The Cheese Spirits Are Here - Bring Crackers!

Guess who's visiting here this week? The lovely Crystal Collier!

We know Crystal loves cheese, so I checked my fridge.
   Monterey Jack
   Queso Fresco
   Asadero
   Feta
   Asiago
   Parmesan
   Mozzarella
   American
   Sharp Cheddar
   And leftover cheesecake.
We're a cheezy bunch :)
Somewhere in there Crystal should get her fill. I hope.

I'm now handing the cheese over to Crystal


First of all, huge thanks, Carol, for inviting me here today!



With the release of my second novel, SOULLESS, I've come to realize that every book has its tricky aspects.

While writing a series that deals with time manipulation, I've come across my fair share of pitfalls. Ready to bend your brain?




Top Ten Troubles with Twisting Time

1. Memories: If you could step through time, you'd find yourself in a place where you remembered events that have yet to take place. Say, the Berlin wall coming down. The fall of the Roman empire. How would that mess with your interactions with others? 

2. Paradoxes: So he saved the day, but then the person he saved stepped through time and saved him. But, what if they didn't? Then the whole time stream would collapse, right?


3. Crossing paths with one's self or ancestors: What if you accidentally influenced your ancestor to take a different path? What if you accidentally (or intentionally) influenced yourself to take a different path? Does the current you cease to exist? 

4. Forgetting someone doesn't know you: When seeing someone you care about or met three years in the future, you might react on instinct. There's no denying the lighting up of your eyes when you recognize someone, but what if you slipped and went too far? 

5. Learning HOW to control time: Alexia has trouble with this. She even over shoots once. Almost to the detriment of those she's trying to help. Oops. Imagine if you overshot by a century or so? (Not saying my characters do that.)



6. Learning your limits: Does traveling through time have a cost?
Physical strain? 
Financial? 
Technological?




7. Anachronisms: This is a fancy word for taking customs, events etc. to a time where they don't belong. How about a hand shake, a piece of history or governing aspect, a word that has yet to come into existence?


8. Food: It's no small secret that people have eaten differently throughout the ages. What if your stomach couldn't tolerate the current foods?

9. Sickness: Same as food. What if you didn't have the same immunity as 90% of the population, and contracted a common illness, and died?

10. Language/reading: Unless you're blessed with a Tardis, how on this holy earth are you supposed to communicate with people from a different era?


So if you ever come across an author staring into space with a pained expression on his/her face, now you know why. Give them a wedge of cheese, a pat on the shoulder, and assure them the world is not about to explode. They'll appreciate it. 


Crystal Collier is a young adult author who pens dark fantasy, historical, and romance hybrids. She can be found practicing her brother-induced ninja skills while teaching children or madly typing about fantastic and impossible creatures. She has lived from coast to coast and now calls Florida home with her creative husband, three littles, and “friend” (a.k.a. the zombie locked in her closet). Secretly, she dreams of world domination and a bottomless supply of cheese. You can find her on her blog, FacebookGoodreads, or follow her on Twitter.

MOONLESS: Alexia must choose safety and an arranged marriage, or true love and being hunted by the Soulless every moonless night.

SOULLESS: When Alexia's wedding is destroyed by the Soulless—who then steal the only protection her people have—she's forced to unleash her true power and risk losing everything.



Any brain benders you can add about time manipulation? Have you ever wanted to time travel, and if so, to when?




Comments

Time travel means you'd definitely mess something up along the way!
L. Diane Wolfe said…
They say going 200 years in either direction means we'd have trouble with the language.
Tonja Drecker said…
I bet it really messes up the body-clock. Oh the jetlag!
Crystal Collier said…
Alex, I know! It's inevitable, right?

Diane--agreed. I've studied my fair share of linguistic etymology, and it amazing how quickly a language evolves.
Crystal Collier said…
Tonja--NO KIDDING. LOL.
Melissa said…
Very thought provoking.
Don't cross the streams! LOL

Carol, you forgot Brie and smoked Gouda. How could you not stock Brie and smoked Gouda! :P
H. R. Sinclair said…
It's a lot to tackle, but how fun!

I'll bring havarti to the party.
Crystal Collier said…
Melissa, dangerous, right? (And agree. The more cheese the merrier.)

Holly--I'll take the Havarti and raise you muenster and fontina!
Most days I can barely function in the present. This is why I don't even try to mess with time travel. :)
Anonymous said…
I get jet lag on a long haul flight let alone time travel.
Carol Kilgore said…
Melissa - We ate all the brie. Gouda is a "sometimes" around here.

Holly and Crystal - Havarti is one of my favorites, too :)
So use that time travel and replace the brie. And add some camenbert. And some of the blue cheeses. With olives on the side.
I often feel that I don't belong, and don't know the societal codes in the here and now. Perhaps I am time travelling... A good excuse anyway.
Stephen Tremp said…
Fun post! I would travel five years into the future and bring back a Wall Street Journal.
Crystal Collier said…
LOL! While we're using time travel to build the cheese pile, I'll toss in some Jarlsberg and baby Swiss. Maybe even some Emmental. And feta. Did anyone mention feta yet?

