If you could make a theme park, what would it be like?

Historytown, the setting of my novel Titanic Voyage, is inspired by the persistent rumors of a theme park being built in or near Eloy, Arizona. It features several different “villages” representing various eras of history, complete with roller coasters, rides, etc. for each.

When I was in college in Tucson, I’d often take a shuttle up to Phoenix on weekends or on school breaks, and my generous dad would almost always make the round trip to take me back to school.

Every drive, we passed a strange area by the freeway that promised a theme park was coming. It was basically dirt, but it had these weird pink and turquoise cages set up on poles, almost like they belonged to a skyway. I love theme parks, and it was fun to dream of what would be built there.

Nothing’s gone up yet.

This article from the Casa Grande Dispatch, dating to 2019, explains several past pipe dreams of theme parks in the area and references a potential park in Casa Grande. But that was 2019, and I’m not aware of any progress, so who knows if anything will ever be built there.

Why did I envision Titanic in the desert? Why not? My mind is a very weird place. Initially, the Titanic Voyage ride was supposed to be a walk-through/explorable simulation of the Titanic (including during a sinking!). Eventually, it became something more like the Haunted Mansion or the dear, departed Horizons. And initially, it was meant to be successful, until I told a coworker about my novel and she said, “That’s a stupid idea.” That hurt. But I think it was more interesting (and probably more realistic) to make Historytown a struggling theme park instead of a successful one.

Funny enough, almost from the very start, the novel was linked to my father, and I’m wondering if those long commutes inspired me to use his stories.

Titanic Voyage is available now, and I’d be honored if you’d check it out. You can also visit Historytown on Twitter.