Peering into the Future-“Universe” notes

A few people have suggested that I write some “notes” for the universe, names, dates, places etc. So here’s brief overview of the Peering into the Future world.

Jed Bartlet did not win re-election in 2002.

Josh and Donna married in the Spring of 2004, they currently have two boys (with no plans to have more)

Jacob Leo was born in May 2006, he is currently 11 in the series

Jessie Samuel was born in November 2007, he is currently 9.

They live in Bethesda, Maryland in a huge but comfortably lived-in 5 bedroom house complete with front porch swing on which Josh likes to brood.

Josh taught a few Political Science classes a semester at George Washington University for years, retiring in 2017 (Port of Indecision) He also does an occasional lecture, a little consulting on the side and in Stumbling Towards Contentment, helped get John Hoynes re-elected as President of the United States.

Donna works for a freshman Senator named Billy Fernandez. Some may remember him from Isaac and Ishmael, he was kid who ended up on Josh’s “list”.

In the first story in the series, The Not-so Merry Month of May, Josh suffers a stroke. He recovers but not completely due to lingering difficulties brought on by the shooting in Rosslyn. Unable to drive anymore, he and Donna hire Ben Weaver, a student at GW, to drive for the boys, baby sit once in a while and in general look out for all the male members of the family, Josh included. Josh isn’t thrilled about the idea of needing a “nanny” but he genuinely likes Ben and doesn’t complain too much.

In the fourth story, The Need to Feel Valuable, Donna and Abbey Bartlet try to play match maker and fix up Abbey and Jed’s grand daughter Annie with Ben. Their match making skills work, for once and by the sixth story, With a Little Love and Luck, Ben and Annie are engaged.

Many other WW characters also make an appearance now and then.

Jed and Abbey Bartlet live on the farm in Manchester

Elizabeth and Doug Westin live in the Manchester area, Gus is currently a sophmore at Notre Dame

Ellie is a doctor and lives in Baltimore. She has an unnamed boyfriend.

Annie Westin is a lawyer and lives in Baltimore

Charlie and Zoey are married with 7 year old twins, Eddie and Sophie, and in Port of Indecision, Zoey gave birth to Henry Joshua Young. I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned where they live or what they do.

Leo lives in Cape Cod, happily retired.

Margaret still lives in DC

Toby, Andi and the twins live in New York City

CJ was married to Roger, who turned out to be a jerk. She has a 12 year old daughter, Sydney. As of With a Little Love and Luck, she is dating Danny Concannon, who is the father of an adorable red headed son named, DJ.

Sam lives in California, he never married

Matt Skinner is still a member of Congress and he and Josh still get together for lunch once in a while.

John Hoynes is the President of the United States

Other random characters who appear once in a while, either in the actual story or in passing are: Jill Connors, the family physician, Henry Walters, Josh’s cardiologist, Chris, the Bartlet’s handyman/driver and Janie who is Jake’s “little girlfriend”, Tom, Josh’s therapist and a few assorted kids in the neighborhood.

The stories are basically about everyday life in the Lyman family, the good, the bad and the ugly. There is the always popular angst filled medical crisis, the day to day adventures of two young boys, the struggle to put the past behind and look towards the future as well as an assortment of appearances by our favorite Bartlet staffers. Having two kids of my own, I draw on the experiences of my own family as well as the lives of my friends, although they don’t know that I do that.

New story coming soon---Heart and Soul

FAQ

Since the beginning of this series a few years ago, people have from time
to time asked some questions about the characters, the "universe" and some of
the choices I've made, so here are a few questions and answers.

Are Jake and Jessie based on anyone you know?

~~Jake and Jessie are, essentially, my own kids. Although my kids are
girls, they are the same age and have pretty much the same personalities as
Jake and Jessie. My older daughter is prone to be selfish once in a while and pick
on her younger sister who is sensitive and worships the ground her father
walks on.

Where did the names Jake and Jessie come from?

~~My youngest daughter was going to be Jacob if she had turned out to be a
boy. And Jessie, I can honestly say I have no idea where that name came from.
As for their middle names, Leo and Samuel, I think you can figure out where
they came from.

Is Ben based on anyone in particular?

~~Honestly, Ben wasn't based on anyone when I first created the character.
I barely had an idea in my mind of what he looked like. A few months ago I
was sitting in class and I looked over at my friend and it hit me, without
being aware of it, I had based Ben on my friend Rocky.

Why did Jed lose the election in 2002?

~~That was sort of a spur of the moment decision back when I first started
the series. I guess part of me didn't want to have to incorporate much of the
actual show into my stories. I also wanted to have Josh and Donna marry and
have kids before Josh was 50 and I didn't want to marry them off when they
still worked at the White House.

How come Sam never married?

~~Complete laziness on my part. Just didn't have it in me to write a wife
or girlfriend for him.

Do you have any medical background?

~~As I've said many times, I have no medical background other than a deep
respect for it and a love of research. I just enjoy incorporating medical
situations into my stories. Maybe I should have been a doctor after all.

Why do you make Josh so vulnerable?

~~Believe me, I ask myself that question each time I write a story in this
series. I guess it's because I think that deep down Josh is very vulnerable
and that side of him isn't explored enough in the show. Besides, who doesn't
love a little Josh-angst?

Why do Josh and Donna live in Bethesda?

~~Because I passed through it on my way home from DC one time and I thought
it looked nice. No other reason than that and they have a Metro stop for
Josh to use, since he doesn't drive.

How can you make the practical sound interesting?

~~I wasn't sure how to take that question so I emailed the person who asked
to look for a bit more of an explanation. Figured out that instead of
practical, "ordinary" was more of the word she was looking for. I think
ordinary, everyday things in life can be interesting. A lot of the everyday things I
write in this series are things that have happened to me, my family, my
friends etc. (My older daughter took a baseball in the eye at a family party
recently.) I tend to stay away from large, intricate plots because I don't
think I would do them justice. So I guess I "write what I know".

I'm sure there are other questions people have asked me but that's all I can
think of at the moment. If you have any questions, just ask.

~~~Ginny