Two words capture why I wrote Girl Out of Time. Urgent Optimism
I wanted to write a book I wanted to read. That’s it. Funny thing is, there aren’t too many sci-fi farming fairy tales out there. Trust me…I’ve looked. Secondly, I’ve worked with kids and teachers from around the world most of my adult life, as a designer and social entrepreneur. What I’ve found recently is that optimism for the future is in short supply, or at best, not evenly distributed. How do we envision, or co-design, a future where we can all thrive? Well, first, you have to believe that a positive future is possible.
So, that’s how Girl Out of Time started, as a design experiment. Envision a potential future that is desirable, and then work backwards to identify the changes that we need to make to get us there. It’s called backcasting. It’s a little like time travel. Wait. It’s actually a lot like time travel, but just in your head and with lots of sticky notes. Which got me thinking. Hmmmm...time travel.
The exercise took on a life of its own as I began weaving together the themes I love most in life — regenerative farming, nature, science, biomimicry, making, music, found family and community — and in the process, I was introduced to characters I wanted to spend more time getting to know.
Girl Out of Time became a time travel story. It's also a story about our environment and everyday people making a difference. It's about farming, and making, and finding your place in time. It's the story of two people, among many, who will help bring about that change. This is Anna’s story — a young girl adrift in time, anchored to no place since her parents’ death. And, it’s Mara’s story, too — a broken time traveler hiding from the mistakes of her past.
And, I love time travel stores. The loopier, the better.
And, of course, there have to be aliens. Really cool aliens. And, funny friends, and wormholes, and alien landscapes, and awesome technology that is actually feasible like anti-gravity, quantum computing, AI, and cloaking devices. And, while we’re at it…I’ve always wanted to be able to fly. That’s a big part of the story, too. Flying. Lots of flying. Oh, and chase scenes, too.
You get the idea. If you have the chance, let me know what you think. Hopefully you have as much fun reading this book as I had writing it.
So, that’s how Girl Out of Time started, as a design experiment. Envision a potential future that is desirable, and then work backwards to identify the changes that we need to make to get us there. It’s called backcasting. It’s a little like time travel. Wait. It’s actually a lot like time travel, but just in your head and with lots of sticky notes. Which got me thinking. Hmmmm...time travel.
The exercise took on a life of its own as I began weaving together the themes I love most in life — regenerative farming, nature, science, biomimicry, making, music, found family and community — and in the process, I was introduced to characters I wanted to spend more time getting to know.
Girl Out of Time became a time travel story. It's also a story about our environment and everyday people making a difference. It's about farming, and making, and finding your place in time. It's the story of two people, among many, who will help bring about that change. This is Anna’s story — a young girl adrift in time, anchored to no place since her parents’ death. And, it’s Mara’s story, too — a broken time traveler hiding from the mistakes of her past.
And, I love time travel stores. The loopier, the better.
And, of course, there have to be aliens. Really cool aliens. And, funny friends, and wormholes, and alien landscapes, and awesome technology that is actually feasible like anti-gravity, quantum computing, AI, and cloaking devices. And, while we’re at it…I’ve always wanted to be able to fly. That’s a big part of the story, too. Flying. Lots of flying. Oh, and chase scenes, too.
You get the idea. If you have the chance, let me know what you think. Hopefully you have as much fun reading this book as I had writing it.
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