It only took a year or so, but I can officially say that my book will see the light of day!

I am now the proud signer of a contract with Open Books, which produces a whole swath of interesting material.  Give them a look!

And in June, you’ll be able to get a copy of this:

It’s the story of James Clark, a married Commonwealth’s Attorney in Prince William County, who ran off with an eager-to-elope 16-year-old Fannie Fewell, the daughter of one of Manassas’s leading citizens. After being arrested for abduction, Clark was shot in his jail cell by Fannie’s older brother, Lucien, a hellraiser with a passion for drink and for abusing Yankees and scalawags.

The trial the followed was a celebrity affair. The prosecutors were former Virginia Governor and Confederate General Henry A. Wise, who assisted Charles E. Sinclair, a judge during the Mormon War in Utah in the 1850s who had replaced Clark as Commonwealth’s Attorney. Fewell’s defense was handled by two other Civil War generals: Eppa Hunton, a participant in Pickett’s Charge who was elected to Congress during the trial, and William Henry Fitzhugh Payne, who rode with the infamous Black Horse Regiment.

The outcome of the trial is a surprise, as is what happened to Fannie and Lucien in later life.

Tell all your friends!