Edith/Maddie here, writing during a flight delay from Denver after the Left Coast Crime convention.

Jessie, aka Jessica Ellicott, and I had some delightful conversations about our historical mysteries recently. We thought we’d share three of them, one at a time, with you now at the end of Women’s History Month.

Researching historical mysteries is the topic of this first chat: how do we research the past? What are our best sources? Have we taken field trips? How do we keep track of it all? And how do we decide how much to include on the actual page?

Readers: Do you notice when history seems to come alive in books – or when it doesn’t? What period do you like to read about, and do you have favorite sources for that era?