Julie McElwain's "Ripples in Time"

Julie McElwain is a national award-winning journalist. Her first novel, A Murder in Time, was one of the top 10 picks by the National Librarian Association for its April 2016 book list, and was selected as the mystery to read in 2016 by OverDrive Inc., a digital distributor serving more than 34,000 libraries around the world. The novel was also a finalist for the 2016 Goodreads' readers choice awards in the Sci-fi category, and made Bustle's list of 9 Most Addictive Mystery series for 2017. Town & Country magazine recently selected A Murder in Time as one of 35 best time travel books.

A Murder in Time has been optioned for television/movie development.

A Twist in Time and Caught in Time — the second and third installments of the In Time series — were released in April 2017 and July 2018, respectively. Both novels were selected by The National Librarian Association for their Must-Read lists. Betrayal in Time earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly.

Ripples in Time is the new novel in the In Time series.

Here McElwain reveals the on-screen talent that (maybe) inspired the protagonist of the series:

A Murder in Time—the first book in the series—was released to my latest installment, Ripples in Time, I have been asked who I might have been inspired by when creating Kendra. While I have often denied having anyone in mind for Kendra when I sat down to write the books, I have since realized that the subconscious is a funny thing and I may have had someone in the back of my mind, after all.

When I was a child, I used to watch late night reruns of The Avengers with John Steed and Emma Peel. The latter, played fabulously by Diana Rigg, was a great influencer. As the only girl in a family of boys, I have always loved strong female characters in books and film. Mrs. Peel was not only strong—indeed, she tended to be the karate-chopping action heroine next to the sophisticated John Steed—but she was also brilliant, beautiful, and always maintained her cool composure under enormous pressure. When Dame Diana Rigg died in 2020 and the tributes poured in, it occurred to me that I may have subconsciously channeled Mrs. Peel when I began building the character that would become Kendra. Of course, there are differences—Kendra might be a bit more hotheaded, a bit more damaged than the classy Mrs. Peel—but the spirit of Diane Rigg’s most famous alter ego is very much echoed and encapsulated in my protagonist.

Visit Julie McElwain's website.

My Book, The Movie: Betrayal in Time.

Q&A with Julie McElwain.

My Book, The Movie: Shadows in Time.

Writers Read: Julie McElwain.

The Page 69 Test: Ripples in Time.

--Marshal Zeringue