Roy Huff - Time Loops and a Parallel World with Dinosaurs

Roy Huff is a Hawaii-based best-selling author, peer-reviewed research scientist, and teacher. After overcoming significant childhood poverty in the US mainland, he moved to the islands and hasn't looked back. As our Author of the Day, he tells us all about his book, Time Travel Tribulations.

Please give us a short introduction to what Time Travel Tribulations is about.

Time Travel Tribulations follows Quinn Black, through a hole in space into a realm of dinosaurs. He and his crew uncover a few more time travel secrets while they're being hunted as they try to find a way back home.

What inspired you to write about a team that gets knocked through an anomaly?

The anomaly is just a natural extension of time travel. In the first book in the series, I use a different mechanism for time travel.

Tell us more about Quinn Black. What makes him tick?

I wanted to add a few more standard elements but in a different way to allow Quinn to expand his fun with others. It can be lonely if you're the only one who can travel in time. I added a friend in book 2, now in book 3, the foundation is set for a larger crew to go with him. We may see more of that in upcoming books.

You are based in Hawaii. How do your surroundings influence your writing?

I do love Hawaii, and everything influences my writing. The natural beauty definitely influenced some of my descriptions of the planet in book 3. I also travel three months a year, primarily to Europe and Japan, so my travel also influences my writing.

Please tell us three good-to-know things about you.

1. I grew up in a challenging environment, but a growth mindset and optimism helped me overcome a lot of those challenges.

2. I hold five degrees in four different fields, which allowed me to engage in some wonderful experiences like working on NASA's GOES-R Proving ground as a research scientist, as well as developing a volcanic smog (vog) model for the University of Hawaii.

3. I recently joined the Alcor Life Extension Foundation as a full member. That means, when I die, my body will be cryopreserved in the hopes of one day, bringing me back to life. It was something I was planning on doing for decades, but then a day after my mother died this past year, which just happened to be on my birthday, I decided to finally take the plunge.

What fascinates you about the idea of a multiverse?

I like the idea of the multiverse because it eliminates the dreaded paradox, which I also found irritating. It's a trope I wanted to avoid, so this was my mechanism to do it. It's also the most scientifically sound. I'll be adding a unique twist on the multiverse in the subsequent books.

Why did you decide to include dinosaurs in your story?

I wanted to include dinosaurs at some point in the series because it's one of those things that fascinate many people. I think a lot of people would want to see them if they could. I'd like to think that Seven Rules of Time Travel will at some point become a sprawling series that touches on a lot of those things.

What was the most challenging thing you had to go through while writing this?

My mother passed away while I wrote this book. There are a lot of personal things that big events make one reconsider. Time travel fantasies are a mechanism that many people are drawn to because it allows them to wonder what might have been. I can say that I'm thankful that my mother was in a good place and our relationship was in a good place. I believe she was at peace at the time, which does give me some solace. But I think the biggest thing is that we approach every day as if it's our last. Do something every day for yourself. The only thing that is certain is right now. As John Lennon said, life is what happens when you're busy making other plans.

This is Book 3 of a series. Can we expect more books to come?

I'm working on book four now, but I don't have a specific timetable. There could be five to seven books in total, but there is the possibility for a lot more.

What are you working on right now?

I'm currently writing the outline and story for the next book in the series, but I also have a space opera on the backburner with a few chapters written. That will likely be my next series. I think I'll keep writing the time travel series, and once I need a breather, I'll likely hop into the space opera before I return.

Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?

You can find me online at my website https://royhuff.net/ on Facebook and Twitter @realroyhuff It's been a real pleasure.