Character Interview: Tommy Wellesley
Interview with a character:
Today I had the chance to talk to Tommy Wellesley, graduate student in experimental physics and co-star of the romance novella For Whom My Heart Beats Eternal.
Dr. Wellesley, tell us about your interest in physics.
I’ve always been fascinated by the field. Space and time are interrelated in ways the human mind can just barely grasp. It’s always been my dream to discover these secrets. Oh, and you keep calling me “doctor,” but I’m not one. I haven’t earned my PhD. I’m still working on my Masters degree.
Oh, um… just a slip, I’m sure. Sorry about that. So tell us about the special visitor you had recently.
Oh, Anna is…
Dr. Wellesley, I mean—Tommy—are you alright?
Yes, sorry. It’s just—thinking about Anna. She’s amazing. I never thought I’d meet a girl who loved physics as much as I do. And the things she brought with her will never cease to amaze me. There’s this thing called a “tablet,” for instance. You should take a look. It’s like something out of Star Trek. I mean look at this! You touch the screen, and slide your finger, and—
I’ll have to try it out. But what else can you tell us about Anna?
Well, she’s in my living room right now. I tell you, just the way her nose twitches when she has an idea. I’ve never seen anything so cute. We were working on our plan, and she fell asleep waiting for me to put together some equipment. She looked so peaceful, I just covered her with a blanket and snuck out here to do this interview. She’s been up all hours of the night working on this—plan of ours.
What plan?
I’m not sure I should say. Let’s just say Anna isn’t from around here. I’ve got to help work out a way to get her back to her own time—I mean, home.
Are you saying Anna traveled to you from a different time period?
Who is going to see this interview? Is it going in a newspaper, or is it just for your own interest?
I promise it’s not going in a newspaper.
Good. In that case, I can tell you. Anna came through a wormhole that apparently I helped to create some forty years in the future. I know it’s hard to believe. I mean, you would never imagine a world where people have these little screens they carry around with them. Anna let me borrow hers because it has all kinds of formulas on it—that supposedly I created forty years in the future. But Anna doesn’t belong here, and we aren’t sure what would happen if she stayed. I mean, how can she live her life before she was even born? We both agreed it would be for the best if we sent her back to her own time as soon as possible. Only…
Only what?
I just wish she didn’t have to go. She’s offered me so much encouragement and companionship. Up until this point in my life, I’ve always been so obsessed with physics. I never had time for girls. But with Anna, it’s different. It’s like we were meant to be. I was never one of those types of people to believe in soul mates, but Anna’s arrival has gotten me thinking…
Do you think having Anna travel back in time will have any repercussions on future events?
That’s something Anna and I have been debating. We’re not sure. I guess we won’t know until Anna goes back to her own time. Sometimes I think we’re messing up the entire world, and other times I feel like maybe this was all just meant to be. What if Anna was always meant to travel back in time to meet me? Then wouldn’t we just be following what was meant to be? Anyway, I hear Anna in there. I’d better go. I don’t think she’d like me telling anyone about our—plan. So don’t tell, okay?
Okay, I won’t. Thanks for talking with me today—and good luck with your plan.
You can learn more about Tommy and Anna’s relationship in their novella, For Whom My Heart Beats Eternal, available for Kindle and other e-readers. To celebrate Rebel Ink’s release party, I’m giving away one e-copy of the novella. The winner will be able to choose from among the available formats and must have a valid email address.
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