It’s about “Time” with Don

Posted on by Teagan Riordain Geneviene

Saturday, June 9, 2018

Hello, one and all.  Welcome to my sanctuary.  Sit down on a sofa or curl up on a cushion.  Today I have a special guest — author and entrepreneur Don Massenzio. 

atonement_in_bloom_1_03-24-2014Don has a twist in his upcoming book that he’s been kind enough to discus with me.  It was not too far afield from something that had been on my mind for my own books. Most of you know that I’m editing book-2 in my Atonement series (Atonement in Bloom).  For a third book I’ve been contemplating how to work with both the present and the past in one volume. There are a number of ways I could do that. So I was curious about what Don did.  I’ll bring you into our discussion now.

Don:  My new book, Extra Innings, did not start out as a paranormal or science fiction novel. Originally published as a serial on my blog, the story started out with the intent of becoming another iteration in my crime fiction writing efforts. As the story took shape, however, my mind kept mulling over the miserable life of my main character, Joe McLean and what his life might have become if he had made some alternate life choices.

Teagan:  That’s what intrigued me, Don. It’s similar but different. The heroine of the books I mentioned has a past life in which she knew some of the other characters.  I don’t want to give any spoilers, but she did bad things in that past life.  So I’m curious about how you handled this.

Don:  I was originally going to include flashbacks and other devices to relay the history of the main character’s family and associates over different timelines that led to his current circumstances, but I worried about being able to do this smoothly and not confuse my readers.

Teagan:  I agree. Flashbacks can be confusing to the reader.  I try to avoid them.

Don:  That’s where the idea of using some form of time travel emerged. It was a difficult decision because I’ve spent the past several books identifying with readers as a crime fiction author. I did publish a collection of short stories in my anthology, Random Tales, that had some science fiction/paranormal entries, but this would be my first novel to explore that part of my writing.

Teagan:  You’re a brave man… I don’t think I could handle that for my book.  But what did you do?  My curiosity is piqued.  Do tell…

Don:  My first step was to research some of the techniques that have been used to convey time travel in fiction.

Here are some of the theories that have been presented: 

Watercolor dreamcatcher with beads and feathers. Illustration fo

  1. Precognition – This is the idea of seeing the future during dreams or through the feeling of déjà vu. Abstract black and white design
  2. Time Loops – If you’ve watched the movie, Ground Hog Day, you’ve seen this time travel plot device in action. Usually the events time loop repeat until the character or characters perform a certain action to end the loop and move forward.De Lorean
  3. Time Paradox – If you watched Back to the Future, when Marty McFly went back in time and nearly prevented his parents from getting together for the high school dance, you’ve experienced this time travel device.Time Tourism
  4. Time Tourism – Just like it sounds, when time travelers travel through time to witness historical events as a spectator, this is time tourism.terminator
  5. Time War – This is the use of time travel to conduct war over time using time travel. It could involve going back in time to change events leading up to a pivotal battle or trying to bring about a reset of events that didn’t play out as planned.Erasing The Past
  6. Changing the past – This is the notion of time travel that I used in my book, Extra Innings. The idea of changing the past is logically contradictory. Even though the consensus today is that the past cannot be changed, science fiction writers have used the idea of changing the past for good story effect. Stephen King used this method of time travel effectively in his book, 11/22/63, by having his main character, Jake Epping, attempt to go back in time to prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Though ultimately successful, when Epping returns to the present, he discovers that his actions have had unintended consequences.

If you enjoy time travel and the possibility of going back in time to right wrongs and do things differently if given a chance, follow the adventures of Joe McLean in my latest novel, Extra Innings.Extra Innings

 

Joe McLean hates his life. A lonely, divorced, middle-aged man, stuck in a cramped apartment, the only bright spot in Joe’s life is cheering on his hometown baseball team.

Now, the local stadium, the place of many childhood and adult memories is being replaced. Joe desperately wants a piece of this iconic venue to preserve his memories and have some memorabilia from his happier past.

That’s when unusual things begin to happen, and Joe begins to rethink the direction his life has taken. Can Joe take a different path in life?

Can he use the special ability that he has acquired to change the course of his life? Will he realize the truth about old adage, you can never go home again? Follow the twists and turns in this supernatural story, Extra Innings, to find out.

***

Images provided by Don Massenzio.

Join me in wishing Don huge success with his new book.  Extra Innings is currently available for pre-order.  The release date is June 15th.

Thanks for taking time to visit.  I love your comments, so be sure to say hello. 

Mega hugs!

***

Here’s my own shameless self-promotion…

Atonement Video Cover copy

Atonement, Tennessee

Amazon UK

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Murder at the Bijou — Three Ingredients I

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The Three Things Serial Story: A Little 1920s Story Kindle 

This is a work of fiction.  Characters, names, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2018 by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

All rights reserved.

No part of this work may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission.  Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

All images are either the property of the author or provided by free sources, unless stated otherwise. 

125 thoughts on “It’s about “Time” with Don”

    1. It really is a cool concept.
      I still haven’t decided how to handle book 3 in my “Atonement, Tennessee” series. It involves the distant past and the present, but I don’t think i will use actual time travel.
      Thanks for catching up, Gerlinde. That means a lot to me. Hugs.

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  3. Pingback: Reading Links…6/12/18 – Where Genres Collide

  7. I’m a lover of Sci-fi television and movies that involve time travel and can have quite complex storylines and yet I tend to steer clear of sci-fi books these days, though I”m not sure why? I’d be interested to hear both of your opinions about that?

