Enemy of the Future follows a high school teen with the ability to time travel who is pulled into a conspiracy involving a deadly virus, and he needs to alter the past before there are global consequences. What was the original inspiration for your story and the Trip Stewart Adventure series?

I’ve always been intrigued by and drawn to stories and movies about time travel. As a result, when I gathered the courage to attempt to write a book, I wanted to involve the concept of time travel but approach it in a different way. I didn’t want it to be focused on the science fiction part because I wanted the lead character to be more of an everyday teenager facing normal school and social problems who stumbles across a global conspiracy.

The conspiracy involving a deadly virus came from my 20-plus years working in the pharmaceutical industry. With my science background, I thought utilizing something I had a lot of experience with was a comfortable way to approach my first book.

Focusing on a passion of mine and using my experience led me to Trip’s first adventure.

Trip begins the story wanting to remain largely unnoticed. What interested you about making a reluctant, socially uncertain teenager the hero of the series, and how did you develop Trip’s personality separately from his unusual abilities?

What drew me to create a character that was reluctant and socially uncertain was watching my daughter, who recently graduated college, grow up and go through the self-doubt and uncertainty of high school (and college). Her journey reminded me of how self-conscious and awkward I was in high school. There is so much pressure on teens in today’s world. Not only do they feel the constant pressure of making decisions that could have major impacts on their futures, but the social part of their lives is also fraught with anxiety, doubt, depression, etc.

I think a lot of Trip’s personality, if I’m totally honest, is derived from my own. I was on the shy side growing up and preferred to remain off the radar as much as possible. I was an “A”-student and a jock, so I struggled to fit into either group, similar to Trip. Like Trip, I struggled to find my place. In addition to drawing from my own personality, I knew his special ability would affect his personality. I didn’t want it to define him, but I also didn’t want to dismiss its impact. What he has experienced and dealt with in his formative years would obviously influence his personality and how he approaches people. Because he is unique, I wanted to bring attention to his feelings of loneliness and his propensity to distance himself from others. While he does isolate himself due to his ability, this is like many teenagers who, even though they interact with their friends and family, often feel alone. I’d like to think that by the end of the book, he starts to realize that having friends you can trust to share the load with is important.

The story balances school, friendships, romance, humor, and potentially world-changing danger. How important was that mixture of ordinary and extraordinary life?

I wanted Trip to be a normal teenager facing normal, everyday problems. Being partnered with his crush, facing off against the school bully, and hanging out with his best friend were ways to keep the story grounded. Even though Trip is uncertain of how he fits in his high school, not to mention the world in general, he’s surrounded by other teenagers who are dealing with similar problems. And despite his desire to seclude and distance himself, he can’t help but get pulled into the relationship drama, the crushes, and the geek-out moments with his best friend. Having that sense of normalcy allows the heightened stakes involving the deadly virus to stand out even more. Intermixing Trip’s everyday school obligations with the conspiracy helps propel the story forward. With the elements of Trip’s normal life being influenced by his extraordinary life, it forces him to make difficult choices and decisions that could have a significant impact on both. In the end, I wanted the reader to feel like the things happening to Trip could be happening to them.

Without giving too much away, what can readers expect as Trip and Jayla’s adventures continue?

In Trip and Jayla’s next adventure, Countdown to Homecoming, the two find themselves trying to figure out who set off an explosion at the Homecoming dance. The story continues to explore Trip and Jayla’s relationship while they navigate the ups and downs of Homecoming week. The book also explores Trip’s struggles to balance his expanding social life and his special ability.

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