognized writers read short-ish passages…

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Newsletter, Spring 2019!

THE POWER AND THE STORY The top news:  (i) Rating the presidents with C-SPAN, and (ii) my month at Mount Vernon with the people who know George Washington best. Also: Talking about the Constitution and presidential impeachment.   Hidden figures of history and the books you must read before you die The Bookshelf — great books, both new…

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Hamilton’s Pulitzer Prize: Listen to the Words

Now that he’s won the Pulitzer Prize for it, maybe we’ll pay attention to the words of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton, the genre-smashing Broadway hit that costs a monthly car payment to attend.  When we listen to the words – really listen – we can appreciate his achievement. Magic can happen when story and words and…

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Why F. Scott?

This morning brings the inaugural installment of a monthly piece I’ll be writing for the Washington Independent Review of Books.  The subjects will be what I’m reading, writing, or thinking about.  This morning’s effort puzzles over the bafflingly inflated reputation of F. Scott Fitzgerald.  I don’t get it. . . .

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