The Story Behind How Soon Is Now? by Paul Carnahan

 

 

 

The Story Behind How Soon Is Now?

By Paul Carnahan

 

‘How Soon Is Now?’ began as an idea we’ve probably all had at one time or another: What would it be like to go back and live any part of your life again?

What would you do better? Which mistakes would you correct? Which long-lost love or loved ones would you want to see again?

It’s a compelling idea, but for a long time, that’s all it was – just an idea. Finding a story big enough to do it justice was the tricky part…

There were various potential stories over the years. One was for a time-travelling romantic comedy similar to the 1986 Kathleen Turner movie ‘Peggy Sue Got Married’ – college hi-jinks with a middle-aged protagonist transported back to his college days. The more I thought about the practicalities of it, though, the less attractive that particular idea became. In fact, it began to seem downright icky in these more enlightened times.

What was needed was something with more weight, more emotional resonance. What would compel someone to revisit their own past? Loss, guilt and grief all seemed like strong contenders. And so The Nostalgia Club was born – a group of assorted misfits who, for widely varying reasons, find themselves drawn to examine and re-examine their pasts, over and over again.

The Club’s members would give me a chance to examine themes of memory, fate and the dangerous pull of the past while telling stories within stories, all within the framework of a classic quest narrative – an ordinary man discovers an extraordinary talent while embarking on a perilous mission (in this case, into his own past).

This being a time travel story, things quickly became pleasingly complicated. Twists, secrets and paradoxes piled up (a missing man, an unsolved murder, a maverick rival time traveller), but the mechanics of time travel within the novel remained resolutely down-to-earth. ‘How Soon Is Now?’ is a story about people, not technobabble or SF gimmickry.

In the end, what I wanted to create – and I very much hope I’ve succeeded – was a page-turner with enough mystery and invention to keep readers hooked, balanced with enough depth and complexity to bring out new shades of meaning with each reading. A time travel story, in other words, worth returning to over and over again.

 

 

 

Book Title: How Soon is Now?

Author: Paul Carnahan

Publisher: Tobasmuss Ink

Publication Date: June 10, 2024

Pages: 462

Genre: Contemporary Fantasy/Time Travel

A troubled ex-journalist launches a perilous mission into his own past after being recruited by a mysterious group of time travelers.

Luke Seymour uncovers the secrets of the eccentric Nostalgia Club as he battles to solve the riddle of their missing leader, honing his newly discovered – and dangerously addictive – talent for time travel and plunging ever deeper into his own time stream … where the terrible mistake that scarred his life is waiting.

Set in Glasgow and Edinburgh in the 1980s, 1990s and near-present, ‘How Soon Is Now?’ is a gripping new novel loaded with unforgettable characters, intricate storytelling, dark humour and a unique twist on the mechanics of time travel – all moving towards a powerful and emotional climax.

Available at:

Amazon U.S.: https://www.amazon.com/How-Soon-Now-powerful-travel-ebook/dp/B0D1RG2GL5 

Amazon U.K.: https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Soon-Now-powerful-travel-ebook/dp/B0D1RG2GL5 

 

Paul Carnahan was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and grew up in the new town of Cumbernauld. After studying journalism in Edinburgh, he began a decades-long career in local and national newspapers.

‘How Soon Is Now?’ is his first novel. The second, the Britpop-era romance ‘End of a Century’, will be released early in 2025, and a third is currently a work in progress.

Website & Social Media:

Website ➜ www.paulcarnahan.com 

Twitter ➜ https://twitter.com/pacarnahan  

Instagram ➜ https://www.instagram.com/paulcarnahan6/ 

Goodreads ➜ https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/211423352-how-soon-is-now

 

 

 

The Story Behind The Five Watches: An Accident of Time by John R. York

 

 

 

The Story Behind The Five Watches: An Accident of Time by John R. York

During my life, I’ve tried my hand at more things than most people. Even as a kid, my mother often told me that I was flighty, that I should take the time to focus on doing something well. “Jack of all trades, master of none,” she often told me. She assured me, however, that I had potential, I only needed to apply myself. But I grew up in the rural farm country of central Ohio, an ideal setting for pursuing a Tom Sawyer lifestyle. My focus was primarily on adventure and trying new things.

