Yesterday I mentioned a time travel trilogy written by Terri Brisban and admitted to being a huge fan of time travel novels.
But is time travel possible?
It actually is, and it has a very scientific explanation.
Time on Planet Earth is not the same as time on other planets or even when traveling through our solar system.
If an astronaut remains in space for an extended period of time, he can actually return to Earth younger than he would have been if he'd remained Earth-bound.
But can we travel back in time and remain on Planet Earth?
That is a question scientists are currently exploring. Einstein's Theory of Relativity has withstood more than a hundred years of scrutiny by top scientific minds, which shows how we could travel forward in time (though we currently lack the technology to travel faster than the speed of light for long enough to accomplish this.) When that key is unlocked, it may also hold the key to traveling back in time.
Think this is impossible? A bunch of hocus pocus? I remember my grandfather's comment every time anyone attempted the impossible: "He can't do that any more than we can put a man on the moon."
Need I say more?
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Friday, May 17, 2013
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Thursday Thoughts - Time Travel
I have just finished reading a fabulous trilogy by Terri Brisban entitled The MacKendimen Trilogy. I am a big fan of time travel books; I love the journey back in time to ancient villages, the time of castles and warlords, and of intrigue set against the backdrop of real history.
The first book in the Trilogy is A Love Through Time, in which two tourists visiting Scotland fall through a time slip and find themselves in a medieval Scottish village. The castle and village come alive in the book and along with the main characters, Maggie and Alex, you meet others who also have their own stories to tell.
The second book, Once Forbidden, picks up where the first book leaves off with one of the characters from the first book, Anice McNab, taking center stage. She was someone I feared and hated in the first book but this second one did something I did not expect: it showed another side of the woman who had fallen first for Alex MacKendimen... And now has another chance to fall in love. It is set against political intrigue and family secrets and I admit to coming close to tears when I thought all was lost.
The third book, A Matter of Time, is even better than the first two. Maggie's and Alex's son, Robert, falls through the same time slip as his parents did - and finds himself in the same medieval village twenty years after they left. I didn't know what was going to happen in the end - whether Robert would be hurled back to the present without the woman he had fallen in love with; whether it would be possible to take her with him to the present; or if he could somehow defy Fate and remain in a medieval time.
Terri Brisban is a fabulous writer who weaves a fascinating story. The characters and the village itself will remain with you long after you finish that last page.
The first book in the Trilogy is A Love Through Time, in which two tourists visiting Scotland fall through a time slip and find themselves in a medieval Scottish village. The castle and village come alive in the book and along with the main characters, Maggie and Alex, you meet others who also have their own stories to tell.
The second book, Once Forbidden, picks up where the first book leaves off with one of the characters from the first book, Anice McNab, taking center stage. She was someone I feared and hated in the first book but this second one did something I did not expect: it showed another side of the woman who had fallen first for Alex MacKendimen... And now has another chance to fall in love. It is set against political intrigue and family secrets and I admit to coming close to tears when I thought all was lost.
The third book, A Matter of Time, is even better than the first two. Maggie's and Alex's son, Robert, falls through the same time slip as his parents did - and finds himself in the same medieval village twenty years after they left. I didn't know what was going to happen in the end - whether Robert would be hurled back to the present without the woman he had fallen in love with; whether it would be possible to take her with him to the present; or if he could somehow defy Fate and remain in a medieval time.
Terri Brisban is a fabulous writer who weaves a fascinating story. The characters and the village itself will remain with you long after you finish that last page.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
WIP Wednesday - Chinese Goods
I am currently working on The Pendulum Files, the fifth book in the Black Swamp Mysteries series. It is due to be released in the spring of 2014 by Drake Valley Press.
Dylan Maguire's next assignment is to interrogate recently captured terrorists suspected of bombing shipments originating in China and bound for the United States. As you can imagine, the case is not as straight forward as one might think and the twists and turns lead him in directions he never could have imagined.
As part of my research, I've been looking at statistics of imports versus exports and here are a few interesting tidbits I've found out:
In 2001, the United States exported $19.2 billion dollars worth of goods to China while importing $102.3 billion dollars worth of goods from China, an imbalance of 83%.
Within ten years, the amount of goods exported by the United States rose to $103.9 billion dollars - but the amount of goods imported from China has risen to $354.9 billion dollars. Though our exported goods have risen, the trade imbalance in 2011 had grown to a whopping 399.3%.
What do we export to China?
Vehicles, aircraft, medical equipment, plastics, copper and organic chemicals are among the top ten.
What do we import from China?
Toys, games, furniture, footwear, apparel, iron, steel and vehicles are in the top ten.
What do Chinese workers earn?
There is a growing number of middle-income families in China, thanks to the increasing salaries of the average worker. The highest paid workers are in Beijing, with an average salary of $730 a month. If employees worked 40 hours a week, that comes out to an average of $4.56 per hour. However, the average employee actually works six and often seven days a week and they usually are not compensated for overtime as they are in the United States. They have only three holidays per year.
