Aside from a possible trip to a land of paternal ancestors, and a tropical cruise if opportunity allows, my traveling days to other countries are mostly behind me. But a journey via literary access is always a possibility - and far less expensive. I recently took on just such an excursion within the pages of Pop Travel, a sci-fi historical novel by author Tara Tyler. Eager to learn more about Tara and her unique research topic of sci-fi technology, I asked her to participate in the Novel Research project.
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Gail: Welcome Tara, and thanks for participating in this Novel Research interview today. I recently read your intriguing and well-written novel, Pop Travel, the first book in The Cooper Chronicles. Is writing novels your main career?
I’ve lived up and down the Eastern US and traveled worldwide, gaining diverse perspectives. Now I live and teach math in Ohio, but still travel to see my three active boys with my Coach Husband. The city of Atlanta holds a special place for me—it’s where I got my first teaching job, went on adventures, and got married. All of which have inspired many of my stories.
Gail:
Your eclectic employment background suggests you seldom have idle
down time. Is there anything else you do in your “spare time”?
Tara
Tyler: Yes, I also
write screenplays and am in the process of writing a musical!
Gail:
Then I imagine you can envision Pop Travel as a movie someday
and have researched accordingly. What is your favorite research method?
Tara
Tyler: The internet of course! But
I’m also inspired by reading similar novels, getting advice from my friends,
other writers and readers, and my husband. My own curiosity and love for
mapping things out helps me know what to research. And my research is a
never-ending journey: I’m always wondering “what if…” and writing things down
to improve a current manuscript or include in a future novel.
Gail: And what interesting details can you share today about technology in the future?
Since no one knows what the future holds for us, it’s easy to invent gadgets we’d like to see developed. But the gadgets and technology need to be plausible, so I research possibilities and embellish. For example, NOVA had a tempting video about teleportation possibilities for Pop Travel which is pop teleportation used by everyone in the future instead of planes. I read some articles about quark technology—the internet may soon be overtaken by the quark-net for faster speed in transmitting overwhelming amounts of data, especially when we use my invention of 3D imaging on our wrists: holographic smart watches called QVs (Qnet Viewers). I made some "prototypes" to give away with my books.
Since Pop
Travel takes place in settings all over the world, I had to research places
like Sydney, Australia and Mumbai, India. With a good portion of action in
India, I relied on my neighbor who is from there to get details about specific
locations. She also gave me some key Hindi phrases to use. And one of my
favorite parts of research is finding layouts and maps and adapting them.
Another big part of the story takes place on a renovated plantation which
includes details from the historic South and the Underground Railroad. It’s a
blend of history and science fiction.
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You can visit Tara at any of her social media sites
and check out her books at Amazon.com:
Today I was reading a blog post about what people a century ago predicted would be commonplace technology now. Flying cars and a plethora of robots were at the top, but teleportation wasn't on the list in 1920. What will 2120 have to offer? Thanks, Tara, for an entertaining look at teleportation, here and in your novel, Pop Travel.
ReplyDeleteAnother very enjoyable interview!
ReplyDeleteMartha, thanks for visiting. Tara has certainly done her research about teleportation. How little I knew!
DeleteI enjoyed the interview too. I love to travel but hate the long hours on flights. If teleportation were possible, I would be the first to sign up for the experiment!
ReplyDeleteYou are very adventurous, Veronica. The entire experience of check-in and waiting is so tedious, I would opt for pop travel, also. But I can't help but think of the movie, The Fly.
DeleteIt's so fun to imagine what the future could be like and I love discovering what researchers and inventors are working on to turn those imaginations into reality.
ReplyDeleteThanks again, Gail -- really enjoyed writing this and loved your review, it helps to let readers know it's not hard sci-fi, but an action-packed, cat & mouse detective techno-thriller =)
And thanks for stopping by Martha & Veronica!
Veronica, you are braver than me!
Tara Tyler Talks
Yes, Tara, not hard sci-fi, but "Pop Travel" is definitely action-packed. I'm not very original when it comes to imagining the future, so I can appreciate the research that goes into realistic plot building with this genre. Having a love for discovering new ideas and inventions is a bonus for any writer.
ReplyDelete