I speak about history with a focus on crime, criminals, and the people who tried to uphold the law.

The talks are not just for authors. I customize each presentation to meet your organization’s needs. Each topic can be customized to fit your needs. Topics can be presented as seminars or workshops (full- or half-day). 

Some suggested topics:

Putting Forensics in Your Historical Fiction: In the 1800s, forensics and policing were in their infancy. How do you leave a trail of physical evidence for your detective when nothing seems available? There’s more than you think. In this presentation I talk about what evidence existed, how a crime scene could be processed, and teach you how to tweak fact to create intriguing fiction. 

How to be a Nineteenth-Century Sleuth: Your crime has been committed now you have to solve it? Your sleuth doesn’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to carry out a successful investigation. Nor do they have to be deprived of physical (forensic) evidence. There’s an abundance of clues available whether they are police, private detective, or amateur sleuth. This seminar provides the necessary answers to build a foundation for your nineteenth-century mystery. What evidence is available? How is it processed? How is a crime scene processed? What characteristics must your detective have (and what ones can they not have)? When do the police get involved? Does your constable have to be a bumbling fool? Interwoven with the answers are strategies you can use to manipulate the system to assist or hinder your sleuth.

Nineteenth-Century Poisons: Though this was the era when arsenic was king, there were other poisons available. Some had existed for a long time, others, like nicotine, were being created. What poisons were available and when? How can your murderer get their hands on them? How were they administered and what was the lethal dose? And what symptoms can you expect? All of it put into social context. How should your characters think about and handle poison? And, what pitfalls should you avoid?

How to Catch a Nineteenth-Century Poisoner: Your victim is dead and your sleuth suspects poison. How do they prove murder and who did it? Nothing about a twenty-first-century poisoning can be used in a nineteenth-century case. In this presentation I talk about how to get an investigation going (not as easy as you think), what evidence will be needed, who will gather it, what they’ll need before they go to court. Along with this, the seminar discusses what you have to figure out before you begin your journey to murder by poison (in you book, of course).

Victorian True Crime: There’s more to Victorian crime than Jack the Ripper. There’s Belle Gunnes, Lizzie Borden, H.H. Holmes among others. In this presentation I talk about lesser known, but equally sensational criminals who thrilled and scandalized society. What made some murderers “fashionable” while others were forgotten or ignored? And what made a good Victorian murder story? 

Testimonials

“Kerry Cathers knows crime! Her presentation "The Good, the Bad, and the Bloody: Nineteenth-Century Crime Scenes and Their Forensic Evidence" at the Historical Novel Society North America Conference in San Antonio in June 2023 was lively, full of historical examples, and replete with the kind of details that writers need to bring their stories to life.”
Maryka Biaggio, PhD, Secretary and Communications Chair, HNSNA

“What a delight it was hosting and participating in Kerry's 19th Century Poisons and her Victorian & Regency Forensics classes. She was a fun, informative and generous-with-information teacher. Thanks Kerry.”
Anna Taylor Sweringen, COFFIN Coordinator, Kiss of Death RWA Mystery and Romantic Suspense Chapter

“Kerry Cathers's program on "Putting Forensics in Your Historical Fiction" was informative, entertaining, and inspiring. She not only describes the tools and techniques available in the early days of law enforcement, but she also provides real-life case details that bring the program alive. Kerry kept the audience enraptured throughout the entire program. Her presentation style is energetic and engaging. We can't wait to have her back again! I came away with lots of great information and some new ideas for stories. I could've listened to her talk for hours more!”
Diane Kelly, author of The House Flipper, Mountain Lodge, and Southern Homebrew mystery series