Joshua Dann is a fairly new author to the time travel genre and is an man who has found a niche untouched by the regular romance writers.

His Timeshare novels tell the tales of John Surrey, man who is charged with bringing back time travellers who have decided that living in the past is more preferable than returning to the future after their holidays with Timeshare Unlimited, the first time travel agency.

Original and inspiring Joshua Dann has created a world where time travel is not only possible but paid for.  It is my pleasure to now introduce to you this talented author who has kindly agreed to be interrogated...er....interviewed for The Magical Romance Reading Website.
 

LB    First of all could you tell us a little about yourself as an introduction to the visitors to this site.

JD    I don't like to talk much about myself, but here goes. I was born in New York and grew up in Connecticut. I was educated at the University of Miami and Fordham University in New York, with a double major in history and literature. I started out as a newspaper
reporter, but later went in to advertising and sales promotion. All that time, my real ambition was to be writer, but it took me many years to develop my craft to the point where I was able to sell anything. I live in Los Angeles now, and I work a full-time job in addition to my writing. My main ambition is to be able to be a fulltime writer.
 

LB    As the author of time travel novels which are partly set in the year 2007, is your portrayal of this futuristic world what you see the world becoming?

JD    I started writing the first Timeshare book in 1993, and then I shelved it for more than two years. At the time I returned to it in 1995 (it sold in January '96) the things that were already deteriorating quickly in 1993 had gone even further downhill. In just a few short years, L.A. had gone from being a mythical paradise to a half-a-laughingstock, half-nightmare. We had fires, earthquakes, mudslides, riots--all in just a few short years. Unemployment reached a new high. Racial tensions had bubbled over. The response from our politicians was basically to outlaw smoking and legislate political correctness. I don't know what they were thinking of. To tell the truth, my view of 2007 was a little optimistic. The conditions I wrote about are here now. I don't see it getting better.
 

LB    Which of your two novels did you find the most interesting to research and which was the most challenging?

JD    In all honesty, I didn't have to do much research at all, beyond going to the library and checking a fact or two. The periods I wrote about, I was already quite comfortable with. Since the best writing comes from things you know, I chose those periods because I knew about them.
 

LB    Where do you look and what do you like to read for inspiration?

JD    I read a lot. As you may have guessed, my favorites are Shakespeare and Fitzgerald. I like the classics very much, and I've also read a lot of plays. My favorite current authors are Tom Clancy, George V. Higgins, Jack Higgins, George MacDonald Fraser, Caleb Carr, Herman Wouk, and Bruce Alexander, who has a series set in 1700s London, featuring Judge John Fielding, the brother of Henry Fielding.

A special favorite of mine is Dan Jenkins, a sportswriter-turned novelist with the most incredible sense of humor I've seen. I don't know if he sells in England, but if you really want a good belly laugh literally on every page, he's your man.
 

LB    What other periods do you see Timeshare branching out into...there were hints at a Western era, is this a possibility in future novels?

JD    I wanted to do a Timeshare episode set in the Wild West, but my editor told me to wait on that one. I'll probably go back to the turn of the century for the next one, or perhaps even earlier than that.
 

LB    There are many issues raised in your Timeshare novels that are very relevant in the world today (racial and political to name but two).  These give a more thought provoking side to your novels.  So how did you go about getting just the right blend of adventure, fantasy and the more serious issues above?

JD    As far as the issues I discuss, I never purposely involve my writing in them. What happens is, I simply record John's opinions on the social conditions of the time he is visiting. In the 1920s, for example, a man from 2007 can't help but notice that black people are treated worse than second-class citizens. Since John is a man of honor and fairness, this would have to make him angry. It's just part of the story, the natural progression of the character and the way he reacts to his current environment.
 

LB    Are there any plans in the making for a story centered around other characters in the Timeshare series (eg Terry, Cornelia, Felice)

JD    I'll definitely give Terry a bigger role to play in a future story--possibly one of his own. In the third book, which is coming out this July, I've brought back Ian Fleming, and I've also introduced a Frenchman named Maurice Du Font, who I am confident will win a lot of fans.
 

LB    What other projects are you working on and what can we expect to see on the shelves over the coming months?

JD    I've just finished a western, which is under consideration as I write this. It's a story I'm quite proud of. I'll let you know what happens.

My next sci-fi will be a romantic thriller, which I'm keeping under
wraps just now.
 

LB    Do you have a message for your readers?

JD    I'd just like to tell my readers that I'll always be thrilled that someone out there is reading and enjoying my books.

I can't imagine that novelty ever wearing off!
 
 

Links to  Online Stores

Books by Joshua Dann :  Timeshare - Do You Believe in Yesterday
and  Timeshare:  Second Time Around