I Wasted Time…

…And Now Doth Time Waste Me. Or so writes Shakespeare in Richard II. I know, I know, I should be thinking of time wasted here, but all I come up with are puns. Wasted time—drunk, man. It’s wasted. Time wasted me—it took me out. But not before I got to it first.

Yeah, I’m punchy. Time travel does that to me. If time travel is done wrong—and by that, I mean illogically, filled with paradoxes—it makes my brain hurt. If time travel is done right—skating past the paradoxes—it entertains me and makes my brain hurt (but in a good way). I love time travel. I think I loved it since City on the Edge of Forever, that famous Classic Star Trek episode by Harlan Ellison. I realized then that time travel can have an impact on both the people involved and on the viewer. None of this going back in time to look at monuments stuff. Making a choice between the “right” future and the “wrong” one, even if it means losing the person you love? Now that’s what great fiction—great storytelling—is all about.

I’m sure I saw time travel stories before that Classic Trek episode. I dimly recall reading A Wrinkle in Time and liking it. But City on the Edge of Forever is the first time travel story that I deeply, deeply loved. It caused me to seek out more time travel, including time travel romance. I like history too, so I hope that the writers get their history right. I also want them to get their decision-making right. I fell in love with Outlander, Diana Gabaldon’s book, the moment Claire decides to return to the 20th century to give birth and raise her child, rather than trust their futures to the dicey health and  medical properties of 18th century Scotland. 

Say time travel, and you’ll catch me every single (ahem) time.

Which is why I’m so excited to be part of Storybundle’s Time Travel Bundle, curated by my good friend Kevin J. Anderson. Usually I read the novels and stories in the bundle long after the bundle is no longer available, so I have trouble recommending the works. But I’ve read and loved the bulk of this bundle. In fact, I read a lot of this in manuscript form, from Kevin & Doug Beason’s The Trinity Paradox  to Fiction River: Time Streams. Dean’s The Edwards Mansion is particularly close to my heart. I love his Thunder Mountain series and not only is The Edwards Mansion a great example of the series, but it also has some personal ties. Dean’s a descendent of the Edwards family that settled Boise, ID, and that family plays a role in the novel.

You can also get my novel, Snipers, as a bonus book. The way that the bundle works is this: For a minimum of $5, you get five books and Lightspeed Magazine. For a minimum of $14, you get all of the listed books, including Snipers. Considering that the standalone retail value of these books (not counting Lightspeed) is about $60, you can’t go wrong. Plus, you can designate some of what you pay to go to the listed charities. 

I love participating in Storybundle. You’ll see a few more bundled books from me in 2015. But, as is the case with this bundle, the offer expires. You have until April 9 to buy  these books together. 

Click on over and buy the books. Don’t waste time. Because you know what’ll happen if you do. Time shall waste you. (And somehow I always picture a ticking clock with an Uzi as I write that. Hmmm. Story idea? Methinks perhaps…)