QUANTUM LEAP: INTERVIEW WITH P.J.MITMAN

Her experiences writing a Quantum Leap novel

From "The Time Traveler," February 1997 issue

Local artist and writer, P.J. Mitman, shared her experiences in writing a Quantum Leap story. Her story, entitled "Driven by an Unknown Force," was one of five stories being considered for four publishing slots by Berkley Press.. Unfortunately, MCA/Universal, who have the rights to Quantum Leap, chose to go with previously published authors and her story was not published.

Her interest in science fiction goes back to her childhood. "When I was ten," said Mitman, "John Glenn first orbited the earth. When I played with dolls in our attic, we were an ‘orphanage stranded in space.’ Moon charts - not rock’n’roll stars - were my first wall posters (at least until the Beatles hit the scene) and when Star Trek hit the airwaves, I knew I was Home."

While she admits being frustrated by coming so close to being published, she says she will continue writing. "Writing isn't something I choose to do--it's kind of in the same category as breathing and having a pulse--so I will continue to write whether something gets published or not." She said it was a rewarding experience because she was able to complete such a large project "and still like it" and because those who read the story told her they cried at the end and wanted to see more of her work.

What makes her storyline different from other Quantum Leap novels is that Sam makes an anonymous leap. He has leaped into a hitchhiker in Indiana farm country, 1954, but can find nothing to identify the young man he replaced. Furthermore, the project computer is unable to create a data trail to deduce what Sam has to put right. To complicate matters, the young man Sam replaced has a defective heart and may not survive the leap. Sam takes a job as a hired hand and finds himself embroiled in the dynamics between a father and daughter. The father, a fundamentalist farmer, is convinced that because his teenage daughter has the power of precognitive clairvoyance (visions of the future), she is possessed by the devil. "Though the synopsis seems rather dark," says Mitman, "the story is told with a touch of humor and the religious aspects are handled in non-judgmental fashion."

Mitman spent many summers in Indiana and grew up on a farm, so she was able to use that experience for the setting. She questioned relatives from the area on life in the 1950’s. She also did extensive research on heart ailments, tests and procedures by interviewing several doctors and nurses at the University of Minnesota medical school and the cardiac unit at St. Mary’s/Fairview hospital.