Time Travel discussion

If someone took everything you live for, how far would you go to get it back?

When offered a one-way trip to the past, Isabel sacrifices everything for a chance to change the rapidly deteriorating present--and see her murdered lover one last time. When she arrives twenty years in the past, buck naked and mortally wounded, she has 24 hours to convince a stunned but enraptured nineteen-year-old to change their future. Definitely easier said than done, as success means losing him to a brainy, smart-mouthed bombshell (her younger self), and that's a heart breaker, save the world or not.

This offbeat tale is about falling madly in love when one is too cynical for such things, letting go of pessimism when it's the last life jacket on a sinking ship, and racing against the clock when one doesn't have the proper footwear. It's a coming-of-age story for old fogeys, a how-to-make-love guide for diehard celibates, and a laugh-out-loud tragedy with a hopeful twist.

Love conquers all. (Unfortunately, it's not going to be enough.)

For a chance to win a signed hardback or a copy of the e-book answer the following discussion question:

Would you take a trip (back? forward?) in time if you knew you'd be stuck there for the rest of your life?

Antibiotics. Hot showers. Espresso.

Lack of those limits the past's appeal to me. I suppose there's a tropical island somewhere in 1500 BCE where coffee grows wild, antibiotics are unneeded, and hot showers are superfluous, but that sort of defeats the purpose of going back in time, don't you think?


So for me, forward in time. Fifty years? Planet of the Apes? Cloud Atlas? Mad Max? Some scientists say we are at a bottleneck in human history, and the next fifty years are the all or nothing round. It would be a bummer to show up 100 years in the future and find out just how good we have it now. (Drowning in garbage and dying of thirst?)

Am I being too pessimistic? Anyone daring enough to take a peek 500 years in the future? a thousand? You think we'll make it?

And one more question: Do you think Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking are right about AI?

I don't. I'm way more worried about drone swarms r.e. Kill Decision.

I can't wait to meet Samantha.

Okay. To hell with time travel questions. I'll give the free book to the person who can explain* why Brits love Cricket so much (and if you have no idea, take a shot at why Americans love football so much).

*Extra points awarded for wry humor, bad puns, and steamy innuendo -- and you have to use some form of the word "time" in your answer. (But try to keep it clean: kids can time travel too. If in doubt, ask Lincoln. He knows everything.)

Let me take this occasion to answer your question. I don’t think the future is as bright as it used to be as in my parent’s generation. I find the future scary and uncertain for me in this season in my life. I prefer the known over the unknown. I’m getting to the period in my life where I can barely keep up with technology. I remember being the guy that could program the VCR (already dating myself) and set up computers and devices. When did I become my Dad? When did I lose my patience for all this? When did my kids become better at this than me?

The interval into which I would travel would be 1300-1350 as a Native American in the Plains before the arrival of Europeans. Life is never a cake-walk but from the things I’ve read, live was good at that time. At that moment, there were no European diseases to combat and you had the beauty and bounty of the unspoiled land that would become America from which to live. I can image the clear streams, clear skies and families along with the associated festivities. Storytelling, campfires, and dancing in beat to the music would all be pleasant experiences. Ah, what a wonderful era that must have been!

So, I’ve combine your two requests into one. I answered the original question about the time travel and kinda answered the second one in which you wanted the use of time in the answer. I hope you think it clever. (view spoiler)[ All the bold words can be substituted with the word time! (hide spoiler)]

Grumpus wrote: "...I hope you think it clever."
I do. :-)

There once was a man who could cook
Up a story with words as his hook.
He went back in time.
To a place quite sublime.
But had to come back for the book.

@Grumpus- delightful!

@D.L I don't enter free book give aways because I have not read the last one I won, and feel extremely guilty about it.

@D.L I don't enter free book give aways because I have not read the last one I won, and feel extremely guilty about it."

Funny you say that. A few weeks ago I entered a giveaway for a book I thought looked interesting. There were over 1900 entries, one book available, and I won. The author emailed me a thank you, and I felt terribly bad about having to let him know that I wouldn't be able to read it and then leave a review until late summer. I told him I was not expecting to win, but I think he was still put off by it. I haven't entered any more since then :(

@Heather and @Quoleena (and @Grumpus too, if you'd rather...)

I think about 90% of the people on goodreads are in the same (overloaded) boat (and the other 10% just sell the book they win and pocket the money, lol.)

