Connecting 1528 and 1981

When I began writing Alien Coast four years ago, some events of 1981 best suited the plot of this historical novel, which harkens back to an event nearly five centuries ago. And today, the happenings of 1981 feel more like current events. Then, as now, a new right-wing president promised a golden age and a minimalist government. Both elderly men were victims of assassination attempts. Both had/have an unshakeable belief in their power to overcome any obstacle. Then, as now, Russia and China threatened us, and the War on Drugs was a national priority, and so forth. Of course, you can always find parallels between any two historical periods. That’s partly because we humans tend to repeat our mistakes over and over, our valuable lessons often unlearned. Sadly, the flaws in human nature have not changed. But neither have the redeeming qualities of our nature. And that is what this story and countless others are about. The lessons are always there to be learned.

A Spanish entrada of the 1500s