Recreating the daily life of 11th century Celtic Ireland required a good deal of research, but prior to writing, I didn't submerge myself in old tomes for months on end as many writers do. I'm sure I would have found it interesting, but I'm also sure I would have become so mired in information I wouldn't be able to sort out what to include, and I would worry that my story would become an info dump. I tend to research on a need-to-know basis. I'm not big on detail anyway -- I prefer to let my readers use their imaginations -- so I headed to the Internet or library only when I needed some fact that the story called for at that time. Often it was to identify flora and fauna, diet, daily activities, tools, dress, cultural norms, speech patterns, etc. And then it was back to writing until I needed the next historical fact. I think that helped me create novels with sufficient description to make the setting identifiable and credible to readers, but not so steeped in facts that it was hard to find the story. I wanted to put history into my story, not work my story into history.

For instance, I know quite a bit about Celtic homes, but in The Druid and the Dragon, I described Maeve's home minimally. I wanted to give readers a sense of it without placing undue emphasis on it. In other words I didn't want to give it any more attention than I would a modern home in a novel, because it isn't the focus of the story.

In the opening sentences of the first chapter, I point out its dirt floor by having Bronagh make reference to it.

"Don't be slopping dirty water," her mother called after her. "I'll not thank you for a mud floor."

It wasn't until Maeve was leaving her home for the last time, that I provided a description of the house's exterior, and even then I kept it simple.

She took a last look at the small round wattle and daub cottage with its heather roof.

Could I have said more? For sure. But it wasn't necessary. My readers had enough to create their own picture. 

You might not think the fantasy element of the novels required any research -- after all fantasy is make believe! -- but you'd be mistaken. Dragons may not be living creatures, but they are an accepted part of the folklore and mythology of many cultures, and as such, they possess specific traits. So I had to make sure that I got them right in my novels. For instance eastern dragons are different from western dragons in anatomy, disposition, and activities. The dragons in The Seer Trilogy are clearly western dragons, so I had to create them accordingly, right down to the colours of their scales.

Gemstones and pendulums play a major role in The Bridge of Whispers and as with dragons, there is an accepted collection of truths, protocols and procedures regarding their use, which I stuck to in the novel. The appearance of ghosts was a bit less restrictive, but I still had to make my imagined rules for ghosts fit with the accepted Celtic beliefs concerning the circle of life and the Otherworld.

One of the divination tools Maeve happens upon by accident in The Bridge of Whispers and revisits again in The Sorcerer's Revenge is scrying. This is the practise of staring into mirrors, water, crystal balls, etc. in order to see visions. In Maeve's case, she stares into fire. (It's a habit she picked up from her mother.) Before Maeve could do it though,  I had to learn how to do it. Hence, more research.

As Maeve tried to make sense of the situation, she leaned her head against the stone and gazed at the torch. The ball of flame billowed and swayed while fiery tongues licked the darkness, pulling in the night--and Maeve. 

Her eyelids grew heavy and the fire became a blur. She told herself she should get back to the Ruin, but she didn't want to move. It was as if her spirit was dancing with the flame, the two twined as one. She let her thoughts wander deep into the fire.

And there was Deirdre.

In the final book of the trilogy, The Sorcerer's Revenge (coming out next fall), I had to research Celtic sorcery. What a blast that was! Expect more magic in that read, but be assured I did my homework and I'm giving you the whole magical truth.