I would love to hear more about how you do research for your novels -- you write on so many different historical topics. It seems like the research must be part of the fun of writing for you.

Mary Mackey Research is definitely a big part of the fun of writing historical fiction. One of the best things I have to do is travel to interesting places to scout locations. My novels have taken me to Paris, Russia, London, Berlin, Borneo, India, Nepal, Rio de Janeiro, and remote places in the Amazon rainforest. When I was writing "The Year The Horses Came," which is about the Goddess-worshiping cultures of Neolithic Europe, I took a research trip to Romania and Bulgaria to look at ancient goddess sculptures and stare at the great gold hoards of the nomad invaders. I could go on an on about how much fun it is to do historical research. You are always learning something new, and you never get bored.

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