What will draw readers to Alice Marks's "At the End of the Road" is the fact that her protagonist, Maddie, is the only child time traveler of the collection's characters.
To an adult, the idea of time travel is fascinating yet frightening, wrought with what-ifs and had-better-nots. Alice's tale gives the concept an interesting spin when looked at through the lens of youth and innocence.
So, let's find out what made Alice choose her character Maddie, and what else she may have in store for us.
Say hello to author Alice Marks!
How close do you think we are to actually achieving time travel (if at all)?
The possibility of time travel is limited only to imagination. So many
things once imagined are today's reality. I do expect it in the
lifetime of my grandchildren.
Where did you look for inspiration while writing your time travel short story?
When I see landscape painting, I always imagine living in the era
illustrated. That is why a perspective painting of a dirt road
bordered by trees had to be in my story.
If you stumbled upon the secret to time travel, would you share it with others (why or why not)?
I would share it only with two agencies [whom] I prefer not to disclose, so that
people much wiser than I can make certain of the safety and
authenticity of time travel before sharing my secret with the world.
I will expect royalties from all entities that begin offering time
travel opportunities. I wouldn't mind sitting on the board of an
agency that specializes in time travel through the past.
What was the best part about writing a time travel tale? The most challenging?
The best part was being a part of this endeavor and having Alesha [Escobar] to
help me improve my story. Researching the era about which I have written
also was enjoyable.
The most challenging was adding more suspense
without spoiling the integrity of the piece. What I first wrote was more
political science than science fiction, so with the help of our
incredible editor, I rewrote part of the story to make it more in
keeping with time travel.
Where can we find out more about you?
To find out more about me, you'd have to follow me around in Duluth,
Minnesota to attend the community ed writing classes I teach, or the
writers group I have just started!
Otherwise, I have been part of two
Chicken Soup for the Soul anthologies (I Can't Believe My Cat Did That!
and The Power of the Positive), Texas Island Style (Richard Mueller),
and Second Read for the Animals (Erika M. Szabo). I also have been
published in poetry anthologies and by an on-line humor website, NCV. I
plan to have a mystery novel in print.
Thank you, Alice!
Dear Readers, if you haven't already, enter our Masters of Time Giveaway which will be on-going until July 13th. You'll have the chance to snag some amazing canvas tote bags, signed paperback books, "time travel" writing journals, and other cool prizes.
Keep in touch with the Masters of Time gang over at Facebook.
We look forward to seeing more of you!
We caught up with Masters of Time contributor H.M. Jones and asked her a few questions about her story (and where we can stalk her online). If you're just now hearing about our upcoming short story anthology, thank you for visiting, and welcome! Please like our Facebook Page and stay in touch, as we will be updating you about the collection, and don't forget to enter our giveaway today.
Well, besides the giveaway, we're excited about the launch of this sci-fi & fantasy time travel anthology because of the insanely talented authors who are contributing to it. One of them is H.M. Jones, and we wanted to share the title of her short story, her thoughts on time travel, and what other books she has available.
Author Interview: H.M. Jones
Thank you for joining us today, H.M. What story did you contribute to the Masters of Time anthology, and why do you think people will connect with it?
My contribution to this wonderful anthology is entitled "The Light Storm
of 2015". My story will most likely draw readers who are interested in
tales of a personal nature. Ben and Gina's story is a time travel story,
yes, but it's primarily about their burgeoning feelings for one another
and the ways in which they struggle with issues of love, loss and
mourning.
How close do you think we are to actually achieving time travel (if at all)?
I'm a much better writer than astrophysicist, but I'll take a stab at
the question anyway. At the moment, humans are unable to travel at the
speed of light, so I think we're probably a long way off from time
travel. That said, we now have the ability to channel our inner James
Bond and communicate via a watch, so maybe technology will move faster
than I imagine.
Where did you look for inspiration while writing your time travel short story?
I'm so happy you asked this, so I can give proper credit to the
inspiration of my daily exercise in writing. I am a part of a wonderful
Google+ social community called Geekscapes. In this community, our
moderator shares daily pictures from some of the most talented geek
artists of today. Our community has many avid sci-fi and fantasy geeks
who write stories about some of the pictures, myself included.
Ben and
Gina's story started as a mini tale about a lovely piece of art that
showed a yellow crop duster facing a brilliant display of swirling
lights. After writing what is now the first four paragraphs of my short
story, my fellow Google+ geeks democratically decided that I was not
done by tagging me several times asking, "What happens next,
+H.M.Jones?" I tend to listen to my geek friends' insights, so I figured
out what happened next for this anthology.
If you stumbled upon the secret to time travel, would you share it with others (why or why not)?
I would share it with my best friend and husband, Mr. Jones. He's a very
smart man, who is highly interested in space and time travel, but not
for the story aspect of it, as I am. He is more interested in the
science behind it all. He would likely be the one to keep me from
jumping willy-nilly into various time periods to meet my favorite
authors. I imagine more people are the type to do as I would do and ruin
lives across the space-time continuum, so it might be best if that
secret were kept between the two of us.
What was the best part about writing a time travel tale? The most challenging?
For me, the best and most challenging aspect of writing time travel is
the same: writing science fiction. I'm primarily a contemporary fantasy
writer and lean towards reading contemporary and high fantasy. However,
Ben and Gina's story had a life of its own, and that life included time
travel and wormholes. Who am I to deny my story its chosen path? It was
a nice challenge to wear the hat of science fiction author, and I hope I
did it justice.
Where can we find out more about you?
After writing my debut novel, I went crazy with the social networks, so
you will find me smattered across the web on almost ever imaginable
social network.
However, the social sites I use most are:
I also have an author website,
which I update regularly: hmjones.net. I love hearing from readers
and fans.
