Preview of Time Meddlers on the Nile

Time Meddlers on the Nile

by

Deborah Jackson



1

Cretaceous Park


Sarah parted the leaves of the gigantic fern and peered out at the riverbank. A duckbill dinosaur was directly in front of her, dipping its muzzle into the water for a drink. She glanced back at Matt, who was being far too noisy, rustling leaves and crackling dead branches beneath his feet.

"Matt," Sarah squeaked. She wrenched him backward as the duckbill raised its head and examined them suspiciously.

"It's okay, Sarah. It's only a plant-eater."

"A plant-eater that's big enough to crush you with its feet, or one swipe of its tail. This is crazy. What are we doing?"

"Dad is here, just past that clump of trees. I'm sure of it." Matt pointed to a spot in the forest congested with cypress and palm trees.

"Right," said Sarah. "It looks like the Everglades, but it sure isn't. Why couldn't we rescue your father in a safer time period?"

She couldn't believe he had roped her into another mad adventure, not in a war this time, but in the Alberta badlands 60 million years in the past. She remembered visiting Dinosaur National Park several years ago with her parents—the crumpled and scarred desert-like hills where one of the world's most renowned collection of dinosaur fossils had been unearthed. Her visit had been one of the greatest thrills of her life. Now, here she was, in a tropical jungle of vivid greens and yellows and reds, a landscape so remote from the badlands that it seemed like she'd stepped from the moon into the Amazon rainforest. The thrill was lost to her. All she could feel was the clench of her teeth and the sickness in her belly.

The duckbill eyed them one more time, then spun around. Sarah dove on Matt as its tail slashed the air just where his head had been. They crashed to the ground, nearly disappearing beneath the plush carpet of leaves.

Matt turned his head and spat out some rotting plant material, coughing and hacking, enough to wake a field full of dinosaurs. "Wha'you do that for?"

"What do you think I did that for? The dinosaur was about to take your head off with its tail."

"Oh," said Matt, sounding somewhat humbled. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Now can we get out of here?"

Matt didn't answer. He swiveled his head to the side as a crackling, zapping sound penetrated the undergrowth. "There he is," he said, pointing toward a flattened clump of ferns where streaks of flesh and linen had suddenly appeared. Matt's father emerged, wrapped in a Roman toga and looking every bit as imposing as Julius Caesar. Another figure, with jet-black hair and a jagged pale face, similarly draped in linen, appeared at the same instant. "And there's Nadine," he snarled.

Sarah felt a shiver ripple through her at the sight of the woman.

"And there's an Albertosaurus," Sarah hissed under her breath, indicating the enormous lumbering dinosaur trampling the small trees and creating deep depressions in the mud farther along the riverbank.

"Hey, T Rex's cousin."

"I hope your father doesn't get eaten."

"Wouldn't mind if Nadine did, though," said Matt. "Let's grab Dad, then wait for the computer to jack us out of here."

Matt leaped to his feet, prepared to dash through the screen of vegetation and grab his father. At the same time Nadine screamed, "What is that?" Her eyes bugged out as the Albertosaurus approached, letting loose an earsplitting roar.

Nadine charged into the mesh of growth as Matt made an equally fervent attempt to race toward his father. They met in the middle, an explosion of creamy white and bleached blue where toga met jeans and T-shirt. Both of them fell backward, Nadine managing to land in the large pile of dino excrement deposited by the duckbill before it had fled. There was a squelching sound as Nadine shrieked and squirmed, now waist deep in the mound of dung.

"Wh—what happened?" Her eyes ballooned when she spied Matt. "You!"

Matt shook his head as the shock wore off and eyed her sideways, his mouth twisting into a self-satisfied grin. "Exactly where I expected to find you."

Nadine scrambled to her feet, shaking the deposits from her hands with a grimace. Matt jumped up too, keeping a wary eye on her.

"Wish I still had my gun," she muttered.

"Yeah, I suppose so," said Matt, "'cause I'm bigger than you now." Another roar made him start and turn back to his father. "Dad, over here!" he yelled.

Nathan Barnes had his eyes fixed on the dinosaur, his body immobile. "If I don't move . . ." he said.

"What if it's not like Jurassic Park?" yelled Matt. "What if he can see you just fine without having to track movement?"

"Right," said his dad, making a split-second decision and diving into the bushes just as the giant beast snapped its jaws. Matt reached out for him and pulled him farther into the ferns. The dinosaur nosed the tree above them, searching for his escaped prey, while Nadine scrambled away from a massive claw. It smashed down right where she'd been standing, flattening a magnolia tree and splattering dino droppings in all directions, coating Nadine even more emphatically.

"Matt, what are you doing here?" gasped his father. "Haven't you learned anything? Cretaceous period, for goodness sake."

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm trying to save you before you get eaten, or killed, or something else nasty. I'm trying to save you from her too." He jerked his head at Nadine.

"She's not the problem, Matt."

"You can say that again," Nadine snapped in their direction. "Did it ever occur to you what you may be doing? Interfering, making a mess of everything? Impulsive, like your father."

"You stole my father from me!" Matt yelled. "Trapped him. And I'm the bad guy here?"

"Be quiet," said Sarah, eyeing the probing Albertosaurus. "Shouldn't we talk about this somewhere else?"

"Nadine may be right," said Matt's dad.

