For my new time travel story, I’ve moved away from the Renaissance and Italy. My new characters land several different places in time, but most important to my new story is Colonial America and 18th century London.
New Characters in History
Another female artist has caught my eye as a fascinating person to meet. , She was a prodigious and fearless artist, a sculptor in wax. She was a Quaker, a friend of Benjamin Franklin, and it’s thought that Patience Lovell Wright was a spy for the cause of American independence. She was related to a famous member of the Culper Spy Ring that helped George Washington win the war. Her cousin was the linchpin of that group, Robert Townsend.
There’s a war on, a struggle to become free of a tyrannical monarch, “Mad” King George III, who asks Patience to sculpt his portrait. The American colonies pay taxes to this spendthrift king, but have no representation in Parliament. The colonial army was no match for the might of the British, so spy networks were critical to Washington’s success. Even though America could have gained independence without espionage, Washington’s use of spies provided the information and intelligence necessary for success during the American Revolutionary War.
Why Do Timegatherers Needs to “Fix” History?
Why do modern day time travelers need to go back in that era ? Turns out that a 23rd century group of time travelers, the Optimalists, have a goal to “fix” history. They’e there, working to support the British and make sure history comes out a different way, and America remains a British colony. George St. James and his group aren’t going to let that happen.
Enter a young woman, Olivia Pomeroy, who’s a cousin of George’s friend May Gold. A reluctant timegatherer, Olivia finds herself recruited to aid in the cause, and she joins the War of Independence as a spy, helping Patience Wright. Her reluctant helper is a timegatherer named Tom, who doubts Liv’s ability to pull off timegathering, let alone spying in another century.
Those of you who have watched the brilliant television series Turn will remember what a desperate effort it was to wage an eight-year war against the world’s greatest army.
For the moment, my working title is Undoing Time. I’m about 2/3 of the way through the first draft, estimated to be around 270 pages. I’m looking at possible images for a cover design. And also looking at images to help me envision my main character, Olivia Pomeroy, who only dimly knows she has time travel abilities at the start of the story.
CHARACTER SHOTS
Check out Books 1 and 2 in the Timegathering Series!
