What inspired two Santa Cruz authors to take on Madam Lenin and Thorstein Veblen as subjects for literary novels? Join us for a discussion on how history and historical research shaped the latest writing projects of authors Elizabeth McKenzie and Kat Meads, and how these novelists employed “the facts” to serve their fictional plots. Together, Elizabeth McKenzie and Kat Meads will discuss their inspiration, their research, the process of turning historical facts into fiction, and the valuable lessons learned along the way.