Matt faced him, wide-eyed and gaping. Nadine may be right, he mouthed.

"But Sarah's also right," he continued. "This is neither the time nor the place. We have to elude this predator, and perhaps we can finally go home and sort this out."

"I'm all for that," said Matt.

Suddenly the Albertosaurus swung back in their direction. His head came down and his jaws snapped centimetres from Sarah's torso.

"Matt," she screamed and dove to the side, rolling into the dino droppings herself. At that moment, she felt the familiar tug on her body. The failsafe was activating, beginning to draw them home.

"Time to go," said Matt, echoing Sarah's thoughts. "Hang in there, Sarah. It's going to work this time." His fists tightened on Dr. Barnes's toga.

They were surrounded by a gush of air, pulling them away from the jungle floor. But at the same time Nadine caterwauled like an injured cat and scooted between the dinosaur's feet. "Not without me," she shrieked, leaping at Matt and his father and landing on top of Dr. Barnes, wrenching him from Matt's grasp. The air twirled around them and Sarah felt her body compressed into what seemed like atom size and rebounding on the floor of the lab. Matt plopped down beside her, without his father.

"No, no, no!" he cried, pounding his fists on the now-slimy floor. "I had him. I had him in my hands. We were nearly home. That miserable soul-crushing demon!"

"Oh, Matt. I'm sorry. This is all so hopeless."

"No, it's not," he said, muscling himself from the ground. "I'll just set it up again and we'll go back."

"Not th-there?" she said, unable to disguise the shiver in her voice. "Not in Albertosaurus territory." She stood and the excrement oozed down her body, pooling on the floor around her. She must be a sight, but she hardly cared about that. It was the thought of those giant jaws nearly crunching down on her spine. She couldn't go back.

"Isabelle?" Matt asked the computer. "Is . . . is my father still alive?" His voice shivered too, so he must also be thinking about the dinosaur.

"Your father still exists," the computer replied.

"Is he still in the Cretaceous Period?"

"Your father has moved on in time and universe. Son," she said as an afterthought. "He is in 701 BCE, in Nubia."

"Nubia?" said Matt. "Where's Nubia?"

"The Nile River," said Sarah. "Sudan today."

"Well then, we'll just have to go there."

"Matt, I'm not going."

"Come on, Sarah. You can't bail on me now. We were so close this time."

"We're always so close," she said. Close enough to see Matt's father, touch him. Close enough to speak to him, but also close enough to nearly get killed. "We have to come up with a plan that doesn't involve rapids, arrows, guns, or dinosaurs. Understand?"

"But . . ."

"No skunks, bears, pigs, or chickens, comprends?"

"They weren't that dangerous."

"Look at me, Matt."

He did finally look at her, up and down, from sopping head to slimy legs, leaking a syrupy brown substance on the tiles, and his expression did change. Instead of the tense, focused look he always wore when he embarked on his "missions," his face slackened, his eyebrows rose, and his lips curved. He burst into a bellowing laugh.

Sarah narrowed her eyes and nearly kicked him. She held out at the last minute when he seized her hand and leaned his clean forehead against her dirty one. "I always take too many risks with you," he said. "But you always seem to come out like this—alive, healthy, but a little bit stinky."

"Oh, you rat!" She wrenched her hand from his and turned away, hiding the grin she couldn't suppress. At least, on that point, he was right. "But I'm still not going."

"We'll do some research first."

"Lots of research."

"And we'll get cleaned up too."

"Why, thank you." She smirked. "And maybe we should stock up on food. We might have trouble finding it in the desert."

"Desert? I thought you said Nubia was on the Nile River."

"Yes, I did. Don't you know anything? The desert's all around it. You really do need to do some research. Imagine if we just jumped back in there and we wound up without any food or water in the middle of the Sahara."

"Right," said Matt. "So let's go home and do the research, before your dad finds out we were here."

He grabbed her hand again and this time she didn't extract it. She was having some trouble getting used to the change in their relationship, but she kind of liked it. Dad, however, didn't, and he was looking for an alternate place for Matt to live. He wasn't having much luck so far, though. Matt had no relatives to speak of.

They exited the lab and headed down the long corridor to the sliding doors at the back of the building. Just as they reached the doors a huge rumble sounded from deep within the structure's core. The floor shook under their feet and seemed to ripple. Sarah had to lean against Matt to keep from falling. Gradually the ripples faded away, but now the air was clouded with dust, even though no plaster, paint, or drywall had detached from the walls. Sarah and Matt coughed and hacked for another minute before they could even talk.

"What was that?" Sarah asked, still wheezing.

"Heck if I know," said Matt. "Minor earthquake, maybe."

"Seemed like a major one."

"Well, the building's still standing. Could have been a bomb too."

"Bite your tongue."

"It's possible. We are near Parliament Hill."

Sarah clenched Matt's hand as the door slid open in front of them. She reached out to keep her balance, but something extraordinary happened as her hand connected with open air. Flakes seemed to peel from her skin, molecules lifted away. Her hand was disintegrating before her eyes.

"What!" she shrieked and snatched back her hand. It reassembled within the security of the building.

Matt stared at her, stunned. Then he attempted to do the same thing, extending his hand out into the alleyway behind the building.

"Matt, don't!" Sarah exclaimed, but he ignored her warning. As soon as his hand passed through the doorway, it seemed to come apart too.

