As a writer of time travel fiction, I was asked recently which eras I would personally like to visit. This is my top ten list, assuming I wouldn’t get hurt and wouldn’t change the course of history or cause someone’s death, illness or injury. Call me a sissy, but I don’t want to put myself or anyone else in danger.
1 – 1935 Madison County, Georgia so I could visit the grandmother I never got to meet, visit my great-grandparents and other relatives & see my mother when she was a little girl and my father when he was a little boy. What a thrill that would be. The woman behind the wheel of that Model A Ford is my grandmother, Azalee (Kelly) Parham, my mother's mother who died when my mom was a little girl.
2 – 1600 London so I could visit the Globe Theatre to see a Shakespeare play and meet the Bard, himself. I’d also like to visit Stratford-upon-Avon to meet his wife, Anne Hathaway Shakespeare, and see what life was really like then.
3 – About 2500BC, Stonehenge in England so I could witness its construction and speak (through a magical interpreter) to the people building it.
4 – 1850s Auburn, New York to meet Harriet Tubman, one of the most successful conductors on the Underground Railroad transporting slaves escaping to freedom in the north.
5 – 1796 Steventon, Hampshire, England so I could meet Jane Austen during the most productive writing years of her short life. A tour of the region would also be enjoyable.
6 – 1021 Newfoundland, Canada to say hello to the Vikings as they arrive in North America. Again, there would have to be a magical interpreter.
7 – 1607 Jamestown, VA, USA so I could meet the real Pocahantas and see life in that area during that time. Plus, one of the branches of my family tree traces back to Jamestown, so I’d love to meet Mary Parham as well.
8 – About 55,000 years ago, somewhere in France so I could meet Neanderthals, perhaps when they were interacting with modern humans. Although not when they were having conjugal relations. LOL
9 – 1910 – 1920 New York City so I could ride the trolleys and see the city.
10 – 1849 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania so I could hear women’s rights activist Lucy Stone speak before a meeting of the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society and tour that famous city.
Would love to hear your top ten list! Or, at the very least, ONE of your top ten time travel destinations. Shoot me an email and I'll include it in my next newsletter.