BLOG HOP – Ann I. Goldfarb
http://www.timetravelmysteries.com/The-Time-Borrower.html
Hi! I was invited to this author "Blog Hop" by Poisoned Pen mystery writer, Donis Casey. ( The Alafair Tucker Mysteries). Essentially, a number of authors share their insights with readers by answering four questions and tagging other authors. I've tagged Gale Leach and M.J. Evans. Here goes:
What
am I working on now?
The
Time Borrower has just been released in bookstores,
online and Kindle. It’s the fourth novel in my YA “Light Riders” time travel
mystery/adventure series. The best part for me is that it has been endorsed by
two incredible award winning and best-selling authors – Donis Casey and Jenn
McKinlay. It takes place in 13th century Scotland as its
protagonist, college student Linna Sullivan, goes back in time to try to
prevent the murder of a young monk. Watch out for sinister plots and unexpected
twists and turns.
I
just completed the first draft of the fifth novel in that same series. The Time Stealer will take readers back
to the year 1750 B.C.
College
senior Aeden thinks she’s got it made when all she has to do is direct a
Children’s Theater play for her final project before graduating from Emerson in
Boston. Unfortunately, her department head has something else in mind – adding
his fourteen-year-old miscreant nephew, Wendell, to the cast.
It
doesn’t take Wendell long to hack into Aeden’s iPad and uncover the secret
formulas for time travel that she and her brother found years ago while
cleaning out their great, great aunt’s
house. Wasting no time, Wendell decides to put the formulas to use in order to
find the lost city of Atlantis.
When
Aeden discovers that Wendell is missing, she realizes that he has gone back to
the ancient Minoan civilization on the island of Thera in the Aegean Sea. A
civilization known for its brutal Ceremony of the Bulls and penchant for human
sacrifice. Will she be able to return him to the 21st century or
watch as he becomes the next “burnt offering” for the gods?
Crafting
the first draft is a delight for my imagination, but like all first drafts, the
novel will undergo revisions, edits, and proof readings. That’s the tedious,
strenuous part of the process. Whenever I get an email from one of my editors I
know I’m in for some serious work time.
How
does my book differ from other books in its genre?
Like The Time Borrower, The Time Stealer is a
genre blend of science fiction and historical fiction. When I wrote the first
novel in the series, Light Riders and the
Morenci Mine Murder, KIRKUS REVIEWS called it “an effective multi-genre
approach of murder mystery, horror, sci-fi and Western.” That same style holds
true for this work. I use the element of time travel to hook the readers as I
take them through historical events and places in the past. In order to do so,
I virtually immerse myself into every aspect of life in that particular era,
and that means a tremendous amount of research.
Although
the plot and characters are fabricated, I am compelled as an author to provide
readers with historical accuracy. This novel was particularly challenging in
that regard. Little is known about the Minoan civilization, including its
language. The only references were found on two tablets – Linear A and Linear
B, which are similar to ancient Greek. Fortunately, the incredible Minoan
frescos and ceramics found on the islands of Crete and Santorini were preserved
well enough to give historians and writers like me, some understanding of the
culture.
The
point of view shifts in this novel from twenty-something Aeden to
fifteen-year-old wise guy, Wendell. It allows the reader to identify not only
with both characters but with the perception that the characters have of each
other. It’s like listening in to a private conversation without the guilt.
Why
do I write what I do?
I grew up with
Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. Along came Rod Serling’s “Twilight Zone” and I
was hooked on mystery, suspense, adventure, and science fiction. Add thirty
plus years of teaching middle and high school, culminating with over a decade
as a middle school principal, and the “fodder” for my novels was firmly in place.
I think back to those awkward and funny situations and somehow they find a way
into my books.
Simply
put, I love writing middle grade and YA novels that adults secretly read when
no one is looking. It’s a target audience that I am familiar with and a genre
that I thoroughly enjoy. That’s not to say that I don’t push myself out of the
comfort zone once in a while.
Readers
may be surprised to find grisly, high octane thrillers in the future.
How
does my writing process work?
It begins with
an idea that “marinates” in my brain for days or weeks at a time. Eventually, I
piece together the characters and play around with their dialogue and
personalities before I work out the actual plot. I need to get a sense of who I
am working with before I can send them off to solve murders or mysteries in
time.
My
first novel, The Face Out of Time,
was very linear, adhering to my specific notes and outlines. It drove me crazy!
Then, I had the opportunity to hear J.A. Jance speak at a conference. She said,
“The only person who ever required a formal outline was my high school English
teacher.” In a split second, I was free!
I
guess I’ve developed an eclectic approach to writing. Sometimes I plod.
Sometimes I work by the seat of my pants, and sometimes I use post-its and
snippets of paper strewn all over my desk to get me started on my journey.
Each
book is different. I painstakingly worked out the puzzle details for The Last Tag, my story about a
fifteen-year-old graffiti tagger in Phoenix who stumbles upon the remnants of
an old murder, as if I was developing a secret code for Los Alamos. Not the
case for Light Riders and the
Fleur-de-lis Murder. I gleefully skipped through that book relishing every
obstacle that the French Revolution could provide.
The Time Stealer was reminiscent of my
exhilarating experience writing Fleur. Not
so much with my other novels. They were demanding, annoying at times, and
downright frustrating. If I could compare it to anything, it would be like my
students – each one a different challenge and a different reward.
Readers
sometimes ask me if I set aside a particular time of day to write and the
answer is no. I grab whatever time I have. Some days the best I can do is forty
minutes. Other days it’s six hours straight. I juggle my writing with my other
activities, like teaching adult education in Sun City West and Surprise. Some
seasons are better than others. In the hot Arizona heat, I find that I am very
productive in the afternoons. Let’s face it, sitting in an air-conditioned room
with a fan overhead is a whole lot better than traipsing around in 110 degrees!
Author
Bio
New York native Ann I.
Goldfarb spent most of her life in education, first as a classroom teacher and
later as a middle school principal and professional staff developer. Writing
has always been an integral part of her world. For the past decade, she has
written non-fiction for Madavor Media/Jones Publishing, but her real passion is
writing mystery-suspense-adventure for young adult audiences. Time travel, the vehicle she embraces, is her
hook into historical fiction and Two Cats Press is her publisher.
Ann resides with her
family near the foothills of the White Tank Mountains in Arizona. She invites
you to visit her website at www.timetravelmysteries.com
and “LIKE” her Facebook Page – Time Travel Mysteries.
Meet Author Gale Leach www.galeleach.com
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Gale Leach is the author of The Art of Pickleball, the bestselling book about the world's fastest growing sport, and four award-winning novels for children. She is currently working on a series of fantasy books for young adults. Gale lives in Arizona with her husband, two dogs, and three cats.
About M.J. Evans
M.J.
Evans is passionate about horses, fantasy and writing. She is the
author of both fiction and non-fiction titles about horses. Growing up
in Lake Oswego, Oregon, she learned to ride, rain or shine. M.J. Evans
is a graduate of Oregon State University and a lifelong
equestrian. After graduating from Oregon State University, she took a
twenty-five year hiatus from owning a horse while she and her husband
raised five children. She is a former teacher at the secondary school
level. A move to Colorado gave her the opportunity to return to her
riding and she took the time to work on her writing as well. She and her
husband are the parents of five children and live in Colorado with
their three horses and a Standard Poodle. She has completed all three
books of the Mist Trilogy of which Mists of Darkness is the second. She
spends many hours riding in the Rocky Mountains and planning her books
in her head. 