"What? How?" He quickly retracted his hand.

"This is insane," said Sarah, staring at the invisible barrier between the lab and the outside world. How could they just . . . disintegrate beyond it? She'd always known that no good would come from their meddling with time, but never had she imagined something this bizarre, this horrific. They couldn't even step out of the lab.

"We're coming undone," she whispered, suddenly feeling faint.

A Freeze-frame Moment

So much of fiction is drawn from real life. The idea—a child refusing to practice the piano—suddenly emerges as a ghost story, or an overheard conversation becomes a piece of dialogue, sometimes taken totally out of context. A National Geographic story on caves becomes a thrilling and terrifying adventure deep within the earth's crust. And sometimes you have these moments, freeze-frame moments you'd like to capture for eternity, just like the still-shot of an eagle in flight.

I had one of these moments last night.

It was Meet the Teacher night at my son's school. My son had also volunteered to help out in the Scholastic Book Fair, along with a couple of his buddies.

I entered the library, with all of its colourful displays: a rainbow assortment of hardcover and paperback picture books arranged in fans on tables draped with white tablecloths, the older early chapter books, middle grade, and nonfiction books stacked side by side on upright displays. Of course there were the inevitable nonfiction titles front and centre, one about mummies, with a crumpled face on the cover, another about the supernatural, with an abstract cover that looked like someone had splattered phosphorescent paint on it, and even some with the rather bland black and white scenes from World War II. I must say I was fascinated with the holographic switch from ordinary human face to werewolf on one book, but I'm getting tired of the vampire/werewolf craze.

I did what I usually do. I began browsing the nonfiction titles first, then the picture books for my great-nieces and nephews—although it's really because I have a secret love for Scaredy Squirrel and Olivia even though I'm way past the age where I'm supposed to—and gravitating, inevitably, to the middle grade and teen books. I picked up a book called Plain Kate with this quote on the back, "Plain Kate is anything but plain. Full of poetry, magic, humor, sorrow, and joy—featuring possibly the most delightful talking cat in children's literature." Okay, everything but the sorrow piqued my interest.

Next to this book I found a Newbery Honor award-winning book about a dog and some cats. It also had a quote on the back and a blurb that intrigued me. I can't remember exactly what it was, and I won't tell you the title, because that wouldn't be fair to the author.

So I chose these two books and my daughter chose another. We headed over to the cash where my son and his two friends were tallying prices.

My son's friend looked at this particular book and said, "The dog dies."

"What?" I exclaimed. "Are you telling me the ending?" Thinking, you've just destroyed my reading experience. Why would you tell me the ending?

"No, I haven't read it," he replied.

"Then how . . .?"

"It's an award-winning book," he said. "The dog dies. Someone always dies."

I looked at the book. I looked at him. These kids are wiser than they're ever given credit for and a bit fed-up with being told what they should read.

"You do realize you've just talked me out of a sale," I said, and put the book back.

His other friend chastised him. "What kind of a salesman are you?"

He just shrugged, a shrug that probably meant, "I tell 'em like I see 'em."

Now . . . I'm not saying that a book with a good dose of reality isn't a worthy book. I'm just saying I don't want to be depressed every time I read, and I wasn't in the mood to read a depressing book. And I think he was saying that too.

Fun Stuff

I've wanted to include a section on my website called Fun Stuff for some time, but since I'm at the mercy of my web master's very busy schedule, I thought I'd post some of it here. The first section has to do with coding. Here it is:

(Unfortunately the blog program thinks it's smarter than me and likes to compress my letters and dots and dashes with no spaces so you can't read them. I'll see what I can do.)

Fun Stuff


In World War II, the Special Operations Executive used Morse code to send their messages. They converted poems into numbers—called a "transposition key." Towards the end of the war, these keys were written on silk and the poems were originals that only the sender and receiver knew. But first they used familiar poems.

Instead of using a transposition key, I've made things a little easier to decode.

Here a few codes and familiar poems. See if you can decode them.

Morse code

A . _ H . . . .
B _ . . . I . .
C _ ._ . J . _ _ _
D _ . . K _ . _
E . L . _ . .
F . . _ . M _ _
G _ _ . N _ .

U . . _ Question mark . . _ _ . .
T _ Full stop (period) . _ . _. _
S . . . Z _ _ . .
R . _ . Y _ . _ _
Q _ _ . _ X _ . . _
P . _ _ . W . _ _
O _ _ _ V . . . _


Poem (The slashes represent a space, since the program won't allow spaces.)
_ _ _/ _ ./ _ ._ . /./ . . _ /. _ _ . /_ _ _/ _ .
. _ /_ _ /. ./ _ . ./ _ ./ . ./ _ _. /. . . ./ _
_ . ./ . _ ./ ./ . _/ . _ ./ _ . _ _

. _ _ /. . . . /. ./ . _ . . /. /. ./

. _ _ . /_ _ _/ _ . /_ . . /./ . _ ./ . /_ . .

. _ _ /./ . _ /_ . _/ . _ /_ . /_ . .

. _ _ /. /. _ /. _ ./ _ . _ _


Can you guess the poem?

Here’s the title: _ / . . . . / . /. _ ./ . _ /. . . _ /. /_ .

And the author: ./ _ . ./ _ _ ./ . _ /. _ .
. _ /. _ . . /. _ . ./ ._ /_ . /. _ _ . /_ _ _/ .


