History

I’ve haunted rummage sales and antique shops since I was in my twenties fascinated with objects crafted in the past. I recall buying my first antique, a Chinese Chippendale gateleg table. It was followed by a Georgian period Hepplewhite dresser and a Victorian era Eastlake loveseat. I managed to fill my house with dated furnishings and vintage artwork before Antiques Roadshow ruined everyone’s fun by elevating prices on any object found in an attic. I’m thrilled that – according to YouTube decorators – antiques are now “back in style” and these old items scattered around me are rising in market value. They never lost any value in my eyes.
 
I’ve always admired bone china teapots and silvered mirrors but never studied history until I began writing my series. Abbey ruins. Viking relics. Megalithic tombs. Roman rubble. It is all scattered throughout my mysteries where crimes revolve around coins minted in AD 43, books written in the 16th century, and 1940’s swing dances. No surprise my sleuthing protagonist is a historian. Like me, she has one foot in the past as she searches for her personal history.
 
Plot ideas send me down an endless number of rabbit holes where I continually learn about the past and layer it into storylines because, let’s face it, history enriches us. Gives us our sense of place in the grand scheme of things. Reminds us that our problems are temporary and what seems incredibly important right now will simply fade away along with our memory. You see, I’ve learned history’s biggest lesson and greatest comfort: Life goes on long after we disappear.