I’ve always been a daydreamer. In my reveries, I could conjure up wild scenarios where anything was possible. This characteristic remains with me today and continues to motivate me to attempt things I think are worth doing—a philosophy that has served me well over the years

This trait is what drove me to write my first novel, A Wolf’s Tale: Memoir of a Man Named Wolf. The book began as my own non-fictional memoir, but I eventually decided to fictionalize the events to give myself more freedom in telling the stories that defined this man’s (my) life. I think of it as elaboration in the interest of entertainment.

I’ve always loved to tell stories. Even as a child, I would make up stories to entertain my siblings, neighbors, and cousins. I frequently came up with elaborate ideas for having fun, like starting a zoo, treasure hunts in the nearby woods, or floating down Blacklick Creek on a log pretending we were explorers. When I grew older, I used the stories of my life as a means of driving home a particular point when delivering a lecture on leadership during my career in the high-tech industry.

I really love writing stories. After my first book was published, the ideas for more stories just kept pouring out of my brain. I would typically come up with the plot lines and individual scenes in the early morning hours, as I lay in my bed in a half-dream state. The rest of the day would be spent capturing all the ideas on my computer while they were still fresh.

I self-published my first five novels, but connected with an indie publisher, DocUmeant Publishing, just as I finished the sixth. I discovered that what I didn’t know about publishing and marketing was a lot. My publisher helped me through the process and I became a better writer for it.

In keeping with my ‘flighty’ personality, the genre of my novels is all over the map. After my fictional memoir, I wrote two science fiction books, an award-winning historical fiction novel, a paranormal murder mystery, and a modern western, native-American fantasy. 

I realize that this practice is not an ideal business or marketing strategy, making it very difficult to accurately identify my target readers, but I don’t want to limit myself to one genre. I will confess that science fiction and fantasy are my favorite categories for reading and writing. And regardless of which one of my books you might read, you’ll find those influences in every story.

When I was preparing to write The Five Watches: An Accident of Time, I began with the determination that it was time to do something within the realm of science fiction. I love reading space operas and science fantasy, but I don’t think that’s within my bailiwick as a writer. The two science fiction books I wrote involved parallel worlds, which I still find quite fascinating, but the persistent urge to do something with time travel kept me awake at night.

I’ve read many time travel novels, beginning with H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine, which I’ve read more than once. Frankly, I’ve been disappointed with some of these books because so many of them are essentially romance novels or going back in time to change something in the present, which every time traveler knows is impossible due to the consistency paradox. Of course, most are very well written and popular sellers.

But I wanted to come up with something different, something appealing yet provocative. I mean, I know everybody likes those other typical plot lines, including the quintessential romance novels, but I couldn’t see the point of rewriting stories like: This is How You Lose the Time War, or Kindred, or The Time Traveler’s Wife, or Outlander (all excellent books).

I believe time travel is an inherently interesting sub-genre. The challenge is to devise a story that uses that intrinsic allure effectively. I came up with the idea of focusing the novel on four days of one man’s life in 2019, although the events in my story stretch over 700 years. I wanted the present-day characters in the story to be just ordinary, everyday people who, when confronted with extraordinary events, step up to the challenge and achieve extraordinary things. I also devised the concept of a future of the future to avoid the consistency paradoxes. Beginning with that premise, I let my imagination take over.

Well, okay, there was another thing that I wanted to address. The tension and turmoil in today’s society, coupled with humankind’s propensity to destroy itself and the world we all live in, are things that I often think about. Most authors of fiction write novels that reflect their experiences, attitudes, and concerns, and I’m no exception.

I didn’t want to make a political statement, but I did want to weave a social comment into the story by styling it as a precautionary tale illustrating what we, as human beings, are libel to do to ourselves if something doesn’t change—you know, the apocalyptic-dystopian stuff of many science fiction novels. I also wanted to emphasize our ability to achieve amazing things when we put our minds to it.