To be honest, I think I look at 10 to 15 book previews before I find one I actually want to read. Sending a random person a free book is sort of like giving away underwear and hoping the lucky winner will wear them around for a couple of weeks, even if they're the wrong size, ride up in your crack, and bleed in the washer.

How about an audiobook copy instead? It won't be done for another 6 weeks, but I'm sure I can wrangle a couple of free copies for Timers... Might be a bit more like a hat than underwear, lol.

(And if you want a guilt-free copy of the book, the kindle version will be free all day Monday, May 25th. ;-)

I am the moderator at the Audiobooks Group here on Goodreads. I have a "Promotions" thread where you are welcome to promote your audiobook when it is available. Some authors offer codes there as well. Check it out. I'd be happy to provide a review for the audiobook version when it becomes available.

Like @Heather and @Quoleena, I only enter contests or request codes when I know I can reasonably get around to reading/listening to it. After receiving the book, I provide the author with an ETA as to when I expect to read it. Then after posting my review, I also send a note to let them know that it has been posted.

@Grumpus You sound like an ideal reviewer, except for one small problem: I don't know if you're going to love my book (and I know you give out a lot of 3-star (or less) ratings, which can kill a book with few reviews: How often do you pick up a book with an average rating below 4 stars?)

Once a (good) book has lots of readers, an author hopes that some of them will love it, and a few will even take the time to leave a review (5 stars, woohoo!) But until a book get lots of readers, the author has to offer the book to (read: "beg") carefully researched strangers and hope they connect with the story well enough to leave a 4-star. This is not something that any author enjoys doing (and it costs a lot of time and money, too), but the only way to get readers is to get reviews, and the only way to get (honest) reviews is to get strangers to read your book. And I can tell you from personal experience: begging sucks.

That leaves authors with giveaways where the winner is not someone you have carefully chosen (due to their published book reviews, ratings, favorite shelf, etc.), and sometimes no review is the best review.

Forgive me for the diatribe, but searching for reviewers is a bit like eating wild mushrooms: They might be your only way to survive in the woods -- right up until you accidentally pick a bad one.

Why am I saying all this in a public forum? Because I'm an idiot (or because I think seeing the big picture helps people make better choices).

Anyone still interested in a giveaway copy (audiobook or otherwise)?

How often do you pick up a book with an average rating below 4 stars?

All the time:
-The Queen of the Damned, 3.83 stars
-Song of Susannah, 3.97
-Interview with the Vampire, 3.96
-Brave New World, 3.93
-Anna Karenina, 3.99
-The Catcher in the Rye, 3.77
-The DaVinci Code, 3.73
-Metamorphosis, 3.74
-etc

@Quoleena Touché!

I should of said: "How often do you pick up a book by an unknown, debut author that is below 4 stars?"

I appreciate your candor!

The star rankings have been debated ad infinitum here at Goodreads. I’ve been a member since June 2007 and it has been discussed since then. I conduct surveys for a living as a market researcher. If Goodreads would have simply asked people to rate the books from 1 to 5, I think overall ratings would be higher. I use the official Goodreads verbiage that is behind the stars in my rating considerations (1 star = I did not like it, 2 stars = it was OK, 3 stars = I liked it, 4 stars = I really liked it, and 5 stars = it was amazing), so 3 stars is a good rating for me because I liked it. I try to point that out in my comments reminding readers of this fact.

You mentioned that new author’s need to seek out carefully researched strangers to leave a review. I understand that is how the game is played but (I don’t know if I’m the exception) I never trust any of the early reviews of new authors because I know this is the dance authors do (I’d do the same if I were in your shoes). I’ll look at the profiles of those reviewers to see if they have any connection with the author or if they give every book 4 or 5 stars. Either would be a red flag to me that their comments/rating is not to be a trusted honest review. For new authors, my decision to read a book is based solely upon the description. Being in market research, I also look at the graph of the reviewers’ scores to see if they have a good distribution of ratings. I would never believe that every book they’ve read is 4 or 5 stars. The chart of my ratings is pretty close to a typical bell curve – most of the scores in the middle with less as you go to the extremes.