If you know the poem, it might be easy to crack the code. That's why the SOE made up their own poems later, but by then it was already too late for a number of agents.

Find the rest of the poem on the Internet once you’ve figured out what it is. Then substitute these words in the first two stanzas:


Lost: seen/sighted

Curious: Holland

Nodded: cancel

December: position

Rare: contact

Evermore: tomorrow

Came: parachute

Over: safe

Door: drop

Angels: time

Ghost: compromise(d)

Sorrow: enemy

Quaint: in

Radiant: same


Poem

This one may be a bit tougher:

. . . . /_ _ _/ . _ _ /. . ./ . _ _/ ./ ./ _
_ /. . . ./ . /_ _ /_ _ _/ _ _ _/ _ .
. _ . . /. . /_ _ . /. . . . /_ /. . . /. _ ../ ./ . /. _ _ . /. . .

. . _ /. _ _./ _ _ _/ _ .
_/ . . . ./ . . /. . ./ _ . . ./ . _ /_./ _ . _ /. _ . _ . _

Google the first line and see what you come up with. Then substitute these words for the complete set of verses:


Quiring: time

Moonlight: cover

Floor: portal

Creep: next

Sings: alternate

Orb: close(d)

Touches: rendezvous

Cherubims: method

Motion: need

Music: extraction

Young: travel

Sleeps: blown

Other codes:

During World War II, the Navajo language was used for messages. They didn’t need to be coded because no one but the Navajo knew the language and no one but the Navajo sent and received them. Here are some examples of Navajo words:

English (Français) Navajo

One (Un) Łáá'íí
Two (Deux) Naaki
Three (Trois) Táá'
Man (Homme) Hastiin
Woman (Femme) Asdzání
Dog (Chien) Łééchąą'í
Sun (Soleil) Shá
Moon (Lune) Tł'éhonaa'éí
Water (Eau) Tó
Eat (Manger) Yiyą
See (Voir) Yoo'į
Hear (Entendre) Yidiists'a'
Sing (Chanter) Hashtaał
Leave (Partir) Diiyá

Here is a simple message using Navajo: Yoo'į hastiin diiyá naaki shá.
Remember sometimes messages aren’t totally clear. You have fill in the blanks to make sense of them.

My next Time Meddlers book takes place on the continent of Africa. Below are two examples of ancient African languages. I’m going to write a message in one of these languages. That will be a clue as to where this book is set. The message may give you further clues. The cartouche at the bottom you may have trouble finding. Keep watching, spying . . .

Islands of Adventure

We knew we would encounter pests while travelling in the tropics. But these particular devils, we never imagined. "Sauba ants that could reduce a person's clothes and rucksacks to threads in a single night, ticks that attached like leeches and red hairy chiggers that consumed human tissue, cyanide-squirting millipedes and parasitic worms that caused blindness, berne flies that drove their ovipositors through clothing and deposited larval eggs that hatched and burrowed under the skin . . ."

No, this isn't really what it was like. It's an excerpt from a book called The Lost City of Z, which I highly recommend, if you can stomach it. We didn't travel to the Amazon, we travelled to the Turks and Caicos Islands—truly the opposite of what I just described.

There are times when research for a particular novel will drive me to travel to various exotic locations—it's such a chore. Sometimes the travel occurs first and the idea sprouts from the excursion. For example, Mexico, and my novel Sinkhole—something I eventually hope to see released, but it needs more work. I didn't exactly travel to the moon or Antarctica, but I did visit NASA's Kennedy Space Center—a pre-launch equivalent, and Antarctica?—well, I do live in the North, so there are some similarities. Yes, I have been to Holland and England, so the settings may have an authentic feel to them in Time Meddlers Undercover, and of course, I live in the Ottawa Valley—where I did extensive delving. My next project—the YA artistic endeavour I'm attempting—stemmed from numerous trips I've made to a certain location in Florida—an island that captivated me. (If you plug the "c" word into Google, along with the general location, you may just figure out where it is.) As I was doing research for this book, I looked into pirate history, now nested in the narrative. There are certain settings that I have to research without visiting, but most of my tales involve a place that has triggered my imagination.

This trip was coincidental—it was last minute, a recommended location, but still considered among others, and somewhere I'd never travelled to before. You can imagine my surprise when I learned that the same pirates who stirred my interest on the Gulf coast of Florida, had one of their first hideouts on an island called Parrot Cay (pronounced "key") in the Turks and Caicos Islands—now home to another pirate—Bruce Willis. Or was he a hero? Or perhaps he was an artificial hero living on a real island of adventure.

Bruce Willis's House

Let me backtrack: The Turks and Caicos Islands are located below the Bahamas and across from Cuba, surrounded by a reef of extraordinary wealth—not the artificial kind—and emerging as a deep emerald and white jewel in a setting of turquoise water—a colour I've never seen in water before.
   

 Is that really the ocean, I wondered. And what are those dark, murky shapes, just below the surface? (At the time, I was on a plane.)

 

Reefs.
I mentioned them already, but they're worth mentioning again.

 I like adventure of any kind. If you skim down my blog you'll eventually come upon the rattlesnake in the path (in Florida) that I didn't back away from as my sister kept yelling at me to do. I'm this reserved writer-type who doesn't talk much, but sometimes jumps in the water, even if there are sharks.

