Interview with Danele J. Rotharmel

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During that time, I decided to craft one of my old, short stories into a novel. I can remember sitting on the floor of my bedroom with two manuscripts in my hands. One of those manuscripts was Time Tsunami, and the other was a story about a girl in a mystical land who was looking for her father. I liked both stories, and I felt that both could be crafted into full-length books. In the end, I decided to work with Time Tsunami because of the time-travel element. Being quarantined made the concept of time travel extremely appealing. I wished desperately that I could travel back through time and warn myself to buy a carbon monoxide monitor for my house. I have learned through bitter experience that it is vital for every home to have a digital carbon monoxide monitor that measures both high and low levels of the poisonous gas. Carbon monoxide can’t be seen or smelled. Without a monitor, a person simply doesn’t know that it’s there. What makes it worse is that the early stages of poisoning mimic the flu. If I can say one thing to your readers, please make sure that you have a good carbon monoxide monitor on every level of your home! 
 
Thank you for sharing your experience. I’m so sorry that you had to go through that, but I’m glad you found the joy of writing in the process.

Could you give us some insight into your research for this novel?
In Time Search, one of my characters travels through Europe, and I included Angelina’s concert tour as a way for me to vacation while still being quarantined. To research, I read tons of travel magazines and books. I also watched an innumerable amount of tourist videos. Three of my favorite video clips were of people kissing the Blarney Stone, tourists throwing coins into Trevi Fountain, and a man traveling through the streets of Rome with a video camera mounted on his Vespa. Naturally, all three of those events found their way into Time Search.
 
I also researched the language of flowers for this novel. In Time Search, the TEMCO team is given clues through the flowers contained in bouquets. I also researched some Latin phrases for Crystal to lay on Marc when she felt mischievous.
 
The other research that I did for Time Search wasn’t quite as enjoyable. Many readers have voiced amazement at the technical side of The Time Counselor Chronicles. I tried extremely hard to make time travel seem plausible in my novels—and it was an uphill battle because, as you know, time travel doesn’t really exist. In order to make my technical jargon seem realistic (especially some of Crystal Stuart’s lines) I had to delve into quantum mechanics, physics, and mathematics—all of which I have a horrible time understanding. I hated math in school, and I never thought I would research equations for recreational purposes. If I have to point my finger at one thing, I think that quarantine was responsible for my technical research. If you can’t go to a movie, a restaurant, or shopping—you tend to have a bit of time on your hands. And when you have time on your hands, you don’t really mind researching the oscillation rates of transverse timewaves with sinusoidal tendencies—or explaining them in your books. Every time a reader compliments my technical jargon, I feel wonderful because I really am awful when it comes to math. There have been several times when I’ve wished that Crystal Stuart was a baker rather than a TEMCO technician.
 
 I’m in awe! Research is a struggle for me, so I’m amazed at the depth you’ve gone through.
Now for some bookish questions! What was the first book you ever read?
 My parents read a story to me every night before I went to bed, so it’s difficult to pinpoint just one. But I think the story that stands out the most was The Adventures of Danny Meadow Mouse. I loved hearing my father read Danny’s adventures.
 
 I’ll have to look that one up. My boys and I are working through some classics. Sherlock Holmes to be exact. 🙂
Who is your favorite author and how have they inspired you?
 I really love Dee Henderson’s O’Malley series. The O’Malley books are dripping with suspense. They’re also full of believable characters and wonderful discussions about faith. I like a book that ministers as well as entertains, and that’s what I’ve tried to do with all of my novels in The Time Counselor Chronicles.
 
 I love the O’Malley series!
If you could write in any other genre, what would you pick and why?
 I suppose I would write Christian fantasy. I love the thought of creating my own world or of throwing Earth so far into the future that it’s unrecognizable. I have a very overactive imagination, and I love letting it roam free. Of course, there’s a bit of an overlap between Christian science fiction and Christian fantasy, so if I have to pick something totally different, I suppose I would write a nonfictional, devotional book based on my time in quarantine.
 
 The devotional sounds like an awesome idea! May God guide you in your endeavors. Thank you so much for joining us today! Congrats on your new release!
 Thank you, Toni! And thank you for having me! This has been such a great experience! I’ve appreciated the opportunity to talk with you and your readers!