I read and enjoy new authors here on Goodreads and through https://kindlescout.amazon.com/. I think I have encountered only two real clunkers in this experience and love the opportunity to interact with new authors. I’ve developed a friendship with new author, Ken Magee (would he say the same?) through winning a contest here even though my review of his first book was only two stars. I've written reviews for all three of his books and the first one can be found HERE. As the series progressed, I enjoyed it even more and could see his work making it to the big screen. That’s a fun reason for seeking interesting works from new authors - to one day be able to say, “I knew them when. . .”.

Again, I appreciate your candor, the forum to meet you, and have these interesting discussions. I wish you much success. Oh, DL Orton? Yeah, I know her and I remember her when. . . :-)

I did download the free kindle offer today D.L. and will make a concerted effort to get this read and reviewed by the end of June.

Heather wrote: "I did download the free kindle offer today D.L. and will make a concerted effort to get this read and reviewed by the end of June."

Thanks, Heather. The journey is the reward. :-)
And I hope you enjoy it!)

Paul wrote: "As a Brit who hates cricket I suppose I can't answer accurately why Brits love this insane 'sport' - a sport in which more than half a team sit waiting for their turn to bat, and all of the other t..."

Hey, you forgot zombies! ;-)

Extra points for the tie-in from the blurb. Gold star for the marbles double entendre. And high five for the football dig (I hate American football, lol.)

Just a heads-up: If you win, I might show up in your bathroom with the book (toilets are portals to higher dimensions -- along with dryers, but dryers only go one way... ;-)

Paul wrote: "(I'll make a separate post for the off-topic stuff! ;) )

Reviews are funny things - ultimately they're subjective...."

Exactly. But I do think there are a few things we (as readers) can agree on: a book littered with bad grammar, typos, poor choice of font, spelling mistakes, etc. is not a book most people want to spend precious time reading (and those books are a bad reflection on indie publishers in general.) As a reader, I appreciate that someone took the time to warn me about those books. (And I'm like @Quoleena, I read the worst reviews first.)

But I'm with you Paul, if I read a book that a publisher/author has put time into polishing (writing, editing, proofing, layout, etc.) then I assume there's an audience for it somewhere, even if it's not me. For those books, I just mark them as read and keep looking for the next good one.

I downloaded it yesterday. Now, if only I had the time to read again, I would be so much less stressed! At least I can say that when I finally do have the time, I'll have a plethora of books waiting for me on my Kindle. Happy day.

OK. First question: The future? I think if I went 50 years ahead, I'd probably miss a decent coffee (or tea) because by then, energy drinks will be all there is after Starbucks conquered the world and then went broke. The past? No way. Anything further back than 100 years was way too violent and dangerous. Even more than 50 years wasn't too peachy...except for the awesome cars back then. I'll stay where I am.

Second question: Cricket? Well, in Australia, cricket is like a religion. I hate it! I was forced to play it at school and I saw absolutely no logic or enjoyment in it. A stupid game (apologies to Sir Donald Bradman). But I do play golf...equally illogical sport. American Gridiron? I LOVE IT! Watching it that is. Not playing it. It's like a game of outdoor chess with a weird-shaped ball. I watch it on TV a lot since they don't play it here in Aus.

I like the sound of the book too.

Paul wrote: "I like the sound of the book too..."

I think that was the right answer ;-)

Last Call!

(Contest ends at midnight!)

"Edgy, literary, pithy.  I like this book. It’s charming and punchy and engaging. The characters seem well considered and, well, refreshingly naughty.  D. L. Orton has great finesse when it comes to storytelling." E.M. Davis,  Senior Editor @ Pressque.com via Ingram

Thanks to @Lincoln, @Grumpus, @Heather, @Quloeena, @Paul in Australia, and @Paul in Europe for participating!

1) Winner in the "Clever Wordplay" category: @Grumpus!
You'll be getting a coupon for a free copy of the audiobook when it goes live in July!

2) Winner in the "Actually Looked at the Book" category: @Paul from Europe!
You're the lucky winner of a paperback copy of the book to be delivered late-June. (It's going to take me a while to get it across the pond. Paddle, paddle.)

3) Winner in the "Shameless Flattery" category:@Paul from Australia!
Let me know if you'd like a print or ebook, and I'll send you a coupon to buy one in Australia. (I'll be too tired from rowing to Holland to make another open water delivery ;-)

4) Winner in the "Got my Own Damn Copy" category:@Heather!
Get me your email address, and I'll send you a coupon for a cup of coffee from Starbucks. (Do they have those in Canada??)

