The Appeal of Time Travel Romance by Susan Macatee

Please help me welcome Susan to my blog. Be sure and leave her a comment for a chance to win.

Thanks for having me as a guest today, Cynthia! Since my new release, Thoroughly Modern Amanda, is a time travel romance, I wanted to talk about what appeals to me about the genre.

When I first started to read romances, the ones that appealed to me most where the time travels. I read stories where heroines and sometimes heroes, traveled to the Scottish Highlands, Medieval England or some other long gone period. Sometimes the travelers stayed in the past to live out their lives with their new found loves and other times, they’d reunite in the present. Either way, I was fascinated by the idea of someone from my time living, interacting and finding love in a long ago era.

I’ve always been drawn to time travel stories, even as a kid. Episodes of “The Twilight Zone” and “Star Trek”, that featured time travel, as well as the show “The Time Tunnel” were my absolute favorites.

I’d also gotten hooked on the daytime soap, “Dark Shadows” That show also had episodes where characters traveled back and forth through time.

So, it was no stretch that my very first romance novel, Erin’s Rebel, would feature a modern-day heroine who traveled back to the time of American Civil War.

Before I even attempted to write this book, though, I spent years devouring time travel romance novels. I can’t begin to list all the books I read. Most have been given away long ago, but a few early books I recall reading are Believe by Victoria Alexander. This was set in medieval England. Once a Pirate by Susan Grant, was set on a pirate ship and A Blast to the Past by Virginia Farmer was set in medieval Scotland.

In a lot of the books the heroine travels from the present time to the past, but I’ve also read books, A Blast to the Past, for example, where the hero goes back in time. And I’ve read books where historical characters travel to the present. Out of the Blue, by Caroline Clemmons is a good example.

The main thing is, I think these books are a lot of fun. I love the idea of lovers from different time periods coming together, breaking apart and finally learning to accept a future with their chosen hero/heroine, but often having to accept and fall in love with living in a different century. In many cases, for the rest of their lives.

Have you ever read a time travel, whether romance or not? And what did you like or dislike about it?

My new time travel romance, Thoroughly Modern Amanda, is out today, available from The Wild Rose Press. This story is based on one of the characters from Erin’s Rebel. Amanda Montgomery was a child in that book, the daughter of the hero, but now she has a time travel story all her own.

Blurb:
Amanda Montgomery longs to be a modern woman, living the life her step-mother has always told her is possible. But 19th century society expects well-off young ladies to focus on finding a suitable husband and start a family. Amanda works as a reporter for a local magazine and dreams of going to the big city to work at a newspaper before settling down.

Jack Lawton wants to save an old house that’s set to be demolished, but when he sneaks inside to take a final look, he’s hit on the head with a beam and wakes up in the arms of a beautiful woman. The only problem is, he’s not in the 21st century anymore, but has somehow stepped into another time. Can he find his way back? Does he want to?

Excerpt:
Amanda supported the workman, Jack, as they made their way to her home. She gulped as a carriage drove down the road, fearing Randolph’s presence. The last thing she needed was to have him spy her leading a strange man to her home.

But she couldn’t just leave him here. He was hurt and seemed disoriented. And his mention of a car brought back memories of her step-mother’s stories. Stories of the future. She’d take him to Erin and see if she could make sense of this.

He seemed a bit wobbly, but fortunately, not many people were out and about this time of day. The few who were, openly stared, but at Amanda’s nod, they inclined their heads and continued on their way.

She blew out a sigh of relief when they reached her front stoop. Jack lifted his gaze, then grimaced. Apparently his head still pained him but he made no sound of protest as she led him through the door.

Her father and brother would be at the bank at this hour, but her step-mother might be in. As they entered the foyer, silence yawned from the hall. If home, she’d likely find Erin in the kitchen.
She led Jack to one of the chairs by the staircase. “Sit here a minute. I’ll open the parlor doors, so you can lie on the settee, then I’ll find my step-mother.”

He sat with a thump, his tanned, work-roughened hand reaching for his head.

“Does it still hurt?” she asked.

He nodded. “A little. You have any ibuprofen by any chance?”

She frowned. “Ibu… I’m not sure what you mean.”

He heaved a heavy sigh and sank his face into both hands.

“Just a minute. I’ll get you into the parlor.”

