Today's Chat with Sarah features Robert Leet author of Timewise, upcoming book of the month.
To view the official review, click here.
To view the book on Amazon, click here.
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1. Tell us about your first writing experience.
I am 72, and Timewise is my first novel. I did write poetry and short stories in college, but lost interest in the literary scene. Looking back I am not unhappy I did not pursue writing, but I view my disenchantment of the time more as a commentary on my immaturity than a indictment of the state of literature.
2. Growing up, did you always want to be an author?
No. To me writing is about communication; it is about whether I have something to say. I would love to sell many books, but I do not want to depend on selling them the feed myself.
3. What would you consider the most influential book in your life?
I guess I’m going to say The Odyssey, but mostly because I read it (in translation) when I was 12, and it was the first serious adult literature I had read. So it got me hooked and colored everything that followed.
4. Let's discuss your book Timewise. Why science fiction?
There is a commonly known scientific theory postulating that the universe is conscious. From my readings of the Vedas and Buddhist literature I came around to the idea that saying the universe is based on awareness rather than consciousness is more fruitful, and I wanted to convey that idea. I suppose I could write an essay for Medium (and maybe I will yet), but I thought a novel might reach more people also be more fun to do. Given that decision, the novel pretty much had to be science fiction.
5. The book is clearly discussing advanced concepts like quantum physics. Did you mean for the book to have a specific audience, like scientists? Or would you consider this to be one that all could enjoy?
I hoped to write a book so that someone conversant with science would recognize I have described standard physics accurately and be intrigued by my ideas. I also hoped to include enough background material so any curious person could follow the logic enough to understand the story with some effort, and also be intrigued. I knew from the beginning that anyone not willing to do a little mental work would be overwhelmed, but I don’t think there’s any way around that obstacle. C. P. Snow famously described the two cultures of humanities and science diverging, and it is something I have always tried to avoid in my life.
6. How much research went into the concepts in the book?
On my Facebook web site for Porter Field Publishing I list a number of books on the science behind Timewise, many by Nobel prize winning physicists, including Einstein. I have read and thought about the nature of reality for a long time. Also, I am a structural engineer, so naturally I understand the mathematics behind the physics.
7. Are the characters based on actual people?
Two friends of mine who have very little to do with the literary world (one is a contractor and the other a farmer who told me this was the first book he has read since high school) read my novel. Both told me the one thing they especially liked was the people seemed and spoke like people they knew, or could know. So the answer is, these may not be specific people, but I tried to create characters who behaved like people I know.
8. Some of the reviewers discuss that the ending is left somewhat unsettled and there is the potential for a sequel. Are you planning another book? If so, can you tell us a bit about it?
I am writing another novel, but it is not a sequel and I have no plans for one. The ending is simply a literary device, because I do not like tidy endings; they strike me as unbelievable. I hope some readers will think about the possibilities of these characters with their abilities out there now. (Who knows, I may change my mind.)
9. How can readers connect with you?
The best way is to write to me at [email protected]. Porter Field Publishing also has a page on Facebook.
I like to end on a few fun questions.
10. What is your favorite TV show or movie?
We just got our TV hooked up after a hiatus of many years. I used to watch Big Cat Diary episodes over and over; now my wife and I got hooked on the BBC cop comedy New Tricks. Next up is the recent documentary on Grant. I don’t watch much TV.
11. Can you tell us one of your favorite jokes?
There were two laborers, Ron and George, digging a trench one day. After a while George climbed out of the ditch and started telling Ron what to do. At first Ron didn’t pay his buddy much attention, but after a while he started to get miffed. “What the hell are you doing up there anyway? We got to finish this today.” “Everyone knows one good supervisor is worth ten workers. It’s like we have 10 men down there instead of just 2.” So Ron popped out of the ditch and sat opposite George and started motioning and talking at the empty hole. “Now what are you doing?” asked George. “Damn, George, it’s like we got 20 guys down there!”
12. If, like the characters in your book, you could see into the future just a bit, what would you want to look at and why?
Interestingly, I never think that way. I truly believe awareness creates time and am much more interested in awareness than the future.