Well, this time I jumped because I was getting seasick, but I'm leaping ahead in the story again. Sorry.

We were ushered from the airport into an oversized taxi and the driver took off . . . then stopped abruptly . . . then took off again. He had a penchant for speed, but had to slow down for the speed bumps. He whipped onto the road—onto the wrong side, and I thought we were in England—but I learned this was British territory. Ahhh. We circled numerous roundabouts and ended up at a resort engulfed in gardens and tropical trees. Coconut palms, saw palmettos, even a plot where various cactuses zigzagged through a white-pebbled ground. I saw this enormous, life-like lawn ornament.








Then it moved.















They call it an egret.






                                  Well, we settled in and got wet.
















The next day we took a cruise, a snorkelling cruise. We stopped on an island and were attacked by these huge lizards.

Actually they were iguanas—protected on this island because they're losing their habitat and fading from existence. What a shame. Beautiful creatures.

Then came the snorkelling, where we encountered the most vivid display of coral—brain coral (yeah, it's really called that) cactus coral, ribbon coral and broad purple sea fans that swayed in the current. We didn't see any sea turtles, although I wanted to (sniff, sniff) but the fish made up for it. Blue Angelfish and White Grunts (who were actually blue/green) Rainbow Parrotfish and Yellowhead Wrasse, even a Trumpet Fish. I'll let you see for yourself.

Well, what do you expect? It was one of those antiquated underwater cameras you have to wind by hand and we didn't realize you had to wind it back too, so some of the film was exposed. I know, excuses, excuses.

And there was more than one fish, I swear.

We also dove for conch. Afterward, the captain of our "ship" prepared a conch salad, cooked in lime juice—the acid is what cooks the meat—combined with green peppers and tomatoes. Shellfish usually makes my kids gag, but they ate it . . . with smiles. Amazing. "Tastes like chicken," they said. We trolled for sanddollars on an island, came back with broken bits of treasure. Not satisfied, the captain tossed his crew member overboard to dive for real treasure—unbroken sanddollars. Then they were broken in our suitcases. Sigh.

The next day was for relaxing . . . and burning. Oh, you naughty Canadians! Don't you know to wear sunscreen? Hey, we lathered ourselves with sunblock, but did it make a difference to the indifferent Carribean sun? Not at all. "I will scorch you," it said, rubbing its rays together. So, instead of a lovely bronze tan, we returned with splotches of red just. . . about . . . everywhere.

No photo included. You don't need to see this, and laugh.

As we were leisurely burning and swimming and sipping piña coladas—the kids are hooked on the virgin kind—we were plotting. This is fun, but we need more adventure. More snorkelling, more island-hopping, more investigating of those incredible reefs.
 

We did find a starfish in the waters on the beach, though.

But that just wasn't exciting enough. So . . . back to Silver Deep—the boat company—and back to the sea we went.

Yes, this is where the jumping in the shark-infested water came in—or should I say, barracuda-infested.


The first snorkel site was calm, full of peaceful chop, a smooth drop into the pristine turquoise water and a relaxing flutter through the waves, gazing at remarkable creatures—mostly fish—but oddly shaped, or swimming sideways with flapping fins, or a rather large blue-green specimen that serenely swam right below me.

A hypnotic experience.

But our captain wasn't satisfied. We needed to see more. The corals here were just boulder-like mounds. "Let's try another site," he said in his lilting Spanish accent. Our captain was originally from the Dominican Republic, and an expert snorkeler who'd grown up in the waves. He accelerated the boat to a wind-slapping, nearly-catapulting-your-passengers-out-of-the-boat speed and headed around a network of islands (cays). He found us a remarkable reef. Unfortunately, it was in the roughest seas I've ever encountered. The entire boat whipsawed in the waves, I could barely keep my footing, and suddenly my stomach was ricocheting back and forth from my ribcage to my spinal cord, then it decided to bounce upward. Oh, oh.

I had two choices. Stay on the boat and . . . mess up the boat or . . . stuff my feet into my flippers and jump overboard. Not always the smartest thing to do in rough seas. You might find this hard to believe, but I'm not always known for my intelligence. I stuffed and I jumped.

Before I could breathe, a wave splashed into my face, and then I was coughing, but not spewing. I whipped my mask and snorkel on, and, phew, I could breathe. The cool water (that was still pretty warm) splashed around me--rolling, tempestuous waves--but I could breathe, and the queasiness was subsiding. The captain and my husband and kids joined me—but not quite so frantically or inelegantly—and we explored the reef.

What a reef it was—archways and grottos, enormous puffy coral and staggered cactus-like fire coral. "Watch those," our captain warned. Hmmm, gorgeous, but . . . dangerous? He led us right above sharp, jagged coral that stretched nearly to the surface—coral that was treacherous to touch, but the waves seemed determined to shove us closer. And the boat was getting farther and farther away.

Then I looked down. What was that? A fish? A large fish, maybe five feet long, staring at me with beady eyes and, were those teeth?? A long row of jagged teeth. He was framed in a grotto, beneath a coral gateway, just like in those National Geographic documentaries. Watching. Is that really a barracuda? It sure looks like a barracuda.

Can't be dangerous, though. Our captain would pull us away if it were dangerous.

I raised my head above the surface.

