Thanks to Kristi Belcamino for tagging me in in The Next Big Thing Blog Hop, in which an author answers set interview questions and then tags more people to do the same.
What is the working title of your book?
Peer through Time
Where did the idea come from for the book?
Time travel stories have long been my favorite. I loved the TV show “Lost” but I was disappointed that not all the intriguing questions were answered by the end. My story has nothing to do with being lost on an island, but it does broach what I hope are intriguing questions, all of which will be answered.
What genre does your book fall under?
Science Fiction/Speculative Fiction
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
My mind resisted this question at first, but once I dug in, it was not only fun but a great exercise in unleashing character-development creativity. If Lindsay Lohan ever gets her shit together (a big if), I’d love it if she could call upon all that emotional baggage—and early talent and likeability—to portray our protagonist, Carmela. But realistically, Emma Stone would be a better choice, and Cissy Spacek could be the older version of Carmela.
Since Justin ages only slightly, the Franco brothers, Dave and James, might be a good fit.
What is the synopsis of your book?
Carmela Akronfleck wants to return to her own time. Twenty years ago, at age eight, she was unwittingly displaced from the year 2002 to 2059, unable to return. Her new therapist thinks she’s delusional, but Carmela believes she will soon embark on a one-way trip to the past.
While experimenting with quantum virtual wormholes, Carmela and her colleague Justin vanish from the laboratory at Wakeup Technologies. Carmela finds herself alone in the year 1934, with no sign of Justin. Now she must learn to live without the technology she’s come to rely on, hoping she can stay long enough to be reunited with her biological parents.
In the year 2079, Carmela’s adoptive mother, Margaret, feigns surprise about her daughter’s disappearance. Although she knew the day might come, her grief is genuine–and it intensifies when some of Margaret’s acquaintances suffer unexplained fatalities. She seeks help from the same therapist who was treating Carmela and two of the victims.
Back in the early twentieth century, Carmela makes a discovery that leads her to believe her adoptive mother is in danger. But she has no way of getting a message to Margaret across time–unless she can figure out how to travel through it again. If she succeeds in finding a way, Carmela will have to choose between reuniting with her natural parents and saving the woman she now calls Mom.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Hopefully by an agency, though I will consider self-publishing.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
It took 7 months to get halfway through, but I’m increasing my daily word quota, so I plan to finish the first draft within 11-12 months from the time I started.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
The non-fiction writings of futurist Ray Kurzweil and physicist Paul Davies have been very inspirational in terms of the ideas I want to cover. As for stellar models of fiction, the writings of science-fiction author Robert J Sawyer and cross-genre author Dean Koontz have played a large role. And for story structure and plotting, I kneel before the shrine of James Scott Bell and Larry Brooks, who were brought to my attention by my writer-friend (and childhood classmate – sort of a peer through time, get it?) Kristi Belcamino.
Kurzweil has been especially inspiring because he believes the future of humans and our machines will not be “us vs. them” as found in much futuristic speculative fiction. Rather, we will merge with our technology so that they are us, we are them—this is already happening today, so I’m simply extrapolating it into the future. Despite all the harmony I predict, there’s still plenty of tension and evil doings. This is a fiction story, after all.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
While time travel is part of the story’s foundation, there’s also a murder mystery; some soap-opera-like character connections and family histories; and an indication that our technological advances will reveal an optimistic future for humankind.
On Wednesday, Feb. 20th, please visit my writer friend, Kai Venice, as he writes about his Next Big Thing.
Sounds intriguing – can’t wait to read it in its finished form! I’ve been reading your “stories” since you were a youngster – always knew you could someday be a published writer, David.
Thanks for sharing this. I left a comment. 🙂
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