Amidst the many fantastic stories within The Temporal Element, I slipped in a short piece of my own, which I wrote a few years ago. "The Killing of Yesterday," is part time-travel, and part detective story. The basic premise of this one is that a time travel police force would have to exist to combat criminal activity if and when we develop the ability to venture into the past. There are some other twists and turns to this story, along with some theoretical science, though I'll stop there. I don't want to spoil it for anyone who might not have read it yet.
This story may have further significance in the future, as I've based an entire novel on it. "The Time Traveler's Illegal Harem" also features agent Jack Baker, albeit in a far different situation than we see in the short story. The concept of that book involves him being framed for various changes to the timeline, and his attempts to vindicate himself with the help of some ladies he's rescued from various points in history (hence the title). It isn't quite as scandalous as the title might imply.
The Time Traveler's Illegal Harem is currently sitting on a shelf, as I'm not satisfied with its current form. It was my first NaNoWiMo novel in 2010, so there are a few plot points I'd like to edit, and I simply haven't gotten around to doing it yet.
I've written a lot of different time-travel stories over the years, and that is one reason I decided to put together The Temporal Element. Everyone loves a good time travel story, but there are so few collections of short stories available on this theme. Who knows, maybe someday there will also be room for a "Temporal Element 2." Time will tell.
I love a good time travel story, however, a lot of them are done poorly. I've hope with yours though! It sounds exciting.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, there are a lot of poorly-written time travel stories, though that is really true of most sci-fi & fantasy. It's a genre that has both extremes, more than any other, I believe. You run into real gems, but also quite a few rough drafts that aren't ready to see daylight. With The Temporal Element, I had to reject some good stuff, as well as the bad, simply because some stories didn't really fit what I was seeking to produce.
DeleteI have the feeling some people just watch "Back to the Future" and a few episodes of "Doctor Who," and think that's what it's all about.