"Ma'am," said my captain. "Stay away from the reef. There's barracuda there."

I guess it's dangerous.

Remember the krill in Finding Nemo that said, "Swim away! Swim away!" I swam away, quickly.

But not before B took a shot (with his camera, that is).


Evil barracuda.
These underwater shots don't capture real size, and glinting saw-like teeth.

Well, our snorkelling was becoming quite an adventure. But all good adventures must come to an end. Ours ended when J accidentally kicked the snorkel out of L's mouth. At least she said it was accidental. He received a mouthful of salty surprise, and wanted to go back to the boat . . . which was WAY over there. My hubby took L back to the boat and our captain continued to swim and dive under the coral archways, hoping to chase some fish our way, or find some turtles, or come upon an octopus. J was only too happy to follow him, but I was worried, and getting tired, and looking with longing back at the boat that made me queasy.

Our captain, ever in tune with our needs, albeit, at times, after-the-fact—I'm talking barracuda here—suggested we head back.

The rest of the day we spent fishing.

First my hubby caught seaweed . . .



. . .then Nemo (the captain immediately sliced him open and rigged him as bait for bigger fish—shark bait, oo hah hah)

. . . then an odd angelfish who barked and revealed teeth before we threw him back . . .

. . .then . . . yes . . . we caught a shark. Really, seriously, we did. "A five-footer," our captain told us. But that big fish fought with us and, let's face it, these little fishing lines aren't meant for shark, so . . . just before we brought him to the surface, he snapped the line. I kid you not. This is NOT a fish story.

So I did jump into shark-infested water.

I didn't do much fishing. I was still feeling queasy.

Okay, so the time had come for real adventure. Before departing the dock, I'd asked the captain to take us to Parrot Cay—former hideout of notorious pirates Anne Bonny and Calico Jack Rackman and the still-notorious Bruce Willis. So off we went.

On the way we saw a shipwreck. Could be one of those Spanish galleons, don't you think?

Well, since you've seen Bruce Willis's house, and it really doesn't conjure pirate-like images in your mind—at least it didn't in mine—we'll continue on to the sublime discovery.


An island paradise, a beach of pristine water, rays floating just below the surface and conch shells galore.

Hey, and there's our captain in the yacht.

We returned home a couple days later, but not before witnessing some glorious sunsets . . .

. . . and contemplating the waves . . .

. . . and wanting to stay forever in the haven of Anne Bonny and Calico Jack, within earshot of the crooning waves and the friendliest people on earth, and continue exploring a complex and untamed world of incredible beauty.

But, you know, it's always fodder for novels, or even slapdash blogs.

Update on Availability

Just wanted to let you know that yes, Time Meddlers Undercover has been released and is available. However, due to the recent downswing in the economy and publisher/distributor issues, the best place to purchase (if you haven't picked up a copy yet) is the LBF web site or Amazon.com. There is some mishmash with Amazon.ca--a takeover by Amazon.com, I believe--that has left the site frozen in time. Time Meddlers Undercover is "still" listed as Pre-release and no changes are being made to any titles. Chapters, which has always been a great support, now has distribution issues with our US distributor, but some local stores are carrying copies. Barnes & Noble? I don't know what's going on with them. Borders, yes, it is available. Now, that said, LBF is making huge strides in the e-book market. They have contracts with BN, ARe, OmniLit, Fictionwise, OverDrive, MobiPocket, My bookstore, More, and Sony eBooks. Books should be available on Kindle by the end of the year. That means the series should be available at a number of different retailers, including some in the UK. They're also making inroads in foreign sales--so you may see the series pop up on the other side of the globe one of these days.

I appreciate your understanding. This is a difficult time for all publishers and many other businesses.

Signings

I'm scheduling some signings this spring.

Saturday, April 10: Chapters, Kingston 1 - 3 pm

Saturday, April 17: Chapters, Montreal (Pointe Claire) 2 -4 pm

I'll also be doing one or two more in May. Details to follow.

In between, maybe a vacation. That anniversary thing is coming up. Twentieth. Can hardly believe it. I'm thinking tropical--even though it's nice and warm here.

Latest Reviews, Course Update

Hey there,



The first reviews for Time Meddlers Undercover are out:

" . . . this is an enthralling story that will have middle grade readers turning the page to find out what risky situations Matt and Sarah will place themselves in next. Information about the English spy network and the Dutch resistance add historical context to the story, and readers are even introduced to famed diarist, Anne Frank. Also included are an Historical Note which outlines some of the facts revealed in Jackson's research for the story, and discussion questions and activities for reader groups."

Canadian Teacher Magazine

http://www.canadianteachermagazine.com/pdf/CTM_Jan10_Book_Reviews.pdf

"*****Five Stars! This is a great time travel thriller with a super surprising final twist. The story line is fast-paced and loaded with action . . . Deborah Jackson interweaves the Dutch resistance to the German occupation especially hiding Jews like Anne Frank and her family and other targeted people from the Nazis as a key element in the strong plot. Middle school readers and anyone who read or saw The Diary of Anne Frank (except Holocaust deniers) will enjoy this fine sequel to the Time Meddlers as courage is an equal opportunity trait that ignores religion, ethnic origin, age and gender."

