Hypothetical Situation

Urban Sasquatch posed this time travel question on his blog a few days ago. At first, I meant to answer in the comments for that blog, but decided it would take up too much space.

The situation and rules are:

You have a year in which to prepare for this trip in any fashion you dub appropriate.

More still -- you can take approximately two hundred pounds of cargo with you, be it another person, equipment/books, money -- the list is infinite!

Now, the important part: It's a one-way trip!

Wherever you go, whenever you go, you will live out your life there until the day you die in whatever fashion Nature dictates.

1. Where/when do you go, and why?
2. How do you spend your year preparing for the trip?
3. What do you take with you?
4. What is your purpose?

I needed a few days to think it over and shush my practical side.

My practical side said, "When you start going back in time, each era will have increasingly inferior medical care." It glared fiercely at me, adding: "Don't mention diseases like AIDS and SARS. Without vaccines and antibiotics, you've got polio -- and tuberculosis. What about bubonic plague, huh? Huh? And if they know enough to operate, before the mid-nineteenth century, you won't get anesthesia. Think about it."

This is only an exercise in imagination, you know. We're supposed to have fun with this.

"Fun? You won't have much fun as a woman. Let's face it; in this time and place you have more rights and protection than any time in history. Go back far enough, even here or in Europe, and you won't be able to vote or own property."

Shut up.

"Oh, and speaking of going to other countries, have you even thought of the language problems? Remember all those years of French in high school? Can you speak it, really? You don't really have an ear for languages. And remember, go back more than three or four hundred years, and even English becomes a little tricky."

OK, so I never could shut my practical side up. But I did manage to compromise. It's still not happy. Anyway:

1. Where/when do you go, and why?

England, Regency period, c.1800-1830. Not too bad for women. Language not a problem; good literature (Austen, the Brontes), with Dickens to look forward to. Napoleonic wars, but England is peaceful. No big famines or plagues. Women have ditched the big powdered wigs and the fashions are comfortable. Interesting people and conversation. London's got a fairly small population and anyone worth knowing is pretty much there.

2. How do you spend your year preparing for the trip?

Learning as much about the times as possible, with an emphasis on investments and shipping. When I get there, I'll need to make as much money as quickly as possible. No point living in the past if you're not rich. The conditions below middle class were wretched in the city, and work from sunup to sundown on the farms.

Also, take a few nursing courses, learn as much as possible about herbs and natural medicine. Investigate if I'd be able to make a few simple antibiotics. Learn to bake from scratch, how they do laundry, etc. (I'm planning on getting rich enough for servants to do all that, but it's better not to be ignorant of household things).

3. What do you take with you?

A medicine case (I know, any pills would lose strength eventually, but it would give me a start). A few precious gems to sell for a start up stake, since you can't get gold. A few favorite books.

4. What is your purpose?

Do I have to have a purpose? To live well, to enjoy the company of the great thinkers and writers of the age. To stay one step ahead of the times.

New Blood On Sale

A few years ago, on warrenmurphy.com, Warren wrote to his fans that he wanted to thank us for being such loyal readers of the Destroyer series. He'd decided to publish a book of short stories, entirely fan written, with a forward written by him.

I'd never written any fiction, aside from some small attempts as a child, but I decided to try. There had been a character mentioned a few times, but never seen. I'd always wondered what she'd have to say. I had already imagined things about her life as I'd come across references to her in the books. Since something of her life was known, I thought it might be easier for a beginner. The story already was structured; I just had to fill in things from her perspective.
It was both easier, and much harder, than I'd imagined. I got stuck about two thirds through, and spent months fiddling with it, changing a word here, a phrase there. Finally, about a year later, after I learned how to format it, I e-mailed the file. It wasn't bravery, it was ignorance (or innocence). That, and I figured he lived too far away for me to hear him laughing.

Then, hearing back from him. Finding out that he thinks it's well-written. Finding out he likes it. Imagine that, something I'd set in someone else's world, a world that I love, and hearing back from the author that he liked what I did!

Now, the book's been printed. My copy is already on the way. The book went on sale yesterday. Just through warrenmurphy.com, and destroyerworld.com; later Amazon will get some in. Ballybunnion is a small publishing house so it can only do so much.

My biggest hope is that Mr. Murphy will at least break even on the printing costs, or maybe do a little better. I know I have a few stories ready to choose from if a second book becomes a possibility. I know some of the other authors have some too. Then there are the others, the ones who didn't know about the short story submissions until it was too late. Some of them have written fan fiction at the DestroyerClub that's really well done. It would be a shame if none of them got their chance. For now, I'll have to wait and see and try to think of ways to sell New Blood.

And, if nothing else ever comes from it, thank you, Mr. Murphy, for giving me the incentive to try something I'd always wanted to try.