I never thought hard about the question to, “What would I study for fun?” And yet it was fun and easy to answer. I study mythology all the time on my own, but I never thought to switch it up like this. I found a favorite and have had a hard time switching to something new, but if I do… here are some of my first choices.

1. Criminology. I have always wanted to study the criminal aspect of the mind. I have always been intrigued for writing my villains. I also have always loved true crime documentaries. Understanding the impact of the criminal/villain on a person/people. Identifying the who, what and why of it all has been lingering on my mind as I build characters.

2. Wolves. The pack mentality, the grace of these animals, and their reactions have always fascinated me. I have always loved wolves, foxes, snow leopards, and red pandas. Those animals have special meaning to me, but the wolves have always had a pull for me to understand everything about them.

3. The 1920’s. This era has always captivated me. Movies, novels, and television that can showcase this era pull me in and rarely let me go. Pieces written in and about the time sit higher up on my shelves than others do. They are definitely favored. I am setting up to do a ton of research because of the trilogy I have planned out, and I want it set in the twenties. This fun research is about to kick-off!

4. Tudor era. Favorite era in time. I have many fiction and non-fiction pieces on my shelves that I have yet to get to. There are many shows, movies, plays, and pieces about it. It is one of the most controversial eras in history. The secrets, the scandal, the royalty. It just screams this cannot be real, but it is.

5. Weird state laws. This has absolutely nothing to do with my writing or reading. This is just awesomely weird. There are hysterical ones that I have heard of, but now I want to keep finding them. Go ahead and look some up. There is a guarantee laugh for you!

6. Italian. This might be something that winds up in my writing down the road, but right now it is more personal. My grandmother speaks Italian. She is a huge inspiration in my life, and I would love to surprise her one day by speaking with her in Italian.

7. Fighting. This is a all around want to study combat of all types for my writing. There is also the benefit of taking care of myself, but I want to make sure my characters fight and react appropriately to situations.

8. Survival skills. Sometimes you or your characters can find yourselves in situations you never expect. Having survival instincts is one thing, but having the skills to utilize those to the best of your abilities is another. Studying this would be interesting in general but beneficial for my writing as well.

9. Human behavior and psychology. I already study aspects on my own, but studying the broader aspects would help further my understanding into illnesses, issues, and the human brain can further grow my understanding of people in general. I feel doing this is the first step to understanding the criminology aspect of it all further down the road.

10. Gypsy and Romani lifestyles. Palm reading and tarot, natural remedies, the magics that were used for all of this, and the people in general. These are interesting and really fun things to study. That is partially for fun and partially for research. Finding books on the subject is harder than I thought, so I would love any references if you have them!

What are some things you would study for fun if you have the time?

-AB