Still, that is good pay compared to a place such as Bangladesh, whose average hourly wage of a garment factory employee is 15 cents per hour. The average CEO of a garment company earns roughly $2,995 an hour - the equivalent of 19,966 Bangladesh employees combined.
Dylan Maguire's next assignment is to interrogate recently captured terrorists suspected of bombing shipments originating in China and bound for the United States. As you can imagine, the case is not as straight forward as one might think and the twists and turns lead him in directions he never could have imagined.
As part of my research, I've been looking at statistics of imports versus exports and here are a few interesting tidbits I've found out:
In 2001, the United States exported $19.2 billion dollars worth of goods to China while importing $102.3 billion dollars worth of goods from China, an imbalance of 83%.
Within ten years, the amount of goods exported by the United States rose to $103.9 billion dollars - but the amount of goods imported from China has risen to $354.9 billion dollars. Though our exported goods have risen, the trade imbalance in 2011 had grown to a whopping 399.3%.
What do we export to China?
Vehicles, aircraft, medical equipment, plastics, copper and organic chemicals are among the top ten.
What do we import from China?
Toys, games, furniture, footwear, apparel, iron, steel and vehicles are in the top ten.
What do Chinese workers earn?
There is a growing number of middle-income families in China, thanks to the increasing salaries of the average worker. The highest paid workers are in Beijing, with an average salary of $730 a month. If employees worked 40 hours a week, that comes out to an average of $4.56 per hour. However, the average employee actually works six and often seven days a week and they usually are not compensated for overtime as they are in the United States. They have only three holidays per year.
Still, that is good pay compared to a place such as Bangladesh, whose average hourly wage of a garment factory employee is 15 cents per hour. The average CEO of a garment company earns roughly $2,995 an hour - the equivalent of 19,966 Bangladesh employees combined.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Tuesday Teaser - Irish Bogs
Lightning flashed across the sky and a few seconds later, a low rumble of thunder shook the ground beneath their feet. The horses whinnied and turned completely around.
“What’s that?” Perry asked as all three men fought to control their horses.
Dylan followed his gaze to the distant horizon. “Blue flames.”
“Fire?”
“It’s caused by the bog gasses. Methane. It’s common durin’ storms. When I was a tyke, the old-timers used to say they were faeries, cookin’ their supper.”
It felt as though it was taking far longer for them to reach their destination than it had in broad daylight with Brenda and Vicki. But that’s the way it was at night, Dylan reminded himself. During the witching hour and in the pre-dawn hours that followed, the terrain took on the feel of a vast, empty space in which compasses no longer functioned properly. It was said there were little folk who lived in the bogs, mischievous creatures who watched every movement and waited for the perfect opportunity to play havoc—or worse. Fooling with their compasses was just one of their tricks.
They were known as ballybogs or bog-a-boos, depending on who was telling the story. Some said they were the remains of the dead rising out of the bogs. Others said they were nasty creatures that were not related to humans at all.
“You’re sure you know where this place is?” Perry asked uneasily.
He looked toward the horizon. “Aye.”
The thunder and lightning grew and intensified and the mist began to turn to more solid precipitation, though it stopped short of becoming a rainstorm. It was well known that one had no business being in a bog when it rained. It often came fast and furious and often the peat was buried beneath ponds that could suck men into them in mere seconds. Dylan found himself wondering whether the water would pour into the castle remains. It would be a horrific way to die.
He turned in his saddle and peered behind him.
“What is it?” Rich asked.
Dylan shook his head. “Just feel eyes on me, tis all.”
Purchase the book on amazon in Kindle or in trade paperback. It is also available on the Nook, iPad, and other eBook formats.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Freaky Friday - How Good is our Technology?
I often mention on Freaky Fridays my fascination with science and advancements in technology. But even I was astounded when I learned that we now have the technology to detect a meteorite half an inch wide hitting one of Saturn's rings.
Saturn is approximately 746 million miles from Earth.
We now have spacecraft capable of detecting a meteorite crater only one half an inch wide in the galaxy. The one that detected this one is called Cassini. For more information including some stunning images from Cassini, visit NASA's website at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/main/index.html.
Saturn is approximately 746 million miles from Earth.
We now have spacecraft capable of detecting a meteorite crater only one half an inch wide in the galaxy. The one that detected this one is called Cassini. For more information including some stunning images from Cassini, visit NASA's website at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/main/index.html.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Thursday Thoughts - How Real Is It?
I've been mulling this one around in my head for a few weeks.
You see, a few weeks back the proprietor of a restaurant told me that one of his patrons is convinced that he and I are having an affair because I mentioned his restaurant in some of my books. She went even further, stating that she thought the romantic interest in the Black Swamp Mysteries series is actually this restaurant proprietor.
Never mind that Dylan Maguire of the series is Irish and the restaurant owner is American;
Or that Dylan has thick black hair and hazel eyes and the restaurant owner doesn't;
Or that Dylan is 29 years old and the restaurant owner is close to 20 years older than that;
Or the fact that, actually, come to think of it, they bear no resemblance to each other at all.
