Romance Novel Involving 9/11
I believe every adult (and indeed many adults who were children then) can remember exactly what they were doing on the morning of September 11th, 2001. I had just arrived at work and a colleague told me that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. My immediate reaction was this: “Was it a mistake?” His answer: “No, because another plane hit the other tower not long afterwards.” That moment is etched in my memory.
Many cinematic and literary works about 9/11 have been released (both
fiction and non-fiction). From where did my novel about a man caught in a time
loop that starts on Labor Day, 9/3/2001 and ends on 9/11/2001 originate? Oddly
enough, I went through a period where I would see these little dark,
washer-looking loops on the ground, in the most random places. I’m pretty big
on signs so I thought, surely, I’m seeing these loops for some reason. I
thought on it. Prayed about it. And it came to me to write about one man’s
experiences on the week leading up to the September 11th attack. Only, this man
relives that week over and over and over. He feels in his heart that the reason
he’s stuck in the loop is so he can prevent the attacks from happening.
However, each consecutive loop challenges that theory and brings him closer to the
dark truth behind Déjà vu.
I was inspired to write a romance novel that involved 9/11. It wasn’t
hard for me to admit that THE DARKEST LOOP is in fact a romance. Just as much
as it is historical fiction (albeit recent history). Just as much as it is suspense.
It wasn’t hard for me to admit it especially having read 11/22/63 by Stephen
King. The novel deals with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy;
however, it also dealt largely with the romance between George Amberson (nee
Jake Epping) and Sadie Clayton. And it was this romance that made 11/22/63 my
favorite Stephen King novel. So in THE DARKEST LOOP, while I wanted to write
this adventure in which a man relives a nine-day span over and over again, a
love affair was birthed between Dallas Anderson and Thena McKnight. One of the
novel’s tag lines is: “The loop made them fall in love. Would it also make them
heroes?” Why was their love so important? I think it has to do with the novel’s
major them: Love is greater than hatred. Definitely greater than the hatred
that led to the 9/11 attacks and similar acts of terror that we experience even
today. It was never my intention to make this novel a romance. But Love had
other plans.
About the Author:
James
Fant is an award winning author who lives in Charleston, SC with his lovely
wife and two hilarious children. He received a degree in biology from College
of Charleston and a master’s in business administration from Charleston
Southern University. His love for literature was forged by the works of Eric Jerome
Dickey, Walter Mosely, and Stephen King. He also finds inspiration from
screenwriters Shonda Rhimes, Aaron Sorkin and Kurt Sutter. Literarily, James
has always been drawn to intelligent yet imperfect characters and he writes
novels with them in mind.
His
books include:
The Darkest Loop
CoEd
Simon’s Splinter
Fourteen Pages
An Ode for Orchids
Close the Door
The Secret Branch
The Mended Fence
Historical Fiction
Date Published: 9/4/2017
Dallas Anderson is stuck in a time loop that repeats Labor Day 2001 to September 11, 2001. He thinks he must prevent the terrorist attacks to break the loop. But each loop challenges that theory, igniting a fiery romance between him and his best friend's sister and exposing the dark truth behind Déjà vu.
James Fant is an award winning author who lives in Charleston, SC with his lovely wife and two hilarious children. He received a degree in biology from College of Charleston and a master’s in business administration from Charleston Southern University. His love for literature was forged by the works of Eric Jerome Dickey, Walter Mosely, and Stephen King. He also finds inspiration from screenwriters Shonda Rhimes, Aaron Sorkin and Kurt Sutter. Literarily, James has always been drawn to intelligent yet imperfect characters and he writes novels with them in mind.
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