Stephen--ah. You're that guy. ;)
Unknown said…
Holy cow, Carol, you have a lot of cheeses in your fridge I just counted and I only have 6 in mine - and I adore cheese!

Crystal - Yay for the new book and for mastering the intricacies of time travel!

Helena said…
Soulless sounds intriguing, and the covers for both novels are gorgeous. I've always loved time travel stories, but actually going through with my own such travel (if it were possible) could be pretty scary for exactly the reasons you state. I could wipe myself out!
Crystal Collier said…
Lexa, I was pretty impressed with how many cheeses Carol has on hand too. Her current collection almost rivals my own.

Helena, aw, thanks. Not all people are fit to travel space and time, eh? I suppose that's why I just write about it. Yes, that's it. *hiding time machine behind the fridge*
Luanne G. Smith said…
Ten good reasons why I don't attempt to write time travel stories! I don't know how you keep track of it all. :)
J Lenni Dorner said…
That's a lot of cheeses! And some great time points.
Carol Kilgore said…
EC - I always have olives. Love them!

Stephen - Smart man!

Lexa - It's always a different variety. Currently we're heaving on cooking cheese and light on sandwich and snacking ones. But we always have a few.
DMS said…
When I saw the "cheese" title of today's post I immediately thought of Crystal, so I was happy to see that I guessed right!

I think writing a time travel book definitely has a lot to it. Authors have to think of so many logistics. Great job to all that can do it! I have always thought it would be interesting to time travel, but I guess if I ever get the chance to do so I will have to think about the dangers!
~Jess
DMS said…
When I saw the "cheese" title of today's post I immediately thought of Crystal, so I was happy to see that I guessed right!

I think writing a time travel book definitely has a lot to it. Authors have to think of so many logistics. Great job to all that can do it! I have always thought it would be interesting to time travel, but I guess if I ever get the chance to do so I will have to think about the dangers!
~Jess
Jemi Fraser said…
I'm another cheese fan!!

So many things to be wary/aware of with time travel - but it's so much fun! :)
Unknown said…
ah cheese. Now I want some. I don't think I'd want to time travel. Maybe just back to the late 90s because I went to so many incredible concerts!
Jan Christensen said…
Okay, now I know where all my cheese is--in Carol's fridge. The points about time travel are fascinating. Way too complicated for me. Give me a simple murder to solve, and I'm good.
Janie Junebug said…
What a spread for Crystal. It's nice of you to feature her.

Love,
Janie
Since I'm always late, I couldn't possibly handle time travel. I'd probably end up stuck in limbo without a slice of cheese in sight! This was fun Crystal and Carol!

Julie
Carol Kilgore said…
Jan - Your friendly local cheese thief :)

Janie - I love featuring other authors.

Julie - Fun is good :)
Morgan said…
Carol! It's been so long! I hope you are wonderful. Loved having Crystal here today… I'm still so stoked to read her work… her books look AMAZING…
Crystal Collier said…
L.G--LOL!

J. Lenni--I know. Kind of makes you hungry, eh?

DMS--Yay! It's that riddler brain of yours. ;)

Jemi--I totally agree. Time travel is just too fun.

Beth--Hah! It's all about the music, eh?

Jan--I know she didn't raid my fridge because she was missing the muenster.

Janie--I know, right? I feel so honored.

Empty Nest--Maybe your in need of a time machine more than the rest of us. ;)

Morgan--Yay! I'm stoked for you to read my work. =D
Carol Kilgore said…
Morgan - I'm so glad to see you again! I just came from your blog. Wow. I'm REALLY happy to see you!
Unknown said…
Can't imagine the jetlag with time travel.I'd sleep for days.

And I know Crystal's love for cheese-- here's sending some more her way!

Thanks for this post, Karol, it was a fun read.
TBM said…
We currently have Blue Stilton, Port Wine, and Cheddar in our fridge. Popped over from Christine's blog. Happy dunk day!
And I'm back to drench the wench!
Christine Rains said…
Sometimes I think I'd like to travel back in time and warn myself not to do certain things, but then would I not travel back later on to warn myself? Hmmm. I'd love to travel with the Doctor though!

Hi Carol! Be prepared to be soaked today. You are our honored dunkee for the Drench-a-wench Realms Faire event. Splash! :)
Crystal Collier said…
D Biswas--Yay! Thanks for the extra cheese.

TMB--Sounds like you're set for a party!

Christine--I totally know what you mean. We learn from our poor decisions, eh?
Ellie Garratt said…
Hey, Crystal. I'm having so much fun reading your tour posts. I've been eating a lot of cheese as well. My current favourite is cheddar and chillies. Spicy!