The “accident of time” in my story provides humanity with one last chance to change the future of the future. As is the case with all my books, I like to end with a ray of hope that we will eventually figure out how to get along with each other. Hopefully readers will decide that now is always a good time to begin making changes.

 

 

What might happen if a handful of people living in different eras became entangled in time, some intentionally and some accidentally? The nineteenth-century scientist, Dr. Wilhelm Gussen, is passionate about improving the welfare of mankind, and so he begins a journey through time in a quest to learn about future advances in epidemiology. Physicist Emory Lynch, from the twenty-seventh century, studies an old pocket watch, said to be a time travel device, and accidently stumbles into the twenty-first century. In 2019, Jim Zimmerman, the de facto neighborhood go-to guy, finds himself caught in the middle of a clandestine, future conspiracy. True to his character, he becomes inextricably involved in future affairs that involve saving humanity from itself—dragging his wife and a few neighbors along for the ride. Thus, begins a time travel adventure that examines the stubborn predictability of human behavior and how some things, even over time, never seem to change.

Praise:

“The Five Watches is filled with interesting characters and enchanting tapestries woven into the fabric of time itself. John explores not only the ravages of time but more importantly the impact of individual kindness, caring, and selflessness towards others that is heartwarming. I enjoyed this suspenseful page turner, the connection to everyday people and to imaginable heroes that we can all strive to become. Uplifting! – Jim Richards, Beta Reader

Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/46fjjp6f

 

John R. York has been writing and publishing his stories since 2016, but he’s always been a storyteller, even as a kid in Central Ohio where he grew up. His life experiences provided him with a wealth of tales to share with others and resulted in his debut work, Wolf’s Tale. He has since published five more novels, including the award-winning Journey to Eden. A retired high-tech executive, he currently lives with his wife, Paula, in New Port Richey, Florida.

Website: www.johnryork.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/john.york.9277

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnryork and www.tiktok.com/@dreamwriter

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/John-York/author/B0771RCZJ2?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21571052.John_York

 

 

 

 

 

The Story Behind Northern Echoes by Melody Ash

 

The Story Behind Northern Echoes

Ask any author and they will tell you inspiration for books come from just about everywhere: dreams, movies, a song, the kid next door. And I can tell you all these are true. But for Web of Echoes (because it was really the series I had the inspiration for and not the book) was a little less straightforward. So we’ve got to take a little tour of what I enjoy, and all the pieces will come together. 

While I was writing this, I was trying to figure out the best place to start, and since I’m watching tv (Stranger Things) with my oldest kiddo, I figured we’d start there. I LOVE movies off all kinds: romance, some romcoms, thrillers, suspense, adventures. If the story is good, I’m all over it. But I do a thing for movies that can take me away for a little bit, that bend the rules of our world, that leave you thinking, “What if?” When I was growing up, it was Star Wars, Gremlins, The Neverending Story (all you 80s kids will get it). As I got older, not a lot changed. With TV favorites like Outlander and Vampire Diaries, fantasy still grabs my attention. 

And that leads us to stop number two. Now you’ve got to understand, I don’t get time to enjoy many hobbies – not with two kiddos, homeschooling and you know, all the stuff that makes up adulting and being a mother. I wouldn’t really have it any other way. But every once in a blue moon, I take a couple hours (usually during the winter) and do a little gaming. Like some of my favorite movies, my favorite games allow me explore and have an adventure, figure out puzzles. Whether its fighting monsters in games like Resident Evil or Silent Hill, or exploring in games like Tomb Raider (which is my favorite, btw), I could lost in these games for hours. 

Now stop three and the final one on our little tour, and the one that makes my hubby just a little bit crazy. By now, this probably won’t come as a surprise to you, but you put me in the middle of the forest on a strange path I’ve never been on before, and I can guarantee you one thing: I’m going to want to know what’s at the end of it. Add in some mysterious brick walls or an overgrown brick path, and you’ll have me circling it for hours, imagination in overdrive, looking for clues on what it might have been. Coming up with stories to it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve freaked out my husband when we first started dating, finding the most remote trails and heading down them for hours only to find another and following that. 

