For research information on individual books please go to the Books Pages

Theresa Breslin loves doing research for her books, browsing through museums and libraries, looking at old newspapers and travelling around, sometimes to different countries, to check out facts and soak up atmosphere. She almost likes it too much, and in fact is sometimes so busy enjoying herself that she tries to put off doing the actual writing!

As well as researching by reading books and historical documents, Theresa uses the Internet to search for information to help her write her books. She also likes talking to people about her subject. There is a part in KEZZIE (Chapter 4) when the miners say that they were uneasy because everything was quiet underground, that they should have sensed that something was wrong because the earth was still. This came from a conversation that the author had with a real miner who had been involved in a pit accident and went to help those trapped underground.

Theresa had lots of fun doing research for the DREAM MASTER books. For the first book THE DREAM MASTER she managed a trip to Egypt, and saw the great pyramids at Giza. She also visited the Cairo Museum where many of the treasures from the tomb of Tutankhamun are kept. The tour guide's name was called Heva, which means "a gift" and she gave the author a gift of a little story. While standing in front of King Tutankhamun's throne, which shows the King and his wife together, she told why it was thought that the King and his wife were wearing only one pair of sandals between them. If you read THE DREAM MASTER you will see how Theresa incorporated this story into the book.

For Dream Master - Nightmare! the author spent some time in the Yorvik Centre in York, looking at Viking history and became really interested in the runic inscriptions. If you look at the book you will see how the brilliant illustrator has designed the chapter headings - one with a Celtic inscription and one using Runic inscriptions.

REMEMBRANCE has been the most widely and deeply researched book that Theresa has written so far, involving her in a vast amount of research and visits to Belgium and France. Background reading included regimental histories, biographies, newspapers, journals and letters of the time, several visits to the Imperial War Museums in London and Edinburgh and a visit to the Durham Light Infantry Museum.