Why I Write Historical Mysteries

My love affair with mystery began early. Like many young girls, I fell headfirst into the world of Nancy Drew. I still have most of the original series—a bit worse for the wear, but still dearly loved. Yet it wasn’t until college that history became interesting to me. Through 18th and 19th century English literature, I discovered that the past wasn’t dry or boring—it was alive with intrigue, conflict, and texture. After a single course, I knew this was the world I wanted to live in. So I majored in English lit and loved every minute of it. In my senior year, I pursued creative writing with independent studies in which I wrote plays, screenplays, and short stories—it all felt like play, not work.

Of course, the post-grad reality hit hard. Creative writing doesn’t pay the bills—at least not right away. I became a technical writer at a Fortune 500 engineering firm. Sometimes if felt a bit soul-sucking, but it was incredibly useful. I learned structure, discipline, and how to make every word count.

Over the years, I wore many hats: radio copywriter, educator, curriculum consultant. My husband’s job moved us across the country, and I raised two children while scribbling stories in my spare time. Eventually, when my kids hit high school, I returned to my first love—fiction—full time.

But writing isn’t all I do…