Heather’s Bookshelf: Author Interview with Donald McEwing

What inspired you to write “The Time Traveler’s Tale”?

McEwing: I always wanted to write a time travel book.  It's an entertaining genre yet few decent ones have been written.  This genre works well for me.  I write in the first person present tense, which means the narrator knows a general outline of how things are supposed to go without knowing the details.  The Spanish Conquest of Mesoamerica is a great example of an epic historical event about which little is known.  In addition, I go to great lengths to give the reader the feeling of being there by constantly describing colors, sounds, smells, and textures.

How did you come up with the names of your main characters?

McEwing: Most of the names come from the historical record, but again, little is known about the individuals; for example, the character of Twisted Grass/Dona Marina existed and served as translator for the Spanish.  She was absolutely integral, but no one knows her tribe or even her real name.

What is your favorite genre, book, and/or author?

McEwing: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Horror, and the poetry of T.S. Eliot.  Just finished reading Poe's only novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym, currently reading Jules Verne's sequel, An Antarctic Mystery.

What are you working on next?

McEwing: Young Adult fantasy, the Gardens of the Cenote.  Like Alice down the rabbit hole and Dorothy with her tornado, a young Olmec woman flees through a dying world while being chased by a panther.  They fall down a cenote and experience adventures in a series of gardens- Allerton/McBryde (Kauai), Monet's garden at Giverny, the Pleasure Gardens of Montezuma, the Gardens of Akbar's Tomb, The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Borges' Garden of Forking Paths, the site of the Fountain of Youth from my first novel, Nouveau Haitiah, the Congo from Conrad's Heart of Darkness, and finally the Garden of Persephone in the underworld.  The heroine is accompanied by a panther, a duck, a dove, a bumblebee, and the Green Man.  In each garden they confront an antagonist, a different version of a snake in each section.  They proceed through increasingly untended, unruly, and dangerous gardens in a search to restore balance and harmony to the world above. 

Learn More About the Author and The Time Traveler’s Tale on Facebook and Goodreads

Interested in checking out the book for yourself?

Find it for purchase here or Kindle Unlimited

Interested in submitting your book for review? Visit my review page for guidelines and submission requirements.

review