In this first installment of the fascinating ‘Quantum Lace’ series, Lady Bridgit Darnell’s life in 1895 in England is interrupted with what she initially thought was merely a strange dream – a dream in which she meets present-day Markus in South Carolina who tells her not only that quantum physics has shown time-travel is possible, but he outlines how he himself has already been able to travel through time. Awaking back in what she recognizes as her own time and place, Bridgit is convinced the vision must have been a fantasy of her own making UNTIL an event occurs that proves the dream was in fact real. When tragedy strikes, Bridgit’s past and future both take an emotional and uncertain turn when she embarks upon a journey from which she may never be able to return…
“Quantum Lace” is the bringing together of many of my passions:
- Quantum Physics
- Forgotten (or little known) History
- Victorian and Edwardian Era
- Personal Growth
- Spirituality
- Novella/short stories
- Serialised Stories
- Time Travel
Lady Bridgit Darnell, the lead character, is in many ways a reflection of me. I won’t elaborate too much more on that here, but as you get to know Bridgit – who she is as a person, what makes her tick – you will also gain an insight into my own personal character.
Research
One of my greatest joys in the creation of this series is the research that goes into each and every book. While they are works of fiction, in as much as I can I have made certain that they are true to the period in which they are set, even to small items such as, in Book Two, Bridgit finds herself in WWII and is handed a drink in a “brown enamelled mug”. While that may seem insignificant, during WWI, the mugs used by the British Armed Forces were white, however they discovered the white mugs were easy to see from a distance and were used by the enemy as target practice, and so were changed to brown.
I do not expect the vast majority to even notice such a small detail, but I do hope that if an historian reads Bridgit’s books, they will find a passion for details true to the era.
Railway Novel / Novella
As the railways expanded through Britain, a ‘railway novel’ was a short volume intended to be easy to carry, and condensed enough that one could read it in its entirety on a train journey.
Bridgit’s books are just that – novellas that one can read on a rail journey, a plane trip, or curled up in bed on a lazy Sunday.
They are not meant to be comprehensive novels.
Serial Volumes
Additionally, each of Bridgit’s books ends with “…and then…” – a sneak peek into the beginning of the next book.
Serial works have been fashionable since before Bridgit’s time – and indeed “The Time Machine” by H. G. Wells was originally released as a serial (and is mentioned in Book One).
Mini-Series
Although each of Bridgit’s books are short novella, my desire is for each book to become a season in a mini-series – and I have written each one with that in mind.
Cover Art
When I was creating the cover art (and yes, I did that myself) I wanted to include some elements of the glorious Victorian apartment in which I was living – that, by the way, is located in Warrior Square where Bridgit lives in Book One.
If you look at the back cover, you can clearly see a patterned overlay – that is a photo I took of the panelling around the walls of the apartment.
The spine is a manipulated image of the lacework around the ceilings.
Also, while the covers are similar, you will notice a difference to each. First, the clock face on each book is true to the period in which the book is set. Second, the spine on each book, when placed in order next to each other on a shelf, together form a rainbow.
Why a rainbow? One of the particular qualities of rainbows is that, because of the change in the angle of viewing, the rainbow you see is different from that same rainbow as seen by every other person. So it is with Bridgit’s books – although they read the same book, every person will have a different experience and take something different away with them…