Message Sent Through Time

New Hope #1

by Pamela G. Baker

All Cassie wants is to go home to her suburban Atlanta neighborhood, but the time machine that sent her to 1870 vanished.

Drawn to the only familiar structure, a farmhouse built in 1869 and operated as a museum in her time, she meets the owner, Nate, a farmer who was jilted by his fiancée the summer prior.

Nate’s cousin passes Cassie off as Nate’s fiancée, and his aunt makes plans for the wedding. Nate, having made a promise to God to protect his family and his neighbors, decides to help Cassie find her way home, though he doesn’t realize it involves time travel. As they spend time together, they grow close.

Another time traveler has control of the time machine and offers Cassie a follow instructions or remain trapped in the past forever.

Will Cassie deny the feelings she’s developed for Nate and return to the present, or will she stay in the past with Nate and trust God for their future?

Genres: Time Travel, Christian, Christian Fiction, Inspirational

331 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 12, 2024

About the author

Pamela Baker writes mysteries and speculative fiction from a Biblical worldview. She began by writing skits and one-acts for her church drama team, and had the privilege of watching one of her plays performed at a homeless shelter in Atlanta. Her flash fiction stories have appeared in Spark flash fiction magazine and the print anthologies Stella’s Secret Sonata and Bolero at Breakfast.

An avid reader, she also enjoys performing in community theater, singing in her church choir, and traveling via ships, planes, trains, and automobiles in that order of preference.

Website: https://pamelagbaker.com/

Reviews

[Courtney Martin]

So proud of you Pam! What a lovely story!

[Pamela Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, I gave 5 stars to my own book, but hear me out: God gave me this story, but he expected me to learn how to write it. That’s what took so long. I wrote the first draft in 2006, eighteen years after receiving the idea. After drastic changes based on input from three different critique groups, several beta readers, and an editor, it’s in a readable form. I hope and pray that after all that time and work, and the amazing help from other writers, I did justice to the story the Lord gave me.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cassie finds herself in a bit of a predicament when she stumbles into a time machine and stumbles out into 1870. Although the street name and the house at the end are the same (although quite newer than the museum she’s familiar with), nothing else is! When she meets the house’s owner, Nate and his family she tries to blend in (hard to do in her workout gear) until she can figure out a way to get back home. Along the way she learns to trust God and others, while trying to decide if maybe she didn’t just stumble into the exact spot she should be in.

There were quite a few twists in this one that I didn’t see coming. The ending also left open the opportunity for more books!

If you enjoy time travel, mystery, a little bit of romance, all stirred together with a faith theme throughout, pick up this book!

An enjoyable debut novel!  

[Ruth Schmeckpeper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Speculative fiction isn’t usually my go-to, but this story pulled me in. When a time-machine accident sends Cassie back to her own neighborhood in 1870, she finds herself embraced by a family she grows to love. While adjusting to the customs of the time, she begins to sense an unsettling danger surrounding them. The characters feel like family, and the writing truly brings them to life.

[Stephanie Matta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! It’s a very sweet romance. Cassie ends up in the past and meeting the man who built the house that becomes her favorite museum in the present! This begins her journey to learning about God while living in the past. There are some surprises from the future that follow her into the past that helps her become closer to God and her new home. I enjoyed that the author shows everyday life in the past as well.

[Columba Booth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This time-travel novel takes you right into 1870. The main character, Cassie’s, awkwardness with that era’s customs and manners is endearing. I loved the details that made the farmland setting so real. I felt the cold and the backbreaking work, saw the mud, and enjoyed the constant interactions of community that were so necessary for survival.
Most of all, I loved the author’s ability to bring real biblical truths into the weirdness of time travel. Cassie’s decisions resonated with my faith.
Toward the end, I didn’t think the author would be able to wrap things up with a satisfying ending, but she did!
This was a fun read that increasingly pulled me in. Enjoy!

[Priscilla Bettis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, what a fun story! Cassie in 2010 time-slips to 1870 in Georgia. She’s wearing running shorts and a running bra. (THAT’s not conspicuous, LOL!) Obviously, there are bits of humor throughout the story (including an appearance of sorts from the Gilligan’s Island cast).

Nate is well to do and single. His family loves him and would like to see him marry quirky and sweet Cassie, but in Cassie’s timeline we know he never did marry. As for Cassie, she’s got a boyfriend, Todd, back in the 2000s. He’s the one who made the time machine. So why hasn’t he come to get her yet?

While she waits for Todd to rescue her, nefarious players take advantage of the time machine, Nate is too good to ignore, and the future timeline is getting all messed up. Someone call the temporal police!

This is a Christian fiction story, and I enjoyed seeing Cassie’s faith grow throughout the book. The Gospel message is woven in, but it’s quite organic. Actually, it’s quite preachy, but the meat of her learning comes from the pastor’s sermon and from the Bible she’s using to teach a young boy to read, so the preachy part fits perfectly. Sometimes Christian fiction can be a little too obvious, but the way Baker wrote it is ideal.

I did take off a star, though. The story is too familiar to timey-wimey science fiction veterans like me. And Cassie sure did “shiver” a lot which drew my attention. But neither of these nitpicks take away from the overall enjoyment of the story.

Four fun stars!

[Lori Inouye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Debut novel by a local author, who also happens to be in my book club. It was filled with surprising twists that I didn't see coming and even a heart-wrenching decision that tore at my heart-strings as a mother. The book provided a lively discussion among our book club members and the fact that two primary characters are a racially-mixed couple living together in the 2020s gives the novel a modern perspective that is missing from many Christian fiction novels. Looking forward to reading the 2nd novel in this series.

[Linda Larramore · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Cassie, a modern woman, lands in 1870, initially she only wants to go home. Her struggles to adapt and navigate a new way of life pulled me into her story with its surprising twists and turns. Pamela Baker’s clever tale kept me guessing to the end.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was exciting to discover a Christian time travel book. I enjoyed the storyline which took Cassandra back to 1870 Georgia. The gospel message was clear and fitting for the circumstances. I am glad this is part of a series.

[Karen A. Cline-Soper · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a wonderful Christian time travel book. Very good writing with a twist. Waiting for the next one.

[Delores Topliff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good characters, especially the two main protagonists, and an increasingly compelling plot. This book became more interesting the further I read, and it has a satisfying ending.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprisingly good book!! I really want to read the next one!!

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Time travel.