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Hi Kevin. It’s great to see you.
      I can only speak from my own perspective — but I can understand that.
      1) Time. I have hardly any pleasure-reading time. However, I can watch movies/TV while I’m working on something else. I can’t do that with a book.
      2) Variety. With both books and movies, it seems like every topic has been done and done. We can’t know how fresh a book might actually be without reading. Yet movies, can show us at a glance how they’ve made something old “new.”
      3) Maybe future you has been there and come back, but present you doesn’t realize that, except for the lack of interest in SF books. ;o) Sorry — I couldn’t resist.
      Perhaps you’d enjoy audio books? Stories to listen to while you cook those delicious dishes?
      I hope to narrate my Atonement, Tennessee novel (an urban-fantasy), but again with the “time” problem…
      Many thanks for visiting. Hugs!

      Liked by 1 person

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  8. Terrific post, Teagan and Don. I enjoyed learning about time-travel techniques. I find the prospect of time travel fascinating, especially since past/present/future exist simultaneously. This leaves one musing about the true nature of life and the universe 🙂 Hugs to both of you, and wishing Don all the best with Extra Innings ❤️❤️

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    1. Hi Michael, it’s great to see you. I don’t know what to say about the reblog button. I do have it enabled of the post. But I know how those “WordPress gremlins” can be — little monsters. Thank you for visiting. Hugs!

      Liked by 1 person

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  12. Still holding my breath to get my hands on this book, Don. It’s pre-ordered, and I’m waiting as fast as I can! 😀 Love everything about this concept! Another great interview, Don and Teagan. Shared! 🙂

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  14. Good luck, Don! I love the way the two of you explain Don’s book as well as various ways to use time travel in a novel. I don’t generally read science fiction, however I do find myself drawn to stories that use time as a character, which Don obviously does in his new book. Sounds fantastic!

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  15. Sounds a fascinating read. I’m a huge lover of time travel, so I’ll be grabbing my copy when it comes out. Thanks for pointing out all the different types of time travel, Don. I’ve used some of them myself in my writing, without knowing there were different types.

    Liked by 3 people

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  17. A fun post, Don and Teagan. Playing with time is so complex but can be a lot of fun. One of the big challenges is keeping track of the “butterfly effect.” I like it when the main character’s life is altered, but I also enjoy seeing how little details change too. The book sounds great, Don. Good luck with the promotion, and thanks for hosting, Teagan. Hugs!

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. Hi Diana. Thanks for dropping by. I agree the butterfly effect creates a lot of extra work. Don did great work with his book. I’m still not sure how I’ll handle Atonement-3, but I have plenty of other things to worry about before I rise to that challenge.
      Happy weekend hugs!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Welcome, JT! I’m glad you enjoyed this conversation, although Don really gets the credit for it.
      Time travel is a very interesting device on many levels. Thanks for taking time to visit. Happy weekend hugs!

      Like

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    1. Hi Mary. I remember our discussions of your time travel books (and the snippet you shared with me… wow, has that conversation been that long ago? It seems I only started blogging yesterday). I would still like to see those books re-published.
      Thanks for visiting. Happy weekend hugs!

      Liked by 2 people

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    2. Thank you Mary. I haven’t thought about a time travel romance. That might have come in handy in my own life a few times. Of course, my wife tells me if I try to write a romance book, everything I know will only take up a couple of pages. (I say paragraphs) 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

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  26. Extra Innings sounds like a wonderful story. I’m also intrigued to see what Teagan takes from this discussion. Time will tell (sorry, I couldn’t resist).

    The notion of time travel always interesting to me, because if you were to change something, you really have no idea what the effect might be. Then again, we have no real idea what our actions today might lead to. We are traveling through time.

    One of the most elaborate time-travel stories in recent memory is the episode of Star Trek Voyager “Year of Hell” http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Year_of_Hell_(episode)

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. Ha! I do love a good pun, Dan. I haven’t seen that episode of Voyager yet (although I was working my way through the series a while back via Netflix).
      Changing the past for the Atonement, Tennessee heroine would solve everything. But for that story, that would be a little too tidy. After all… it is “Atonement”… LOL. Thanks very much for visiting. Happy weekend hugs!

      Liked by 2 people

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        1. Dare I jinx myself and say that so far it’s been nice and quiet? 😀
          Oh by the way. Do not sell that gorgeous coffee table for $50 as someone suggested. It’s worth many times that. If I weren’t always trying to figure out how to relocate, I’d be trying to buy it from you. Cheers!

          Liked by 1 person

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    2. Thanks Dan. I’m a big Star Trek fan and remember that episode well. Star Trek has used many of these techniques in it’s various incarnations. Star Trek Discovery is into the alternate dimension scenario quite heavily.

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  30. I was glued to the serial when Don posted it on his blog. To say that it is good doesn’t do the story justice. Congratulations, Don. Thank you for an excellent interview, Tina.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Thanks Olga. I appreciate your visit. It’s always helpful (and in this case very interesting) to see how other writers approach something like this. I don’t want to do literal time travel in my story, but I’m beginning to think the “Mirror of Truth and Justice Most Poetic” might get involved, particularly since I brought it back for Bloom…
      Wishing you a beautiful weekend. Mega hugs!

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  33. Pingback: It’s about “Time” with Don — Teagan’s Books | Fantasy Gift Sources: Book Reviews, Article Resources, News

  34. Fascinating guys. I loved Don’s blog posts of extra innings reading them each week so the novel itself is eagerly awaited. Interesting the different time tricks too. Thanks Teagan for giving this air

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    2. Thanks, Geoff. As I mentioned, there are some new goodies in the book that I added during the process of turning the serial into a novel. I also fixed some of the continuity issues. I’m happy with the outcome. I hope readers are as well.

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          1. I often call them ‘bored’ meetings. The things that people think are important in the corporate world…that could be another story. Time traveling ahead to the end of meetings and seeing if you actually missed anything.

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  37. Pingback: It’s about “Time” with Don – The Militant Negro™

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