After I had written seventeen full-length mysteries, two volumes of mini-mysteries, a travel guide and some quiz books, not to mention a spin-off Roman Mystery Scrolls series, I thought it was time I moved to new historical pastures.

I write about times and places I would visit in a time machine, like ancient Rome or the Wild West.

I loved every minute of my three years majoring in classics at Berkeley.

To create a character who really interests you, try combining aspects of your favourite fictional character with a real person.

After I had written seventeen full-length mysteries, two volumes of mini-mysteries, a travel guide and some quiz books, not to mention a spin-off Roman Mystery Scrolls series, I thought it was time I moved to new historical pastures.

Now, if I had an Indian name, it would be "Stands in Confusion".

I thought it might be fun to set my books in Nevada, which is in the West and still pretty Wild. You can still gamble, carry a loaded pistol and go into a silver-mine and they still have saloons with swinging doors, boardwalks, and horses.