A 1937 vintage camper trailer half hidden in weeds catches Lynne McBriar’s eye when she is visiting an elderly friend Ben. Ben eagerly sells it to her and she just as eagerly embarks on a restoration. But after each remodel, sleeping in the trailer lands Lynne and her daughter Dinah in a previous decade—exciting, yet frightening. Glimpses of their home town and ancestors fifty or sixty years earlier is exciting and also offers some clues to the mystery of Ben’s lost love. But when Dinah makes a trip on her own, separating herself from her mother by decades, Lynne has never known such fear. It is a trip that may upset the future if Lynne and her estranged husband can’t team up to bring their daughter back.
How much trouble can you get into with a time travelling trailer? Lynne McBriar is about to find out! Author Karen Musser Nortman has dropped in today to chat about the fears that Lynne faces to rescue her daughter in ‘The Time Travel Trailer’. Karen it’s wonderful to have you back here to chat about a book that we haven’t detailed before! In the past we’ve discussed how your books have developed from your love of RV travel. How did ‘The Time Travel Trailer’ evolve out your travels?
I became acquainted with a number of people, especially women, who were into restoring vintage trailers, and often even dress for the era. It was like a trip back in time. And I thought, why not?
I love the dedication and commitment of these women who even dress the part. Knowing your commitment to storytelling I’m sure you found it necessary to match their commitment to the eras explored with reams of your own research. What did you look into this time around?
I wanted to use a camper model that existed at least as far back as the Thirties so I researched the 1937 Covered Wagon camper, corresponding with a man who owns a restored one. In the past I was a history teacher so enjoyed researching the decades visited by the trailer.
*Laughs* It’s very important to keep those history teacher skills up researching each new novel. You never know when you may be called to teach again! What do you hope that readers take from this fictional brush with history?
That every time has it’s own problems — our experiences are not new.
That is so very true. On the topic of new, what does your current writing project entail?
I’m working on a third book in this series (the second is “Trailer on the Fly”) which will take the time travel trailer along Route 66.
Well, if you’re going to write about Route 66 you should do it in the style of all of the eras! When you have a spark of inspiration, like time travelling along Route 66, do you know where the route of the story will take you, or does it unfold as your start travelling down it?
Usually I don’t know how it will end–or if I think I do, events pop into the story that changes the outcome. It’s an exciting process.
How have you harnessed that excitement of writing and used it to fuel your author brand and self-publishing strategies?
My biggest audience are RV campers. My slogan for my mysteries is “Camping Can be Murder” and I have a flag I put by our campsite that says that. I usually hand out a couple of copies of my books in every campground and have gained a lot of readers that way.
Getting right into the heart of the readership is absolutely fantastic! You are so lucky to be able to connect with your readers on such a personal note, and I’m sure all of those interactions also fuel more books. What a winning combination! For those authors still working on the connection with their readers, what advice do you have to help them?
Don’t give up.
And with such a wonderful example of the joy of fostering relationships with readers, I’m sure our other authors reading here today have been inspired pick up their word processors and write through their motivation struggles. Karen thanks so much for bringing us up to speed with a taste of ‘The Time Travel Trailer’ and I look forward to catching up with you in the future to chat about your journey down Route 66.
—
Excited to read the book we discussed today? Find it here on Amazon: ‘The Time Travel Trailer ( ASIN: B00P1RPB6K )‘.
Want to find out more about Karen Musser Nortman? Connect here!
You can also catch our previous interviews with Karen: