Time Travel
Deb Stover © 2003
Good time travel can be some of the most compelling
fiction ever written. It's the classic fish out of water story with a twist--and a half.
The potential for both angst and humor is endless, and adventure and conflict are built
right into the story.
When it's done right. . .
Everyone who knows me, also knows I hate rules when it comes to
writing.
The same holds true for time travel stories. There are no rules.
None. However, there are certain elements that can make a time travel better, more
compelling, and more believable for the reader.
I know what I like as a reader, and I try to incorporate those
elements in my own stories. I dislike time travels that leave me with a feeling of
uncertainty at the end. Did the time travel occur for this character or not? Books that
incorporate hypnosis or the proverbial bump on the head can sometimes leave a reader with
that question at the end. An author must be very careful in order to make this work.
Another pet peeve of mine is the resolution. Give me the real hero and heroine at the end
- not a reincarnated substitute, unless the author has foreshadowed this ending in such a
way that I'm able to suspend disbelief, and accept the new hero or heroine without
question. Sometimes I'm left feeling as if the author pulled the reincarnated hero or
heroine out at the end because she couldn't think of any other way to make the story work.
That's a cop-out, in my humble opinion.
Back in the late 80s to early 90s, it seemed that many historicals
were being published as time travels for marketing purposes. Most of these books fell
short of being satisfying reads. Why? Because the time travel element wasn't intrinsic to
the plot. In other words, there was no reason for it to happen, and it seemed forced -
thrown in strictly for marketing, while time travels were really hot.
Unfortunately--IMHO--this practice also contributed to the near-death of this beloved
sub-genre.
My time travelers always have a mission to fulfill. There's must
be a reason for the time travel to occur. There should also be a very specific set of
circumstances necessary for the time travel to occur. In other words, I avoid the
"revolving door" time portal, where characters jet back and forth in time on
several occasions throughout the story.
In SOME LIKE IT HOTTER--AKA "Dirty Harry Meets Scarlett
O'Hara"--the time-traveling hero has a definite mission. His mission, its importance
to the story, and to the romance is one of the things that make time travels really work.
This isn't only true of time travel. Let's face it, a romantic suspense that ties the
suspense element to the romantic element is the very best.
The time travel craze has waned somewhat, though I don't think time
travel romance will ever really die. Readers are voracious, and they beg authors to keep
writing time travels. However, the cold truth is that publishers aren't reporting sales
good enough to keep publishing many time travels. This is one reason it's so crucial
for us all to remember before we purchase a book used that's still available new, that we
may be limiting the future availability of our favorite sub-genre.
I fully intend to keep writing time travels. As a reader and as an
author, I find visiting history from a contemporary point of view the most satisfying of
all romance novels.
Time Travels by Deb Stover:
A
MOMENT IN TIME (June 2000)
ANOTHER DAWN (January 1999)
ALMOST AN ANGEL (November 1997)
SOME LIKE IT HOTTER (April 1997)
A WILLING SPIRIT (October 1996)
SHADES OF ROSE (June 1995)
Reincarnation Novels by Deb Stover
MULLIGAN STEW (June 2002)
MULLIGAN MAGIC (April 2003)
Time Travel Novellas:
MURDER
MOST ROMANTIC,
"Keeper of the Well"
SOME
ENCHANTED EVENING
"Citizen Daisy" September 2002
All
Novels and Novellas by Deb Stover
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