One thing people will tell new writers is to write what they know about, and as you can see, the inspiration for Web of Echoes came from many different parts of what makes me who I am. In that way, there is probably more of me in the series than in any other project I’ve undertaken, and that’s a scary thing for an author. But in the end, I hope its those pieces that make you fall in love with Caitlin, John, and all the characters who make up the Web of Echoes story.

Caitlin Benoit assumed the next destination would be her time, her world. Instead, the stone thrusts her further into the past and onto a different continent.

Now in 1831 England, she’s discovered by William, the Duke of Lancaster. By sheer luck, he’s willing to allow her into his manor. While she fights to gain a footing in this new time, Caitlin discovers the stone also ripped John from Charleston.

Everything she thought she knew about how the stone worked is false, and neither John nor her understand how to escape the grip of the past. As they work to uncover the mystery of the stone, an acquaintance of the Duke plots an intricate scheme certain to destroy them all. She and John must solve the puzzle in an unknown amount of time or risk getting stuck—or buried—in 1831.

Book Information

Release Date: March 3, 2020

Publisher:  Independent

Soft Cover: ISBN:979-8619635171; 301 pages; $9.29; eBook $4.99

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3IQZteU

I grew up loving the endless possibilities Fantasy and Sci-Fi held between their pages or played on the big screen. Star Wars, Stephen King, The Neverending Story, vampires, Disney, I loved it all (and still do!) At age ten, I picked up a pencil and began coming up with stories of my own that toyed with other worlds and the mysteries of this one. 

My first attempt at writing came at ten years old while, during a sleepover, I tried writing a ghost story. In sixth grade, I entered my school’s writing contest, and in college, my writing professor allowed me to work on a novel instead of following the curriculum.

 But at the time, writing was only a hobby I enjoyed. I picked it up, put it down, sometimes for months or years at a time, but I didn’t think of it as a career. Instead, I majored in communications with the goal of a career in journalism. After a couple of years, I changed course and entered the travel industry. Travel had always been another love, especially to Walt Disney World, and the choice seemed the perfect fit. I opened my own travel agency and grew it from the ground up until the Great Recession of 2008 rolled in, along with the blessing of my first child.

With her birth, I left behind the office career and finally admitted what I already knew – I wanted to spend my life creating on paper what played in my head. A series that had already been haunting my dreams for months that I knew would be my first attempt to break into the publishing world. 

After releasing romantic suspense under the pen name, RM Alexander, Caitlin Benoit started whispering in my ear and her story started forming. My passion for adventure and travel bled onto the pages as Caitlin was launched into the adventure of a lifetime. But because the story wasn’t focused on romance, I knew I needed a new pen name that would be focused more on UF / Sci-Fi, and Melody Ash was born. 

As a complex PTSD and trauma survivor, I often write characters who often face the worse circumstances and must search for their inner strength. It is my hope readers not only connect with the characters and stories but also are encouraged, as they read the last word, that their real-world problems can be overcome.

Outside my writing world, I spend my time with my husband, two children, and Pomsky (who you’ll likely find posted on my social media) in Indiana. I still love to travel and am addicted to orange juice, Ghirardelli chocolate, and adventure. 

You can visit Melody’s website at www.melodyash.com and connect with her on Facebook and Tik Tok.

The Story Behind The Shadow of Atlantis by Wendy Leighton-Porter

 

The Shadow of Atlantis

By Wendy Leighton-Porter

Before setting off on my new career path as a children’s author, I was a Secondary School (ages 11-18) teacher of French, Latin, and Classical Studies for many years. I always dreamed of writing a book one day but, with a busy teaching career, I never seemed to find the time. Years later, when I no longer had the excuse of being too busy, one day it suddenly hit me (during an international flight) that I should stop procrastinating and do something about making my dream a reality. As I began to ponder what I should write, an idea popped into my head out of nowhere… and it wasn’t the plot for just one book, but for a whole series! By the time the aeroplane landed, I’d worked out exactly what I wanted to do.

