Thanks! Research — lol — it varies, but mostly way too long. Depends how long each particular story takes to track down. Some of them are easier to track than others, but anywhere from days to weeks. On some, I’ve read entire books first to make sure I have a good grasp.

In a strange way, it’s a writing exercise for me. Historical facts are typically presented in a dull and boring way. So I start by digging for facts that have legit references. Then, I take that list of facts and write it as a ‘story’ that’s more interesting to read than a collection of dry historical notations.