SHALLA CHATS with author Judie Aitken

“Writing Time Travel Romance”

by Shalla DeGuzman

First off, who’s Judie?

Judie Aitken is a multi-award winning author of Native American themed romance novels. Judie is a winner of the prestigious HOLT Medallion, and is a two-time nominee for Romantic Times’ annual book of the year awards.

She writes both paranormals and contemporaries, and her books continue to earn high accolades from the reviewers and from the readers, alike. Her latest book for Berkley, Secret Shadows, is no exception; it is a Romantic Times Top Pick and is a double finalist for the Reviewer’s International Organization.

Shalla: Hi Judie, so we’d love to know, what made you start writing Time Travel?

Judie: Hi. Like so many others, I was completely enthralled by Jude Devereaux's "Knight in Shining Armor."

I'd never even considered writing time travel but I suppose you could say that the book gave me "permission" to consider it. It's an absolutely perfect genre for someone, like me, who loves writing both historical and contemporary stories.

With a time travel I get to have the best of both worlds. My own Native American family's heritage has always been part of my writing and it was only natural that I incorporate this into my time travels as well. I have carefully chosen events or topics within the Native culture that are not only of interest but also offer the opportunity to teach my readers a little about the history and the people, as well.

My first book, "A Love Beyond Time," a complete sell out from Berkley, involved the Battle of the Little Big Horn and the next time travel, "Distant Echoes" was about the off-reservation Indian Schools of the late 1800s. I love being able to tell the history of my people and yet also be able to tie it over to the present and how it affects the people living in our time.

Shalla: Where do you get your stories?

Judie: Ideas for stories come from so many sources that it is impossible for me to pinpoint any specific
one. I read a lot of nonfiction historical and anthropological books and treatises, and some ideas have taken root from these. News articles, conversations with friends, even paintings have also given me story ideas.

Shalla: Where do you get your characters?

Judie: When I get an idea for a plot, the idea of who my hero and heroine should be usually comes with
the plot. I determine which character should have the most serious conflicts, goals, or motivations that will give the book the best angle.

The antagonist doesn’t always have to be antithesis, but they do have to cause more than a few pesky bumps for my protagonists. The surprising characters are those who aren’t planned but who push their way into a story.

Shalla: How do you make characters credible?

Judie: There is always a bit of someone the author knows in his or her characters. Because I write Native American-themed books, my characters are not only based on people that I know but also on the generational differences that exist among the people.

I try to recreate the specific speech rhythms of a character, give each a specific voice and personality. I try to avoid clichéd or over-the-top reactions, thus keeping my hero and heroine and my secondary characters realistic and believable.

Shalla: How do you make characters sympathetic?

Judie: In order for a character to be sympathetic, the reader has to like them. The reader has to have
an emotional investment in the character and in the situation.

Even if the character is unlikable at the beginning of the book, if there is change for the by the end of the book, the reader will be satisfied. To gain the reader’s sympathy the character has to be fully drawn, a whole individual that shows strengths and weaknesses and who changes through the conflicts and goals of the story.

Shalla: Any tips on writing believable dialogue?

Judie: A lot of beginning writers try to write dialogue exactly as we speak in real life. It doesn’t work.
Spoken dialogue is riddled with stutters, repeated words, unfinished sentences, and over use of an individual’s name. Written dialogue should be crisp, show emotion without an overuse of adverbs in the dialogue tags. Dialogue is not there to fill space. It must move the story forward and, provide information.

Shalla: How do you put the reader into the arena of action?

Judie: You have to create the arena and in doing so, make it believable, if you don’t the scene becomes laughable.

Think about all the horror movies where the heroine goes down into the dark basement because she’s heard a noise and the lights have gone out.

Everyone in the audience shouts at the screen, “Don’t go in the basement.” The scene is not only clichéd, but laughable. The arena of action whether physical place or a plot point is actually a stage on which the scene is played. It has to be solid, believable, and made familiar enough to the reader that they are able to put themselves into the action. That’s what reading is all about – becoming the hero or heroine yourself.

Shalla: Any tips on creating sexual tension?

Judie: Sexual tension is all about the slow progression to the final act. One of my favorite authors, Linda Howard, has a fabulous “recipe” for building sexual tension:

• Eye to body. The old once-over, except it happens in a fraction of an instant. Only a few significant details are absorbed. Attraction occurs or it doesn’t.
• Eye to eye. Eye contact is sustained only between intimates. If a stranger stares, it's considered rude or an act of aggression.
• Voice to voice. Ranges from small talk to intimate.
• Hand to hand. This requires some trust. Hand to arm counts here, too (man's excuse to get his hands on her, by guiding her).
• Arm to shoulder. May be a hug.
• Arm to waist. Can be sexual, especially if "waist" is considered the small of the back. Men won't do this to other men.
• Mouth to mouth. Full frontal contact during a kiss.
• Hand to head. Requires trust.
• Hand to body. Any body part –- breast, shoulder, chest…
• Mouth to breast.
• Hand to genitals.
• Genitals to genitals.

Shalla: Do you have any suggestions on how to hook a reader by, say, page 3?

Judie: The book should begin with the inciting moment. It is what happens to the protagonist(s)
that is the little pebble that begins the avalanche, that brings about all the problems, threats, changes, etc. that the character(s) are forced to deal with while trying to attain their goals.

The longer book, 100,000 words or more, allows the author to ease into the story, taking longer than a paragraph or two or three. With the shorter book, it is necessary to immediately grab the reader with a sharp hook.

Shalla: Finally, and romantic time travel movies you’d recommend?

Judie: Of course I’d recommend the one that is on everyone’s list, “Somewhere in Time,” with Christopher Reeve, but I’d like to add 2 others.

My absolute favorite is “Frequency” with Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezell. This is one of the best crafted story lines I’ve ever seen and worthy of being watched over and over as subtle nuances are discovered with each viewing.

Also on the list although not a true time travel – it just deals with people in the same time but one group is totally living as they did 150 years before, is “The Last of the Dog Men” with Tom Beringer.

Shalla: Thanks so much Judie! For more on Judie Aitken, please visit her website http://www.judieaitken.com

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Featuring: Dorchester author, Tess Mallory; Artscape author, Frederick Ramsay; Hallie Ephron; Shara Lanel; Margaret L. Carter; Gena Showalter; Judie Aitken; NY Times Best Selling author, Barry Eisler; Chick-Lit author, Sonia Singh; Brett Battles; Michele Scott; multiple Emmy Award winning TV news producer & author Mari Mancusi; Terry Spear; Andrea Wilder; Tina Gerow; Seamus Cashman; NY Times Bestselling author, Bob Mayer; Patricia M. Terrell and more!

Produced and Directed by Shalla DeGuzman
www.shalladeguzman.com