She flung open the doors and found the parlor empty, as she’d expected. The room was hardly used, except for those rare occasions when a family member entertained guests. But Mrs. O’Leary had cleaned the small room yesterday, so there shouldn’t be any dust. She ran her hand over the settee by the fireplace to be sure.

Turning back to the hall, she strode over to Jack. He peered up at her, his eyes bleary. She lifted her hand and he settled his over hers. His firm, strong grip sent a tingle through her fingers. What would it feel like to have those hands roving over her body? Her face heated at the thought.

Thoroughly Modern Amanda, available today at The Wild Rose Press.
http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=195&products_id=5074

Leave a comment to be entered in the drawing to win a PDF copy of my new release, plus a $10.00 gift certificate for The Wild Rose Press.

17 thoughts on “The Appeal of Time Travel Romance by Susan Macatee

  1. I’ve always enjoyed time travel romances and other time travel stories. One of my favorites isn’t a conventional romance, but a movie with romance as one of its elements. “Time After Time” depicts author H.G. Wells and the man who’s actually Jack the Ripper time traveling to a big city a hundred years in the future, and Wells’ efforts to stop the Ripper before he can terrorize the city. During the course of the action, Wells meets a modern woman and falls in love with her. It’s a great movie with a romantic heart.

    Thanks for sharing an excerpt from your book, Susan. Looking forward to reading it.

  2. I love the concept of time travel romances but I always get hung up on historical accuracy. I also find the hero being the one to go back or forward to be more interesting since the heroine doing the travel is a bit overdone.

  3. Hi, Melissa! I agree that an author who writes time travel romance has to get the history right if it’s set in the past. And why not mix it up with the time travel? I think it’s fun to explore all types of possibilities. Thanks for stopping!

  4. Susan, I too read lots of time travels years ago and am glad to see a new one published. Using the element of hero traveling back is a great hook. I wish I could remember the name of the TT that had the hero come to the present–all I remember is his fascination with television, especially women’s exercise shows, and how he tried to use the slang.

  5. Hi, Linda! It can be a really funny situation to bring someone from the past into the present. I read one where the heroine came forward and she was scared to death of cars and electronic appliances. Had no frame of reference for stuff like that.

  6. Hi Susan,
    Another interesting blog from you. I read Erin’s Rebel and loved it, so I have certainly put Thoroughly Modern Amanda on to my TBR list.
    I would love to be able to write time-travel, you do it so well, but I just don’t seem to be comfortable writing them, although I do like reading them, if that makes sense.

    Regards

    Margaret

  7. Time travel stories offer so many opportunities for unique story lines. So many of Janet Chapman’s books have a time travel element but it’s not necessarily the main theme. Susan, I love the title Thoroughly Modern Amanda. Sounds like an intriguing story. Good luck!

  8. I love time travel romance! Good thing, since that’s what I write, too. 🙂 It’s the ultimate fish-out-of-water situation for the traveler, and there are always opportunities for humor in that, even in stories that aren’t otherwise funny. The time traveling also creates its own conflict, not only how can they be together/how the traveler gets home, but what if the person going to the past changes something? I love American settings (hard to find in TT), so would love to read Susan’s books!

  9. Thanks for all the great comments, everyone! Time travel offers so many variables in plot and characterization. And Jeannette, you hit it right on the head. It’s that fish-out-of-water situation for one of the lead characters that is so appealing.

  10. Love the idea of time travel, romance or not, because I so long to do it. Going too far into the past however, I run into my suspension of disbelief, knowing that in medieval times we, as moderners, would be hard pressed to understand anything they said. And how strange would we sound to them? So strange, I reckon, that we could easily end up stoned as a witch.

    We’d also end up terribly sick from guts unaccustomed to their lack of sanitation. And not a toothbrush in sight!

    Our actors with their flawless skins and perfect sets of teeth all play parts in the past, but we looked nothing like that then. The lead makeup took its toll on faces as it slowly poisoned them. They took a bath twice a year and their bodily odors would probably knock us over.

    We get a root canal now, then you begged the blacksmith to pull out the tooth to stop the pain.

    When you go back in time, do your vaccines from this time still protect you? To stay in the past would be to have your natural lifespan shortened realistically by about 40 years.

    Argghh, too much reality and this is magical time travel that can overcome all such complications. Do keep writing, we all need magic in our lives.

    You can probably tell I work in the medical field. Now if only I could find one of those time portals… (but could I bring some meds with me?)

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