“The Time Traveler’s Assistant Discovers What Could Have Been” was published in Underland Arcana #7, appearing online on the day of the Summer Solstice 2022, but also available in a print and ebook edition.
It’s an unusual story for me in that it’s the first time in my career I’ve ever written a sequel.But I don’t believe a reading of the initial story, or even a knowledge of it on the part of a reader, is necessary for full enjoyment of this one.
I published “The Stranded Time Traveler Embraces the Inevitable” in 2019 in Cat Rambo’s anthology If This Goes On. That story, written in 2017, was the first I was able to write after the only writer’s block of my life, brought on by the 2016 presidential election. It was what broke the block for me, as I despaired of story mattering in a world which would have Donald Trump as president.
“The Time Traveler’s Assistant Discovers What Could Have Been,” which begins seconds after the start of the first story, was written four years later. I never expected to write this story, but it demanded to be. Considering recent events — and possible future events — this seems the right time for it to appear.
As I said above, I believe the story works on its own merits. I hope you’ll agree.