Time Travel to where time holds no boundaries for romance…
Time waits for no one, but what if you had the power to travel back in time? Oh, what adventures you could have! Time-travel books transport a character to another period in time, and perhaps to another place altogether. For a moment imagine a heroine thrust into a medieval world where she meets a handsome knight in shining armor. No matter how romantic the time travel tale is, there’s always a wee bit of adventure.
Is time travel possible?
In J. W. Dunne’s, An Experiment with Time, he theorizes that time is forever present—the past, the present and the future are going on all at the same time. He also believed that in our dreaming state we could roam free from different points in time. We exist in on two levels of existence, both inside and outside of time, giving the notion of what is meant to be immortal—that nothing dies. If this theory were true it may explain the religious aspects of eternity.
This is an interesting concept that has fascinated me on many levels. The Aboriginal people of Australia believe that dream-time exists at the same time as present, past and future. The Kabbalah Taoism believe the waking consciousness allows awareness of time, but is limited in understanding it completely.
However, in the sleeping state, the mind can wander on many dimensions of time and space.
Perhaps Déjà vu could be thought of as form of time travel. It is a precognition, clairvoyance or an extra-sensory perception of what life could be, giving the person a choice and perhaps changing the future. It could also be thought of as a prophecy from a dream, also giving us a glimpse of the future.
No one knows for sure if time travel can be achieved, but authors have sent their heroes and heroines to the past and to the future with one stroke of a pen or with their fingers flying over a keyboard. The idea of time travel has always intrigued me with the question of “what if?” The possibilities are endless.
Since it is St. Patrick’s Day, I thought I’d share a snippet from my Time Travel Tale set in Ireland. Enjoy Dougray and Aislinn’s first meeting in Lost in the Mist of Time.
Lost in the Mist of Time
Blurb:
Aislinn Hennessy pens tales of courage, loyalty, and true love, but her heroes of old are pure fantasy—figments of her imagination. She long ago gave up thinking a knight in shining armor would sweep her off her feet, but then she never expected to run him off the road either.
Sir Dougray Fitzpatrick has buried one wife and vows to never love again—but destiny has other plans for this 16th century Irish Lord. During a battle, a mist separates Dougray from his men and casts him into the future. Dougray must return to Dunhaven and to his century, but Aislinn follows him into the mist, leaving him no choice, but to take her home with him.
Conspiracies, feuds and unexpected violence are commonplace threats, but along the way, Aislinn and Dougray discover a surprise neither one expects: a chance for love even when they’re Lost in the Mist of Time.
Excerpt:
First meeting can be difficult at best. Enjoy a snippet where Aislinn (AJ) and Dougray first meet.
Setting: Ireland, Present Day. Aislinn and her family (mother, father, brother) are sight seeing. Aislinn is driving and the mist rolls in, making it difficult to see.
The squeal of the tires and the rapid prayers from her mother in the back seat were all she could hear over her beating heart. The car spun to a stop on the opposite side of the road. For a long second, silence drummed like a gong of doom.
Aislinn took a deep breath and let it out again. “Is everyone all right?” A quick look verified her family was shaken but not harmed. “God, the man!” Aislinn undid her seatbelt and opened the car door, hitting the pavement. She ran across the roadway. Her brother and parents were close behind, but the mist drifted in patches, making it difficult for them to follow her.
“A.J., hold on!” Connor called out to her, but she didn’t stop. Her heart pounded against her ribcage. What if she killed him? She didn’t think she hit him but… She hurried on through the thickening mist.
A groan reached her ears and she scanned the area below. The grassy area at the edge of the road dipped at a downward slope. She worked her way toward where she heard the groans. Finally, her gaze made out an outline of a man, lying like a discarded bundle draped in fur. She didn’t hesitate, but ran toward him. His head rested on the rocks, as if they were soft pillows. At this moment, she wished they were. She knelt down beside him to assess the damage.
He groaned again, his head lolling to the side. “He’s breathing. That’s a good sign,” she murmured. She brushed his long dark hair out of his eyes, revealing the man’s relatively handsome face, bronzed by wind and sun. He possessed a square jaw with a generous mouth. He sported a mustache and beard, which in her opinion, needed to be trimmed, but still it did not take away the fact his strong features held a certain sensuality.