Fiction is actually just fiction. The people are unique. I may take characteristics from one person or another but just as you might have the same mannerism as your parent, you are still uniquely different individuals. So are the characters in my books.
There are things I like about a lot of different people, that eventually made up the character of Dylan Maguire.
I like Pierce Brosnan's eyes when he smiles. (And he's Irish.)
I like Joe Manganeillo's physique and height.
I like Eduardo Verastegui's thick black hair and his occasional five o'clock shadow.
You see, a few weeks back the proprietor of a restaurant told me that one of his patrons is convinced that he and I are having an affair because I mentioned his restaurant in some of my books. She went even further, stating that she thought the romantic interest in the Black Swamp Mysteries series is actually this restaurant proprietor.
Never mind that Dylan Maguire of the series is Irish and the restaurant owner is American;
Or that Dylan has thick black hair and hazel eyes and the restaurant owner doesn't;
Or that Dylan is 29 years old and the restaurant owner is close to 20 years older than that;
Or the fact that, actually, come to think of it, they bear no resemblance to each other at all.
Fiction is actually just fiction. The people are unique. I may take characteristics from one person or another but just as you might have the same mannerism as your parent, you are still uniquely different individuals. So are the characters in my books.
There are things I like about a lot of different people, that eventually made up the character of Dylan Maguire.
I like Eduardo Verastegui's thick black hair and his occasional five o'clock shadow.
These men were the basis for Dylan Maguire's character. From Pierce Brosnan, he got the positive outlook and charm of the Irish; from Joe Manganeillo, the ability to fight when it's called for; from Eduardo Verastegui, a sexual appeal that would help to make him irresistible to Vicki Boyd.
Plus little characteristics and personality traits that would seem to fit his character and the scenes he's in.
He is uniquely Dylan Maguire and no one else.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
WIP Wednesday - Inspiration
I was asked recently where I get the inspiration for my books. As I thought about it, I realized inspiration is needed in a variety of ways.
Inspiration is needed for the plot itself. In my case, it's planning the crime. I usually get inspiration for my plots from real life cases, declassified government documents and newspapers or documentaries. Then I make my own twists on them, such as using Enron's method of raising electric prices on another commodity - such as oil.
Inspiration for characters. I am an avid people-watcher. I look for odd characteristics; a particular limp, a way of raising an eyebrow, the use of hands while talking, a nervous chatter... There are people everyone meets with whom they take an instant dislike. I wonder why, and look for those characteristics that repel people. And with those that everyone likes, I look for what draws people to them.
Inspiration for scenes. I love the use of weather to ratchet up suspense. I look for the types of weather that frightens people - thunderstorms, of course, snowstorms, hurricanes, tornadoes... The types of weather that can suddenly knock out electricity and leave you in the dark, where everything appears differently. I look for places where the scenes should take place; having two talking heads throughout a book makes for a very boring one, at best. What locales would further my plot, enrich it, provide it with a distinct flavor?
Inspiration for props. We don't hear much about props in a book, but I am a very visual person. Ever watch an episode of Two and a Half Men? They sometimes meet in the kitchen while getting something out of the refrigerator, a cup of coffee, while having breakfast... Berta often is seen carrying a load of laundry through the house. These are all props. They are used in every scene to further enrich it and provide layers that make it real and interesting. In a book, it breaks up the monotony of a conversation and allows the opportunity to show more of each character and scene.
Inspiration is needed for the plot itself. In my case, it's planning the crime. I usually get inspiration for my plots from real life cases, declassified government documents and newspapers or documentaries. Then I make my own twists on them, such as using Enron's method of raising electric prices on another commodity - such as oil.
Inspiration for characters. I am an avid people-watcher. I look for odd characteristics; a particular limp, a way of raising an eyebrow, the use of hands while talking, a nervous chatter... There are people everyone meets with whom they take an instant dislike. I wonder why, and look for those characteristics that repel people. And with those that everyone likes, I look for what draws people to them.
Inspiration for scenes. I love the use of weather to ratchet up suspense. I look for the types of weather that frightens people - thunderstorms, of course, snowstorms, hurricanes, tornadoes... The types of weather that can suddenly knock out electricity and leave you in the dark, where everything appears differently. I look for places where the scenes should take place; having two talking heads throughout a book makes for a very boring one, at best. What locales would further my plot, enrich it, provide it with a distinct flavor?
Inspiration for props. We don't hear much about props in a book, but I am a very visual person. Ever watch an episode of Two and a Half Men? They sometimes meet in the kitchen while getting something out of the refrigerator, a cup of coffee, while having breakfast... Berta often is seen carrying a load of laundry through the house. These are all props. They are used in every scene to further enrich it and provide layers that make it real and interesting. In a book, it breaks up the monotony of a conversation and allows the opportunity to show more of each character and scene.
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