Thursday, January 30, 2014

THE JOY OF TIME TRAVEL

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Have you ever wanted to step through the pages of a historical novel to see what that time and place was really like? I love the idea of time traveling. I’ve been a passionate fan of Doctor Who since the days of Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, and I’ve always wanted my own tardis—you know, bigger on the inside than on the outside and it takes you anywhere and anywhen you want to go? But since one isn’t likely to be invented in my life time, I’ve turned to reading—and writing—about it.

There are so many intriguing possibilities. Fascinating periods in history where a single alteration of events has the potential to drastically change the present as we know it. A young woman, competent in her own time and place, suddenly struggling to make sense—and not make mistakes—in a world that is alien to her. Talk about conflict!

And romance. A modern woman, a rugged, brave man who is dealing with a personal (and incidentally historically important) crisis. A love so strong it unites two people across the ages. And the romantic conflict is built right in. No silly misunderstandings keep two people apart when they belong in different eras. Culturally, socially, and even in their priorities, they are literally worlds apart. And, even though their love for one another is passionate and all-encompassing, how long can they remain together when at any moment they might be torn from one another’s arms when the time traveler is dragged, by whatever cosmic forces, back to her own time?    

Those are just some of the reasons I love time travels. What are yours? Is it discovering another place and era through the eyes of a modern woman with whom you can identify? Is it pure escapism? Is it all those tantalizing “what ifs”? Please, leave a comment and let me know.

Catherine’s Star
by
Janice Bennett


When American tourist Andrea Wells eagerly searches the streets of London to find every place ever mentioned in the Regency novels she loves, she sees more than she bargained for. The intriguing gentleman in historic costume who keeps mysteriously appearing and vanishing must be conjured by her secret longings. But then she sees the portrait of Richard Westmont, first and only Viscount Grantham, in a scandal rag, accompanied by the story of his death and a cursed Russian icon known as Catherine’s Star.   

Obsessed with learning more about him and why he haunts her, Andrea visits his home, Greythorne Court. There she is confronted by a miniature portrait of herself—painted in 1810. The current occupant, a descendent of Grantham’s sister, is convinced Andrea can travel back through time and find the missing Catherine’s Star, which is needed to save the estate. When the impossible becomes possible, Andrea finds herself in the midst of her Regency dream—except she didn’t count on murderous spies or falling in love with a man whose death is tied up with the fate of the priceless icon.

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