She then glanced at the man’s strange attire of wool hide and thick mantle, and not far from where he’d fallen she caught sight of a large broadsword. She wondered why he was strolling down a deserted road dressed like he was heading to a medieval reenactment.
She moved the thick cloak aside, her eyes widening in surprise at how his massive shoulders filled out his shirt. She took in the length of him and realized he was tall even for her standards. She towered over most men with her height of six feet, but this man had to be six-three or more. His legs were bare, muscular and thick. Viking legs came to mind. “He’s gorgeous.” She then shook her head, chastising herself for ogling an unconscious man when he could be bleeding to death. She looked him over for signs of injury. Her gaze caught the glitter of the amulet he wore. It was a spiral of intertwining lines that formed a circle, and in the center sat a large amber stone. For a moment, she forgot everything else and reached for the amulet, touching its fineness. Her brows drew together. “I’ve seen this somewhere.”
Before she could wrap her mind around where, the man grabbed her wrist and she lost her grip. Gasping in surprise, her gaze leveled on his eyes. Those pale, silver shards of glass narrowed with undeniable contempt.
“Are ye a thief, young waif?” he asked in a voice that expected a prompt answer or suffer the consequences.
Flustered beyond belief, she at first failed to realize he’d spoken to her in Irish Gaelic. But as fear was replaced by anger, she came to her senses and answered him in the language of choice. She was amazed that under the circumstances she could recall the words at all. “Lig amach mé!”
He seemed stunned by her response and she wondered if she had misunderstood. Maybe he hadn’t spoken to her in Irish. She repeated just as forcefully in English, “I said, unhand me.”
The man’s grip tightened as his gaze slid over her. With his free hand he grabbed her chest and squeezed.
“What in the hell,” she cursed.
One dark brow shot up in surprise as if he’d never felt a boob before. Well, he wouldn’t have time to indulge in his sick fantasy. She sent a powerful blow to his jaw, knowing right where to hit. Her father had trained her well. The man’s eyes rolled back in his head as he lost consciousness.
****
Dougray’s choice to test his suspicions could have been done with more finesse, but I blame it on the time travel. J
Lost in the Mist of Time is available in Kindle and Print at Amazon.com
If you could Time Travel, where would you go and why? Is there a person in history you’d like to meet?
A Giveaway! An Amazon Kindle copy of Lost in the Mist of Time to one lucky reader who answers the question above.
Thanks so much for having me on your lovely blog. J
About the Author:
Karen Michelle Nutt resides in California with her husband, three fascinating children, and houseful of demanding pets. Jack, her Chorkie, is her writing buddy and sits long hours with her at the computer.
When she’s not time traveling, fighting outlaws, or otherworldly creatures, she creates pre-made book covers to order at Gillian’s Book Covers, “Judge Your Book By Its Cover”. You can also check out her published cover art designs at Western Trail Blazer and Rebecca J. Vickery Publishing.
Whether your reading fancy is paranormal, historical or time travel, all her stories capture the rich array of emotions that accompany the most fabulous human phenomena—falling in love.
Visit the author at: http://www.kmnbooks.com
Stop by her blog for Monday interviews, chats and contests at: http://kmnbooks.blogspot.com
Gillian’s Book Covers Judge Your Book By Its Cover http://judgeyourbookbyitscover.blogspot.com/
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babettejames.com 
Love the excerpt and blog, Karen. YAY for historicals and/or time travel!
I’d love to go back to meet either Cicero or Pericles and/or Alexander the Great. Incredible men!
Best with your novel. Another added to my TBR 🙂
Diane,
Thanks so much for stopping by! Interesting choice for a time travel adventure!!
Another book I need to read!
Thanks so much! 🙂
I’d time travel back to the early 1800s to ask ancestors many questions I’ve had over the years.
Maudeen,
Very cool idea!
If I could time travel, I would have loved to have been with Lewis & Clarke when they went into the Wilderness to chart the rivers and landscape. That would have been so fascinating to see areas were no man had gone before (well, maybe some Indians), to see the animals and to eat the foods available.