Genre Go Round Reviews

http://www.genregoroundreviews.blogspot.com/2010/01/time-meddlers-undercover-deborah.html

"****Four Stars! This book continues shortly after the first, Time Meddlers, ends. You do not have to read the first book in order to understand and enjoy this one; however, I strongly urge you to. It gives more details on the time machine and backgrounds on the teens. As for this story, it overflows with danger, excitement, and adventure. Readers will easily connect with Matt and Sarah. . . . An enthralling story that readers will have a difficult time putting down."

Huntress Reviews

http://www.huntressreviews.com/allkids.htm

If you're interested in upcoming courses at Shenkman Arts Centre, here is some basic information:

A Novel Idea (Adult)--Fiction Writing, 10 classes, 2 1/2 hours per class. Sharpen your writing skills and learn how to submit your manuscripts for publication. From Hemingway to Tolkien, brainstorming, character, plot, setting, dialogue, editing/revision, queries and synopses. Course structure: lecture and critique.

Spring session will be open for registration soon: http://shenkmanarts.ca/course_workshops_camps/sac_en.html#P178_8010

A Novel Idea II (Adult)--Fiction Writing, 10 classes, 2 1/2 hours per class. A Novel Idea recommended prior to taking this course. Improve writing skills with intensive critique sessions/feedback, writing exercises focus on character development, setting, dialogue, fresh language, show vs. tell, active vs. passive writing skills.

To begin in the fall. Private classes are sometimes held.

Fiction Writing--The Basics and Beyond (Ages 11- 14) Learn the basics of story writing from an author--idea, setting, character, plot, dialogue, conflict, etc.--while developing your own unique voice. Complete a story or the beginning of a novel with step-by-step guidance.

To begin in the fall.

Time Meddlers Undercover Launch

Yes, the day has finally arrived. Time Meddlers Undercover will be launched (skyward) January 30 at Chapters, Gloucester--that's in the east end of Ottawa--from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. Snacks and refreshments will be provided, and I'll do a little reading from a comical/intriguing section of the book. If you're in the area, drop by. I would love to see you. But . . . sneak in, if you can. Incognito.

Delays, delays

Sorry, I haven't posted any updates, but I've experienced nothing but delays this fall, so there hasn't been much to tell. Finally Time Meddlers Undercover is available at Amazon and the publisher's web site. It may still be some time before it's available in other bookstores. My launch has been delayed as well. I'm shooting for January now. But I'm hoping to get signed books to those who requested them soon.

As for other news, I've thoroughly enjoyed teaching fiction writing at the Shenkman Arts Centre. It was a treat and inspiration to meet enthusiastic new writers and encourage them to develop their skills as they begin a career that is both exciting and challenging. The course will resume again in January.

Now, as far as my web site is concerned, I've finally revamped the biography section and added a new photo. I'm hoping my web master can get around to changing this one in my blog as well. I'd be happy to see the death of it. But new adaptations may take some time. I was hoping to add a "fun stuff" area and the book trailer for Time Meddlers Undercover. In the meantime, I'm adding the trailer here: (and for some reason it's posting a double image--just ignore the second one).

Fall Update--School Visits, Writing Course

Book Tour

I will be traveling to southern Ontario this fall where I have some school visits planned and I'll be doing a signing at the Birtch Farms Applefest. There have been some delays in the publication process, so I may not have copies of Time Meddlers Undercover with me. If that's the case, I'll try to make another trip to the Woodstock area this fall, or at the latest, around the Christmas Break.

Writing course

I will also begin teaching a writing course at the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orleans. It's called "A Novel Idea 1." Don't groan. I didn't come with the name. My initial proposal was for a children's writing course, because there is nothing available for enthusiastic young writers, but, at the time, it was too late to insert it into the listing, so that course will begin in the spring. But when approached about teaching the adult course, I decided it would be a perfect opportunity to share what I've learned about the writing process and help others improve their craft.

Launch

Regarding the upcoming launch of Time Meddlers Undercover, I'll post details once they're finalized. Hope to see you there.

Web Site Update

Just to let you know, I have added a new page to my web site for Time Meddlers Undercover. It has basic information on the Special Operations Executive, Anne Frank, and the Dutch Resistance. It also has a little personal note, and some reading group questions in the Bonus section--please don't read these unless you've read the book. Release is still scheduled for the fall. What do you think of the cover? I think it illustrates a great deal of what this book is about, and captures the deadly atmosphere.

Now I'm on to other things. Time Meddlers Three, first draft done. I have some ideas for a YA series--little romance, little supernatural activity, great tropical setting, intriquing characters. This should take me a few months, or years. . .

March Break

Just a wonderful break, and we didn't go far. A museum trek: The Aviation Museum, to get some dazzling photos for the website and take in the gargantuan aircraft. The Museum of Civilization, to gawk at the Egyptian exhibit--Ramses II statue, a couple of mummies and amazing artifacts. We took in a movie and a hockey game--the Senators even won! Like a holiday at home, but the sun was deceptive. It's still Ottawa, after all.

I'd like to thank Mrs. Shaheen's Grade 6 class for the incredible letters! I'm busy answering them, but it may take me a few days. I'm tickled pink that you enjoyed Time Meddlers so much. To answer a recurring question--No, Matt and Sarah are not based on anyone in particular. Although there may be a few traits that my kids and I share with them, they are entirely the product of my imagination. But I love them just the same.

Letters in the mail soon . . .