My jumping-off point was influenced by the advice of “write about what you know”. Although no longer in the classroom, I still wanted to educate as well as entertain, so I set out to create a story filled with adventure but one that would also give young readers the opportunity to learn something new. With a background in teaching Classical Studies, I decided to begin my time-travelling journey in the Ancient World and my first three books are based on well-known tales from Greek mythology. Everyone has heard of the legendary lost city of Atlantis, so it seemed like a good place to start. There is plenty of history for young readers to learn in this story, as well as a section at the end of the book where they can find out more information.

I originally had a literary agent and an independent publisher for my first three books, but the publishing company folded before anything went to print and the agent changed careers. Luckily, I still had the rights to my work and so, along with a group fellow authors who had also been with the same agent, we decided to band together as Silver Quill Publishing, a co-operative through which we all self-publish. It seems to work for us!

James and Isabel Lancelot have disappeared in mysterious circumstances, leaving behind their children, 10-year-old twins Jemima and Joe. Nobody has a clue what’s happened to them, except for the family cat who was the sole witness to their disappearance. Using the portal of an old book – Shadows from the Past – the couple have travelled back in time but, having left behind the key to bring them home, they are now trapped somewhere in the past. With their parents missing, the twins are sent to live with their Uncle Richard, a professor of ancient history and archaeology, where they soon befriend their new next-door-neighbour, Charlie, a super-brainy boy who is the same age as them.

At the start of the school summer holidays, the three children decide to investigate the old book that had belonged to the twins’ father. Finding the book locked, they’re unable to open it until Jemima discovers she has the key. It was on her mother’s necklace, left abandoned on the attic floor after their parents’ disappearance. And there’s more… The children find a small pouch inside the wooden chest that contained the book and, inside the pouch are four golden charms shaped like owls.

With the book unlocked, an astonishing series of events begins to unfold. The youngsters hear whispering voices carried by a strong breeze that comes out of nowhere and then, a strange cloud fills the room. Through the mist, they see tantalising glimpses of an ancient city. Joe is the first to discover that if they step inside this cloud it will take them to another place. Jemima is surprised to hear her mother’s voice calling to her, reminding her to pick up the all-important key. Then, holding Max, her beloved Tonkinese cat, in her arms, Jemima follows the two boys into the mist. Arriving in the lost city of Atlantis, the children are astounded to find that it was no myth, but a real, historical place. And so their adventures begin…

It doesn’t take them long to realise the owl charms are mini translation tools, enabling them to communicate with the Atlanteans, but when Jemima attaches one to Max’s collar, the large cat begins to speak. The children can’t believe their ears, especially when Max tells them the truth about their parents’ disappearance. The twins are overjoyed to learn that their parents aren’t dead but simply lost in time, and now their quest begins in earnest. They must find and rescue James and Isabel, searching throughout the pages of history. But, first, the youngsters have an important mission – to warn the people of Atlantis about the disaster that will soon destroy their city. Will they succeed? And can they find their way back to the safety of their own time before it’s too late?

PURCHASE LINK:  Amazon 

After teaching French, Latin, and Classical Studies for almost twenty years, Wendy’s career took a new direction when she turned to her first love – books – and decided to devote herself to writing children’s fiction. With the old adage “Write about what you know” in mind, when she first came up with the idea for her series of time-travel adventures, she jumped head-first into the ancient world of classical history and mythology which formed the backdrop for her first three books. As the series moves forward in time, she sets each story in historical periods that have always fascinated her. Although no longer in the classroom, she seeks to entertain her young readers, to engage them, to foster a love of reading, but also to educate. As she takes them on a thrilling journey into the past alongside her three young time-travellers and their talking cat, Wendy hopes that her love of history, myth and legend will rub off on them along the way.

