How much research do you do and how do you do it?

I do lots and lots of research, but more because it’s fun than because it’s required for the story. I love history and I tend to over-research some things just because I can’t seem to stop once I get started. I don’t spend a lot of time in libraries, though. Acquisitive by nature, I would rather buy books than borrow them. So I have a very extensive library at home. I do not rely much on general histories. Instead, I stock my shelves with books on specific subjects, eg fashion, architecture, carriages, medicine, flora and fauna, etc. And maps. I love maps. For the journey in Once a Dreamer I kept a coaching map from 1799 on my desk. For interesting historical detail, my favorite sources are magazines of the period. You can learn so much about what was important or popular by reading magazines, and I have a small library of magazines from 1794 to 1817. My fascination with period magazines led me to create the Ladies’ Fashionable Cabinet trilogy.