New Release Date

Actually,the release date has been moved up. We're now looking at a fall release, September 28. I hope everything will go according to schedule. In the meantime, I should be posting information about Time Meddlers Undercover on my website shortly. It will give you a comprehensive look at some of the research components of TMU. Hope you find it interesting.

Release Date

Hi there. I just received word of a tentative release date for Time Meddlers Undercover. It should be December 28, 2009, but I won't hold my breath, because you know how these things go. I should have some information about it, a cover page, and the first chapter up on my website in the near future.

Stay tuned . . .

Back from Sunny Florida

Hi there. I just got back from a much-needed vacation in the south of Florida. It was wonderful to escape the snow. I've included a couple of photos, since I had quite the experience.

Pristine beach, Bonita Springs

On our excursions we ran into this "little" fellow: Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake. Luckily avoided a nasty bite.

Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge

And we tried to keep out of range of the dozens of alligators, except when I was trying to get a good shot.

Highway 41, near the Everglades.

But mostly, we encountered these fearless guys!

Time Meddlers up at Fictionwise

Just a little note to let you know that Time Meddlers has just been released as an e-book on Fictionwise. Already it has leaped onto the bestseller list, after one day. Interesting, and rather exciting! I will have some more news shortly regarding Time Meddlers Undercover--hopefully a release date.

First Draft Almost Complete

Yes, I'm still waiting on Time Meddlers Undercover. An endless process, I know. In the meantime I've nearly completed the first draft of Time Meddlers 3. Now, first draft means just that. I like to leave it to grow dusty in a drawer for a few months before I pull it out again and begin revising. But I really think it's coming!

Update and Kindle

Okay, the fall season is upon us, and usually that sends me into a melancholy mood, thinking of impending snowfalls and bitter winter cold. But, instead, I've been focusing on the "next" project. Time Meddlers Undercover is presently in the editor's hands, and I must wait for news on revisions, and a release date. So . . . I've been researching and have begun to write the first draft of Time Meddlers 3. If you have access to Facebook, and have been tracking the books I've been reading, you may get a sense of which time period and what direction the next book will take, but I'm not giving anything away at this point.

The last few weeks I have been attending writers' conferences as well. It's always a great experience to meet with other writers, discuss the business, and get a sense of what is occurring in the publishing industry. The Amazon Kindle seems to be catching fire, even with agents, because of its convenience. However, I still think much more can be done with it. Considering the electronic age we live in, the amazing computer graphics, why can't they combine an electronic book with additional graphic components and make it more enticing to children? Since most kids are hooked on electronics anyway--you know you are--it would be the ideal solution to drawing them back to books. Imagine, the author describes a particular setting, or character, and you click on a highlighted word—-up pops the scene or character. Or, let's say there’s an action sequence that merits a second look. Click, pop, you’re actually witnessing the sequence, almost like a movie. I know it's been done with multimedia books, without the greatest success because of expense, but if the cost could be lowered, it might be another option for children other than video games. That's my opinion anyway.

Finally, I will be resuming school visits again this school year. If you're interested in having me visit your school, you can email me regarding a possible date, and I will be happy to discuss it with you.

Well, summer is almost over, and so is Time Meddlers Undercover. Besides giving a few more polishes to the manuscript, I've been traveling, exploring, something I love to do. This summer my family and I did our traditional camping trip to Algonquin Park, but we also discovered the east coast of Canada. Here are a few shots of our excursion:

Grand Falls, New Brunswick--Still shots can't capture the force of the water barreling through this canyon.

One misty morning on the Fundy Trail, Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick.



Waterfall, Fundy Trail




St. Martin's Caves, New Brunswick.
These are sea caves exposed only during low tide. Right now we're walking on the bare sea floor.

Seaweed, snails and barnacles. The sea floor, Bay of Fundy.

Cape Enrage, Bay of Fundy.

Confederation Bridge, on the way to Prince Edward Island.

Cavendish Beach, Prince Edward Island. Note the red rocks!!

Cape Tyron, PEI. This was at the end of a dirt track, sort of in the middle of nowhere. We wouldn't have found it if a former resident hadn't given us directions. Amazing view. No photograph can capture it sufficiently.

Grape jelly-fish. It would have been risky to swim here, but the water was too cold anyway.

Artsy shot, Dunes Gallery, PEI.

Seal watching, Montague, PEI.

Unfortunately we only saw one seal bobbing up and down on the water, but we did catch a couple of lobsters.

How did that get in there?

From the top of the Dunes Gallery.

Had to stop at Anne's village--Anne of Green Gables, in case you're not familiar. This is a fictional village based on a fictional character--ain't that grand??!

Rough seas, endless rain, time to pack it in and head home.

Recent Reads

Doing research for Time Meddlers Undercover. I always loved this book.









More research. This is a fascinating book if you're interested in the SOE during WWII, the way messages were sent by code, and if you enjoy a good laugh. Strange the author can discuss such a serious (and sometimes tedious) subject and yet capture the reader with his wonderful sarcastic sense of humour.






I didn't enjoy this book at all. I found it long and preachy, not even that funny.









I'm reading more Stephenie Meyer because I enjoyed her Vampire series, but I'm starting to find the main character surprisingly similar to the Twilight one--entirely too self-sacrificing to be believable.







Love the Thomas Covenant antihero. I'm re-reading this series.