Hi everyone! I was invited by my author friend, Virginia Wright to participate in a “blog hop interview.” In order to participate, I answer interview questions, and I tag three other author’s. (I tagged three but I only got one) They post interview questions on their blog pages 7/29. The folks they tag, will post their interview questions and answers on their blogs 8/05, and so forth. A lot of hopping!

You can find Virginia’s interview questions and answers here: Virginia Wright. Virginia posted, July 15, 2013.

Here are my answers to the interview questions:

1. What are you working on right now?

My WIP is book 3 and possibly the final book in my Time Pilgrims series. I call it
Book 3 even though my Indie book, Parallel Roads (Lost on Route 66) actually
started it all. Parallel Roads is to Time Pilgrims as The Hobbit is to the Lord
of the Rings trilogy.

In Book 3, I have taken the advice from my readers with great suggestions about
visiting the American Civil War and Revolutionary period. I also received a
great suggestion about the meteorite that hit in Russia this year. 
In addition, I have introduced a new character named Omega and will have
original travelers, Kevin and Cheryl revisit Route 66 in an Oklahoma
pilgrimage. There will be lot’s more but HEY, It’s a WIP after all. I’m currently only
on Chapter 7.

2. How does it differ from other works in its genre?

All of my time-travel books differ because of the way they are written. The reader
is taken into the world I have created which is always done with feasibility.
You are made to feel like this could be real. There is a touch of humor, fun
and romance instead of heavy-duty science fiction.

3. Why do you write what you do?

I have always loved antiques, history and things of the past. I have always wished
I could go back to a simpler time. I even miss the past in my own lifetime. I
think people tend to be naturally nostalgic about their own past. I try and
capture that in my writing. I make my readers homesick for the past. 

My dad used to sit with me early on Saturday morning and talk to me while he drank
his coffee. He talked of the past, of his days in the war in Europe. He was
lucky, he had a good experience of the army and WWII. My grandmother would do
the same thing with me. She regaled me with stories of being a burlesque dancer
and singer in the 1920s. (Burlesque was not always strippers, she was not). I
loved these stories of the past and want to share my own, even if they only come
from my head.

4. How does your writing process work?

I start with a few basic ideas and then I just start writing. I write in linear
progression and only once in a while, go back and add something. I wake up at
4:00 am, grab coffee, feed the dogs and let them out. Once they are back inside,
safe and sound, I check email, Facebook and maybe do a promotion or two and then
write for a time. If it’s not a weekend, I then have to go to my day job at big GE.

Thank you for the tag, Virginia!

In addition, I am tagging the following author. Make sure to check out her blog post on the following date:
July 29, 2013

Lilliana Anderson at http://lillianaanderson.wordpress.com/

Tag! You’re It! I can’t wait to see who’s next!
 
See more at:

http://www.timepilgrims.com/

Lilliana's Blog about me: http://lillianaanderson.wordpress.com/2013/07/05/friday-feature-almost-yesterday-by-dennis-higgins/

My novel, Almost Yesterday has been released and is now available. This book happens to be my personal favorite so far. It certainly fits in nicely with my gone but not forgotten themes. 

One of my blog readers pointed out that she loved the
fact that my time travel adventures are mostly American based. I guess I never realized this was somewhat rare, since my major influences wrote about American time-travel. One of these influences is author Jack Finney. In his book, Time After Time he writes about using the Dakota apartments in New York City as his vehicle for travelling to the past in that great metropolis. Actor/Director, Robert Redford had, at one time planned to make this book a major motion picture. It would have been a great movie. Mister Redford will have to direct one of my books instead. 
 
American, yes. I do, however, have my Time Pilgrims travelling to England in this one. It’s because I have affection for that great nation. The Titanic makes an appearance as well as the Beatles, (Who doesn’t like the Beatles?) and the infamous London Blitz of 1940. But I also continue
on with my American pilgrimages in the two great cities of Chicago and San Francisco. 

The girl on the cover of my book is Cathy Callahan. She looks sad doesn’t she? That is due to the day she and her friend, Dawn Knight had just experienced. It started off with a successful pilgrimage to old San Francisco and the gold rush days. Adversarial time-travelers, Sundial was trying to gain control of the business section in the great western city. It was afterwards that the girls decide to have some fun in 1967 and the Summer of Love. However, a modern day earthquake, as well as the 1984 shaker, propelled them to the big one in 1906. This is where Cathy loses her friend Dawn and as a result, realizes she is stuck in that time period. Don’t worry, love conquers all…or does it?

So, who is the dog on the cover, I hear you asking. His name is silly to everyone who reads it from off his collar. He is Hickory Dickory Doc and is the most powerful time traveler of them all. The people he meets have only witnessed a portion of his ability. He looks sad too, doesn’t he? He is unhappy for Cathy and won’t leave her side in the horrific aftermath of the great earthquake and fire.

Do you like world’s fairs? I have never been to one myself but have always wondered what it would be like to attend one of the early ones. Great modern inventions were introduced to the world through these fairs. Innovations such as the electric light bulb, powered by alternating current (AC), radio, television, beauty and art. The chocolate brownie was invented for one of the Chicago fairs, as well as Cracker Jack. Do you see the picture at the top of my blog? That is the original Ferris wheel invented for the 1893 world’s Fair in Chicago, The Columbian Exposition. It is massive compared to the small wheels seen at local carnivals. Each car held 64 people. This ushered in a new invention, never seen before that time, the amusement park. Time Pilgrims, Seth Thomas and Lesley Longines chase a man that was spotted in pictures from two of these great Chicago fairs as well as one that has not occurred yet, at least from our time perspective. It will though… in 2033. Make your plans now. 
 
Imagine going somewhere that you’ve been before and running into your younger self. This is exactly what happened to Lesley in the 2033 world’s fair. She gets to talk to the girl and is even able to give the teen some needed advice.

There is much more fun, adventure and suspense in Almost Yesterday than is possible for a blog to do justice. Plus a huge surprise at the end of a patriotic 2001 themed party. Anyone remember Google? (Oh, wait, it still exists from the time I’m currently writing this blog from.)

I am hoping this book is as fun to read as it was to write. Here is an unofficial first review. I say it’s unofficial because the
young woman who wrote it had only read the first chapter at the time and it is not posted yet:

"I started reading the first few pages and right away got sucked in.  You have
a really clear vision of the world you made, and it is super clear to me as a
reader.  This is no joke: I felt a little like I was reading Harry
Potter.  I do not mean in the style of writing, but rather that I was
excited about "seeing" my old, young-people friends again, and excited about
what they would deal with in their training as they grow.  I just got to
the Almost Yesterday pub scene.  What a cool idea!  I can see it so
clearly."

I’m afraid you will have to read the book to find out what she was referring to about the pub.

What are your favorite Gone but Not Forgotten moments?

-Dennis