Carol - I'm here to drench you in love. You're the official dunkee for today's Realms Faire ;)
Hey Carol, a good bucket of water to you. Are you feeling drenched yet>
M Pax said…
First off, I must empty this hose...

The communication thing would be hard. Even in the 1800's people talked very differently. Going back farther, English barely seems like English. I had to read the original Beowulf in college. Argh! It took hours to read a page, because even words I knew had different meanings.
Cherie Reich said…
Time travel can be quite problematic! Congrats to Crystal!

You've been drenched, Carol! :)
Loni Townsend said…
There are so many details you need to pay attention to when you're messing with time.
I'm here for the dunking, but I'll say hi to Crystal first. Hi Crystal!!

Now, about that dunking....
dolorah said…
Time travel creates lots of cunnumdrums :)

I like this drench a wench game. And thanks for the cheese, I brought crackers.
Carol Kilgore said…
Hey, all you dunkers and drenchers! Thank you for stopping by! What a neat thing!

Thank you, Christine!
And thanks to dolorah for the crackers :)
Nicki Elson said…
'ats a lot o' cheeses!

Wibbley wobbley timey wimey stuff -- glad I'm not the one who has to make it all work out.

Hi Carol!
I'm here to 'drench-a-wench' as instructed by the Realms Faire hostess.
So regard yourself duly drenched in a special dose of H2O!

Yay! Nice to see Crystal here today!
klahanie said…
Aha, Carol, Crystal, have you been waiting for me? Maybe I already commented in another dimension, a dimension where time has no concept because there is not definition of time.

I read this post Caerphilly, because it's cheesy to please you.

Yay to Crystal and yay to Carol.

Gouda go now....

Gary :)
Melissa said…
I'm back to drench you, you wench! LOL
Carol Kilgore said…
The wench is drippingly drenched :)

Thanks, all ♥
So glad you addressed the language barrier Crystal. Too many time traveling stories have skirted that issue. Oh, diseases you're not immune to is a big downside. Thanks for your insight Crystal, do glad Carol had you stop by. Now enjoy all that cheese.

Oh and Carol I'll drench you with love not water.
LD Masterson said…
I have a very nice white stilton with cranberries I could offer Crystal.

Time travel is fun to imagine but way too complicated to include in my writing.
Carol Kilgore said…
Sheena-kay - Yay, I'm not wet again! Thanks :)

LD - I love reading time travel, but I'm sure I'd mess up a lot if I tried writing it.
It's funny how they always forget about the language issue, isn't it?? But I guess it would just be too hard to reconcile for the story's purposes. I wish you a wonderful weekend, Carol!!
VR Barkowski said…
Wrangling time-travel is brave, Crystal. Too many variables for me. My brain is already warped. Bend it any more, and it might break. :)

I've never been much of cheese person but dibs on that cheesecake!

VR Barkowski

The concept of time travel is fascinating, and I love seeing how various authors handle it. It'd be cool to go back and meet my mother when she was a child, but that'd probably screw up the time-space continuum beyond belief.

I've got some horseradish cheddar, bacon cheddar, and smoked Gouda to add to the spread...
Carol Kilgore said…
OE - Thanks, Keith! You, too :)

VR - I'll email you the last slice :)

Susan - Yay for more cheese!
Anonymous said…
Those are huge time travel concerns. Most of the books I've read and movies I've seen have made it all convincing, though. :)
Anonymous said…
Very cool -- I'm a big fan of twisted time tales.
Carol Kilgore said…
Medeia - Like you, I nearly always like reading time travel. The writers do a good job of making me forget it isn't real. At least not yet.

Milo - Me, too :)
Crystal Collier said…
Ellie--Thanks so much! Cheddar and chillies sounds awesome. You should share. ;)

Mary--I know! The way language evolves is baffling--even over just a couple decades. I mean, think about political correctness and phrases from the 80's you could be strung up for these days.

Cherie--Thanks so much!

Loni--It's pretty intense, eh?

Elizabeth! --Hi!

Dolorah--to put it simply. =)

Nicki--We need the cheese to supply the brainpower for this kind of mental exertion. ;)

*waves at Michelle*

Gary! --Did you break into my basement and hijack the time machine? I wondered where it went. ;)

Sheena-kay -- There are so many stories involving time where I just sit back and laugh--because many of these issues are completely ignored.

LD--Ooh! I'll take it (the cheese that is). Mmm...

Keith--I suppose there is the occasion when writers get lazy...

VR--We won't ask you to warp your brain further. Here, have the cheesecake to keep you kicking. =)

Susan--Mmm! Thanks for the cheesy additions. I agree with you. It would be awesome to go back and meet my parents before they became responsible adults.

Medeia--They do usually do a good job, or we just don't think beyond what we're presented as the audience. =)

Milo--seconded!

Carol--Thanks again so much for having me. You're the cheesiest host yet, and you totally deserve a cheese badge of honor.

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