Local author co-pens middle grade time travel adventure
That is the plot behind “Paladins of the Sacred Line — Book One: Siege of Boston,” co-authored by Tim Holder, a West Knoxville historian, speaker and radio show host, and MB Mooney of Georgia, who joined up to bring adventure in history for middle school-aged youth.
Holder said he met Mooney at a writer’s conference.
“He said, ‘We should write a book together because we both have a history background,’” Holder said. “I’m a history professor, and he taught history in middle school.”
“His idea was ‘let’s write a book for middle school readers, and we’ll do like a time travel series and we’ll have kids in the story go back and meet historical figures,’” Mooney told Holder.
The two collaborated long distance to write the book. They started their endeavor about five or six years ago and finished it about two or three years ago.
“And then, we were looking at publishing options,” Holder said. “A publisher picked us up last year. It just came out in April.”
The book, published by ScrivKids, is available on Amazon.
“He thought it would be cool if we picked a time period the kids would actually be learning about in school,” Holder said of Mooney.
The story revolves around early teen brother and sister, Mike and Grace, and their best friend Shawn. Mike and Grace’s dad is a time traveler, a Paladin, or guardian, of
time.
“He’s stuck in the past and they need to go rescue him, but they also need to save George Washington,” Holder related. “A lot of eighth-graders study early U.S. history.”
Holder explained Paladin is synonym for knight.
“We thought that would be a cool word to use,” he added.
Regarding the sacred line, he said it referred to the timeline, which is “kind of sacred. You can’t go back and change the past because that will change the present.”
In a sequel, “what historical figures will they be looking at next year in school?” Holder asked. “That will help drive that decision” for the sequel’s plot.”
Holder was a dean at Walter’s State Community College a few years ago, when he decided to teach part time, writes and does public speaking. He writes mostly about early presidents and faith. Sometimes, he will combine the two.