5) Winner in the "Encyclopedia Brown" category:@Quloeena!
Get me your email address, and I'll send you a coupon for a cup of coffee from Starbucks too. (No need to read the book!)

...And last but definitely not least:

6) Winner in the "Silent Hero" category:@Lincoln!
Coffee, tea, or me (as in "my book"), Lincoln? Thanks for all your help!

(The ebook will be free for the last time until fall on Monday, June 8th... Going, going...)

Thank you so much. I'm looking forward to reading, "Crossing in Time". Speaking of crossing; World Distance Calculator tells me you are a mere 8,015 miles from me as the crow flies (or as the author swims), but the downhill start from The Rockies should give you a good boost. Look on the bright side - you can stop off at Hawaii on the way! Otherwise, I'd be delighted with an ebook for my lovely Kindle!

Paul wrote: "Thank you so much. I'm looking forward to reading, "Crossing in Time". Speaking of crossing; World Distance Calculator tells me you are a mere 8,015 miles from me as the crow flies (or as the author swims..."

Send me the email address to use at amazon, and I'll gift you the book!
(dlo at dlorton dot com) (My cozzie is in the wash ;-)

Congratulations to us All!!

Thank you DL for your generosity and offering your book for free to all of us! Thank you for participating in this months giveaway.

Ha! That's awesome, D.L. :) I did download the book last Monday. I look forward to reading it.

Yes we have Starbucks in Canada, but Tim Horton's is all the rage.

Looking forward to reading your book.

Paul wrote: "Brilliant! Many many thanks! Good luck paddling it across the pond... I'm sure it will make the Crossing in Time! :)"

:-D

Paul wrote: "I've finally finished reading Crossing in Time! Really enjoyed it..."

Thanks, Paul. You're awesome! :-)

Im absolutely regretting having missed this giveaway during my summer hiatus because 1. D.L.looks to have made this even more fun and 2. I'm a Brit and a cricketer and could have been defending my sport amongst so many of you haters, lol

Tej wrote: "Im absolutely regretting having missed this giveaway..."

Hey, Tej! It's never too late in the time-travel group. Obviously, you met the requirements, so I sent you a book back in May (which will arrive in September, so as to not break any rules of physics.) As I recall, you plan to answer one of these questions: What's your take on the Fermi Paradox? Do you think AI is going to kill us all? What's the deal with Cricket (and why do the bats look so weird?)

Curious minds want to know. And the rest of us are just along for the bad puns. Am I right, Paul and Paul and Heather, Quoleena, and sometimes Lincoln? (My, that was appaulling.)

Ah, well it's all quite simple really:

As you all know with us Brits, we like to make things more complicated than they ought to be, just so we can look far more superior than we really are, particularly when explaining the rules to largely blank faces.

The deal is this, by the time your baseballer reaches first base, we would have covered Silly Mid On, Cow Corner, Backward Square Leg and Leg Gully. By second base we will have bowled 3 googlies, 2 long hops and a Doosra. By third base, we'd have late cut, hooked, slogged, reverse swept and switch hit to a 400+ runs declaration, hence the need for our funny looking bats. By 4th base or home run, we will have bowled the Aussies out for 65 and bring home the Ashes (and I dare say, it's solely that last part why we Brits love cricket).

See, as I said, it's all very straight forward in why we make it so complicated :) Oh forgive me, there is a slight flaw in my explanation. Regards to the timespan...just expand all that by a splendidly exciting 5 days!


Looking forward to picking up your ebook last May, D.L, and thank you very much in advance for sending it already :)

Tej wrote: "Ah, well it's all quite simple really..."

LOL.

Message me your mailing address, and I'll make sure me-from-the-past sent it out to you-in-the-future... And if you don't like the book, please give me a review JUST like your explanation of cricket. (And if you do like the book... ah, hell. If you like the book, that'll make two of us, so maybe I'll have to take up cricket. ;-)

(And if you haven't read Paul or Paul's review, maybe you want to do that before you give out your address to a wacko. ;-)

Just wanted to close the loop on this. I received the audiobook from the author as promised and I always feel it is my obligation to leave a review / comments. Both ends of the bargain fulfilled! You can read my thoughts here. Thanks D.L. for the opportunity and I wish you the best of luck.