Returning to a golden age

At least once a year, I am asked, usually by someone who suspects I'm a time traveler, which era I would most like to visit if I could. Each time, I give the same answer: the late 1950s to early 1960s, when cars were classic, rock and roll was young, and rockets were all the rage.

For that reason, I enjoyed writing The Mirror, set in Seattle in 1964, and Class of '59, set in Los Angeles in 1959. I loved exploring an era that has been immortalized many times in movies, TV, and literature.

In Caitlin's Song, I take one more bite of the apple. In the fourth and pivotal book of the Carson Chronicles series, I send most of my time travelers to 1962, the year of John F. Kennedy, John Glenn, the Seattle World's Fair, and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Like The Mirror, Class of '59, and even The Journey, set in 1979 and 1980, Caitlin's Song is coming-of-age story about young adults in a simpler, more innocent time. Unlike the earlier books, it is also a murder mystery — one with a critical time component and circumstances that put one Carson in mortal danger and test the resolve of two others.

As the title suggests, Caitlin's Song is Caitlin's book. From the first chapter to the last, the youngest member of the original Carson clan is the center of attention and the focus of the plot. Now nineteen and a college freshman in Boulder, Colorado, Caitlin seeks peace and fulfillment just months after losing her first love in a plane crash.

Others also shine. Cody Carson, Caitlin's twin and alter ego, finds romance, freedom, and fun as a student, while his parents, Tim and Caroline, assume their most important roles to date. The professors, separated from their children for more than two years, try desperately to prevent a horrific crime that will alter their family forever.

Set in 1941, 1972, and 1983, as well as 1962, Caitlin's Song follows the Carsons from coast to coast as they search for answers, opportunity, and each other in some of America's most memorable eras. The novel, available in Kindle format, goes on sale today at Amazon.com.