Website: https://www.wendy-leighton-porter.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WLP_author

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WendyLeightonPorterWriter

The Story Behind Tetrastatum by Dr. Richard

I had the opportunity to present my work as a PhD candidate to Richard Feynman and interact socially with Stephen Hawking. Both of these titans were my inspirational teachers and provided the

motivation to write the novel. As such, I dedicated the work to them. They were and are my inspiration in the exploration of the natural world. I happened to meet the co-author socially at a party in Chatsworth, CA and we started a dialogue that lasted several years.  As part of the discussion, we decided to write Tetrastatum a different kind of Hard Science Fiction novel that would introduce my research on Psychothotonix and the Unified Equation of Reality while exploring the socio-economic, political issues of the day.  Marcus and I hit it off and we spent years discussing the material, planning and finally writing the book.  

Writing and publishing Tetrastatum has definitely been a journey. After sending out numerous query letters and endless discussions with literary agents, wed decided to self-publish for the flexibility and freedom to shape the work as we originally intended as well as the economics vs traditional publishing. Publishing a book is definitely a labor of love.  We were lucky to surround ourselves with the right people (we needed a lot of them before it was over, illustrator, publicist, editor, social media guru, SEO specialist, web developer, video team, hybrid publisher). Our expectation was nothing more than the opportunity to present our ideas to those who may appreciate our work. It turned into a full time job that offered us no benefits and little to no reward other than seeing our vision materialize and knowing our ideas are out there for other readers to enjoy and ponder.

About the Author:

Dr. Richard has been involved in the field of Photonics for over 30 years. He received his BA in physics (honors) from the University of California Fullerton. He was in a full scholarship PhD program in physics at the University of California Irvine and a PhD program in philosophy at Claremont Graduate School. Dr. Richard completed his two dissertations (involving human interpretations of laser and electro-optical images) while under top secret clearance. He also has an advanced placement teaching credential, an advanced certification (from the University of Wisconsin) in laser and optical design; and other advanced certifications in fiber optics, computer programming, technology business development, financial products, dance, anatomy and physiology.

website & social links

WEBSITE → https://www.tetrastatum.com

TWITTER → https://twitter.com/DrRichard_ISTAR

FACEBOOK → https://www.facebook.com/istarsfx

 About the Book:

In their debut novel TETRASTATUM, authors Dr. Richard and Tim Smith combine heady concepts about the universe with a thrilling science fiction story about the search for a new kind of time travel. The result is a stunning mixture of dense cosmology and old-fashioned storytelling that will appeal to a wide readership, from science professionals to lay fans of science fiction.
“Dr. Richard” and “Tim Smith” are the pseudonyms of Dr. Richard Connor and Marcus Rodriguez, respectively.
“TETRASTATUM (‘the fourth state’) is the culmination of my 30 years working in the field of photonics,” Dr. Richard says. “I am an avid reader of sci-fi, and I wanted to create a new type of work that is both educational and entertaining in the genre. TETRASTATUM gives the reader a unique understanding of the existing laws of physics and extends them to provoke further thought from novice readers as well as advanced experts in the field.”
Kirkus Reviews notes that “authors Dr. Richard and Smith … tell their cerebral story with a heady mix of dense theory and absurdist humor.”
The Independent Review of Books declares:  “TETRASTATUM is like nothing you have ever read before. This is an impressive work of science fiction …”
The San Francisco Book Review adds that, “These recurring themes of characterization and distortion feed into the concern that is being voiced over the current state of our political climate...The layering of these themes is ultimately what gives TETRASTATUM a relevance that will keep readers turning pages and asking questions.”
“The book ultimately explains how human perceptions alter the future and puts forth a model based on quantum physics to explain ‘reality’,” Dr. Richard continues.  He calls science fiction “the perfect genre to explore socio-political ideas within the context of futuristic technologies and scientific theories.”
Dr. Richard and Smith are currently working with Norith Soth on adapting TETRASTATUM into a screenplay. Mr. Soth has penned work for Justin Lin (“Fast and Furious”), Stephen Chin (“War Dogs”), and Norman Reedus (“The Walking Dead”).

order your copy below

Amazon → https://tinyurl.com/y6tlmpbj