Veteran medieval writer Jody Hedlund brings us a fascinating time travel novel with a marriage of convenience twist. Folks, if you’re looking for time travel fiction blended with logic and realism, here’s the novel for you. Welcome back to the Index, Jody!
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England , 1380s , Middle Ages , Knights , Marriage of Convenience/Arranged Marriage, Time Travel , Hedlund-Jody
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The ultimate cure that could heal any disease? Crazy. That’s exactly what research scientist Marian Creighton has always believed about her father’s quest, even if it does stem from a desire to save her sister Ellen from the genetic disease that stole their mother from them. But when her father falls into a coma after drinking a vial of holy water believed to contain traces of residue from the Tree of Life, Marian must question all of her assumptions. He’s left behind tantalizing clues that suggest he’s crossed back in time. Insane. Until Marian tests his theories and finds herself in the Middle Ages during a dangerous peasant uprising. William Durham, a valiant knight comes to Marian’s rescue and offers her protection . . . as his wife. The longer Marian stays in the past, the more she cares about William. Can she ever find her father and make it back to the present to heal her sister? And when the time comes to leave, will she want to? |
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Questions about Jody’s Story
What inspired this story?
I’ve always loved reading time-crossing books, but in recent years realized how few there are to choose from. After devouring the few books I could find, I decided maybe I just needed to write one for myself. I happened to have a free block of time in my schedule between projects, and so I gave myself a fun treat and wrote one.
In developing the plot, I wanted to find a concept that gave off the feeling that time traveling was really possible. Since people in comas are sometimes known to have very realistic “dreams”, I decided that would be the “vehicle” for the time-crossing. After discovering that “visions” were also connected to holy water, I merged the concepts of coma and holy water. Hopefully readers will be left with the feeling that time crossing is possible!
What was the hardest part of your book to write?
Time travel is a large part of this story. Since time travel is largely science fiction, most of my ideas came straight from my own imagination! However, in trying to make the concepts believable, I did draw on many of the current physics concepts surrounding breaching time and space. In addition to general research on the popular theories, I read The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli as well as Seven Brief Lessons on Physics also by Rovelli. While I don’t delve too heavily into the scientific terminology and theories, I learned enough to flavor the series with realistic possibilities.
What research book or website used to write this book was your favorite to peruse?
First of all, I enjoy reading other fiction set in that era, which helps to give me a flavor of the Middle Ages. One that I particularly enjoyed is Queen Hereafter, regarding Queen Margaret of Scotland.
I also have many medieval research books that I’ve collected over the years (since I also write Young Adult medieval fairy tales) including: The Middle Ages Unlocked, Daily Life in the Middle Ages, Knight: The Warrior and World of Chivalry, and many more.
Finally, I gleaned advice from a medieval expert living in England, who read through my manuscript and helped to correct my inaccuracies as well as gave me research tips and links.
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Questions about Jody’s Reading
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What other Christian Historical Novels are similar to yours in setting or storyline? I enjoyed Dreamspell by Tamara Leigh, which combines time travel and the Middle Ages like Come Back to Me does. |
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What Christian Historical Novel are you most excited to read that hasn’t yet come out? Sarah Sundin’s When Twilight Breaks and Kristy Cambron’s The Paris Dressmaker both sound good and have gorgeous covers (they’re both already released). |
Jody is giving away a paperback, US only. Enter the Rafflecopter below!
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