Pack Your Bags for the Trip of Your Dreams - Guest Post by Kathy Clark

By Kathy Clark (writing as Bob Kat for our YA Books)

NOT MY LIFE, the 5^th book in the Time Shifters YA time travel/romance/mystery series [was] released on October 18^th.  Nothing is as it seems and everyone has a story that needs to be heard.  Our teens travel back to either vindicate or convict their old friend, Dan Denucci.  But the man with a medical degree, a beautiful wife, and a young son is very different from the sad, homeless guy who lives under the pier on Fort Myers Beach, FL.  Who is the real Dan and what did he do to lose everything?

Of all the concepts (or tropes), I think time travel would be the most amazing adventure.  You can have the trips to Mars or an excursion down to the Titanic.  Give me a trip to the late 1800s any day to see what the Old West was really like.  Or the early 1800s in Ireland before my family left to come to the U.S.  Or even back to the 1960s just because I love the Beatles.  The hardest part of the trip would be deciding where and when to go first.

Where would you go if you could travel back in time?  Who would you want to meet?  What historical event would you like to witness?  What era’s pop culture, fashion and music would you like to experience? 

That was the idea that sparked our Young Adult series TIME SHIFTERS.  How would it be for four teenagers to be able to go back and see how average people lived, and, along the way, experience the feelings and textures of different times and places?  What kind of challenge would it be for them to do without things they thought they couldn’t live without while having to deal with issues (such as no electricity, different currency, and child labor) that they’ve never thought about?

Bob and I have had over forty books published (as Kathy Clark and as Bob Kat), but most were written for adults…about adults.  Writing a YA presented new outlooks on everything from friendship to romance to problem solving.  Obviously, a sixteen-year-old is going to react differently to almost everything than an adult would.

And even though dragons and witches and vampires are very popular, we wanted our teens to be real.  No magic spells or mythical creatures save them.  Instead, they have to deal with their issues using only their own ingenuity, creativity, and the friendship they share.  Plus, we wanted our young readers to “accidentally” learn a little about history and what was normal back then as compared to now.

My favorite books when I was growing up were Trixie Beldon and Nancy Drew mysteries, as well as Agatha Christie and Mary Stewart.  We wanted our teenagers to be 21^st Century versions of the very interesting and intelligent characters from those famous novels. 

Having never written a book with lead characters under the age of twenty-one, we were a little nervous about capturing the innocence, insecurities, and youthful logic of teenagers.  But the four characters we created became so real to us that we easily slipped into their heads and their hearts.  Their vulnerabilities and dreams are so pure and yet heart-breaking as they discover the cruelties of the real world.

Basically, this series allows Bob and me to do a little time travelling, too, as we go back to the memories of our own teenage years and hang out with our four new friends, Kelly, Austin, Scott, and Zoey as they learn how to love and live and survive in a world that’s not always kind.

Come along.  Whether you’re twelve or ninety-two, you’ll enjoy the trip. 

Visit us at our website www.LoveRealityRomance.com or write us at Kathy@Nightwriter93.com.  We would love to hear where and when you think our teenagers should travel to in the next book.  Reviews are always appreciated.

Bob Kat loves to hear from their fans. Write us at TheThrillOfSuspense[at]gmail.com and tell us where you'd like to have Kelly, Scott, Austin and Zoey travel to next.

UPDATE: Check out Nadaness In Motion's book review of NOT MY LIFE. 

AUTHOR BIO

Long ago and far away (in Alvin, Texas) Kathy Clark began her career writing and performing plays for the neighborhood kids.  She charged a nickel, but the attendees got a free bottle of ice cold Coke along with their entertainment.  Flash forward a few years and Kathy Clark still loves telling stories. 

She started writing solo for such publishers as Harlequin and Dell.  In 1993, she met and married her prince charming, and after his career as a business executive, he became her co-writer.   Together they have had fourteen books published, bringing her total to thirty-seven.  Their books are about real people caught up in unexpected and extraordinary circumstances, and just happen to fall in love in the process…just like Kathy and Bob did!

They write adult romance and romantic suspense under the pen name Kathy Clark and YA romance/time travel/mysteries under the pen name of Bob Kat. 

They currently live in Colorado Springs near their five sons. When they’re not plotting their next book on what they call their Authors’ Deck with a glass of wine, they love to travel to far-away places…always together.

NOT MY LIFE is #5 in the Time Shifters YA romance/time travel/mystery series.  The first four books have won numerous Readers’ Favorite and other awards. 

Our latest adult romantic suspense series, Austin Heroes had book #2 ALMOST FOREVER released in July and book #3 ANOTHER CHANCE to be released in November.  We are currently working on a new adult romance series called Breathless that is set in Cripple Creek, Colorado.

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