I was born in the wrong time period. I'd be more at home in the mid-nineteenth century (though I would miss hot showers and central heating). Technology terrifies me. I have an uneasy truce with my computer but I am sure it would win any battle.
So, I immerse myself in history. My favourite genre to read is historical fiction - of any period or locale. It is not surprising then that three of my four novels (and a further unpublished piece) have been set in the past.
Immersing myself in the details of bygone eras helps me escape the reality of today's information onslaught, threatening news stories and disintegatiang families. While researching a period I have learned such fascinating details - medieval nobles kept their clothes hanging in their garderobe (toilet) as the stench was believed to kill the lice that tortured people of that period. The accumulated facts have helped me give contours to my characters and illustrate my settings while at the same time educating myself. Research never bores me though it does take me down many allies of inquiry and distract me from getting some actual writing done!