Sunday, May 29, 2016

"Choosing One Moment" by Marja McGraw



With each of my books, I’ve been asked at some point, “What inspired your story?”

In the case of “Choosing One Moment – A Time Travel Mystery”, it was music. Two songs in particular come to mind.

The first is “Time in a Bottle” by Jim Croce. I’m sure most of us have some moments (plural) that we’d like to relive. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could put those moments in a bottle and pour them out when we need them?

However, even more than the Jim Croce song, the Natalie Cole version of “That Sunday, That Summer” reached out and made me want to choose a moment in time to relive – at least in a fictional sense.

Those two songs made me think about traveling in time to create more memorable moments. That’s when the wheels started turning and time travel felt like something I had to deal with, but in my own way.

“If you ever receive an inheritance, you may want to think it over carefully before you begin sorting through antiques and mementos. They aren’t always as they seem.
Carrie McFerrin learned this the hard way.”

Vintage clothing and an old wooden crank telephone lead Carrie down a road of mystery when she travels from the present to 1909. She develops a new love and respect for her ancestors, people who would have just been names to her – faces in old photos – without time travel.

Someone is coming after two sisters with murder in mind. Carrie and her Great Aunt Genny (who hadn’t even been born in 1909) have to discover who could be so devious and why the sisters are in danger.

Is this time travel for one? Or time travel for two. You just never know what the universe is going to drop in your lap.

I researched this time period, but I didn’t go all out and include a history lesson in the book. The story is more about the characters than the era, other than the customs and speech patterns of the people involved.

Imagine if you traveled in time and when you arrived at your destination, someone saw you for who you really are instead of whom you traded places with. What if this person wanted to know about modern technology? How much should you tell them? Can you imagine telling someone about modern movies when they’ve just seen their first silent movie? Unless they’ve been reading science fiction of the time, they might just turn their back on you and walk away, shaking their head. There are some who might delight in your descriptions, too.

It works both ways. The character has chores to do, and they don’t include using a modern washing machine or clothes dryer, or throwing a frozen dinner in the microwave. Carrie has to learn what her ancestors went through in their time.

While this is a mystery, it’s character driven and a lot of fun. There’s more to life than just a killer. Right? Uh, maybe I should rethink that. Carrie and her great aunt have plenty to keep them busy, and suspects who are different from anyone they’ve ever known in the present.

I hope you’ll give “Choosing One Moment – A Time Travel Mystery” a try. I can only hope it will make your day.

Pat, Thank you so much for having me as a guest. There aren’t too many things I enjoy talking about more than books and writing. 

Book blurb: 
Mystery writer Carrie McFerrin has inherited an old family house and all of its contents from her Great Aunt Genny.

While taking inventory of the attic contents, she comes across an old wooden crank telephone. Thinking the old telephone would look perfect in her vintage kitchen, she hangs it on the wall by the back door, and an old, yellowed piece of paper asking for help falls to the floor.

The impossible happens when the disconnected old phone rings – three rings, a pause, and three more rings.

Carrie picks up the receiver, wondering what’s going on, and her life suddenly changes – forever.

Nothing will ever be the same.

Author's Bio:
Marja McGraw was born and raised in Southern California. She worked in both civil and criminal law, state transportation, and a city building department.  She has lived and worked in California, Nevada, Oregon, Alaska and Arizona.

She wrote a weekly column for a small town newspaper in Northern Nevada, and conducted a Writers’ Support Group in Northern Arizona. A past member of Sisters in Crime (SinC), she was also the Editor for the SinC-Internet Newsletter for a year and a half.

Marja writes two mystery series: The Sandi Webster Mysteries and The Bogey Man Mysteries, which are light reading with a touch of humor. She also occasionally writes stories that aren’t part of a series.
Marja says that each of her mysteries contains a little humor, a little romance and A Little Murder!
She now lives in Washington, where life is good.

19 comments:

  1. Marja,
    Thanks for being my guest this week!
    I'm about halfway through reading "Choosing One Moment" and, each evening, I can't wait to get back to it. Great book!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for having me as a guest, Pat! I'm thrilled to hear you're enjoying the book.

      Delete
  2. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, next to mystery. Your book sounds perfet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you enjoy it, Joyce Ann. In some ways I wish I'd lived back then, but then I remember things like microwaves and televisions, and I have second thoughts. : )

      Delete
  3. It is a fascination subject, thinking about what we know today and being in a former time when most of what we expect is life isn't even a twinkle in Grandpop's eye.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're right about that, Elaine. I just finished your Mrs. Odboddy book and loved the look into the past, along with the humor.

      Delete
  4. I'm also in the middle of reading, Choosing One Moment, and you have me worrying about your characters and how everything will turn out. It's such a good story. You must have done a fair amount of research.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Research and family stories helped me along the way, Evelyn. I'm so glad to hear you're enjoying the story! I tried not to overdo the historical parts, but it would be easy to do. I don't know how those women functioned in those long dresses, but I guess we can adjust to anything.

      Delete
  5. I enjoyed reading this blog, having read Choosing One Moment already. Interesting to know the music that inspired it. I like a time travel in which it feels as if the traveler really experienced the events and customs of the past. Your book has an authentic feel.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Dorothy! A trip through time could be a lot of fun, or not, depending on where you landed. I'm glad it entertained you.

      Delete
  6. I think we enjoy the same kind of music! The book sounds like a great read. Best wishes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Jacqueline! I appreciate you stopping in.

      Delete
  7. After reading this blog, I am so looking forward to reading your book. I love time travels.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Pat! I hope you enjoy it. It's a bit different, but that's me. Different. LOL

      Delete
  8. I'm reading your book and enjoying it immensely, Marja. I also love the cover. I hope you'll write more time travel standalones.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Jean! I hadn't given any thought about future time travel books, but I will now.

      Delete
  9. I'm currently reading The Time Traveler's Wife and it's all very confusing. I'm a linear person. I don't think I could ever write a novel like you've written. Kudos!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Sunny! I think Choosing One Moment is pretty easy to follow, but that's just me. : )

      Delete
  10. Musical inspiration hopefully will bring a sequel or series. Thanks for letting your readers know motivation.

    ReplyDelete