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****Kelsey Clifton’s A DAY OUT OF TIME is #133 in the
never-ending series called INSIDE THE
EMOTION OF FICTION where the Chris
Rice Cooper Blog (CRC) focuses on one specific excerpt from a fiction
genre and how that fiction writer wrote that specific excerpt. All INSIDE
THE EMOTION OF FICTION links are at the end of this piece.
Name of fiction work?
And were there other names you considered that you would like to share with us?
A Day Out
of Time. I actually considered a few different titles for this book,
because I always intended that to be the name of the series itself. The working
title was Dinosaurs in New York, but
I also toyed with Trial By Fire
before a friend pointed out that A Day
Out of Time would work really well all on its own.
Has this been published? And it is totally fine if the answer is no. If yes, what publisher and what publication
Has this been published? And it is totally fine if the answer is no. If yes, what publisher and what publication
date?
After several years of querying agents for different projects, I
chose to self-publish A Day Out of Time
on August 26, 2018.What is the date you began writing this piece of fiction and the date when you completely finished the piece of fiction?
Oh boy. I think I officially started it for NaNoWriMo (National
Novel Writing Month) (https://nanowrimo.org/) back in November of 2014. As for
the official completion date, probably two days before it was due to be
released. I tinkered with it until the very end.
This book was written, edited, and then edited again while I was
living in Florence, Italy. I liked to work in various spots around the city,
but my favorite was a café in my neighborhood called Volume.
What were your writing habits while writing this work- did you drink something
as you wrote, listen to music, write in pen and paper, directly on laptop;
specific time of day?
Mid-morning to early afternoon is when I do most of my writing,
and I would usually work on A Day Out of
Time in a local café with a cappuccino beside me. Music is such an integral
part of my process that every story, including this one, has its own special
playlist. As for writing instruments, I primarily used my laptop, but if I was
feeling stuck, I would switch to longhand for a day or two.
The
New Kid snuck a few looks at Nikolaj's retreating back before turning his
attention to the box. It was about as long as a loaf of bread, and made of some
fragrant wood that had been darkened by time. For having been locked away for a
hundred years, it was in excellent condition. The iron hinges weren't even
rusty.
Closing
the door behind him, he undid the clasps and opened the lid, revealing a stack
of about a dozen tri-folded letters tied up with purple ribbon. They were
creamy with quality rather than buttery with age, and pleasant against the
sensitive ridges of his fingers. He unwrapped the first of them and let his
eyes fall on the graceful salutation.
Dearest
Kevin,
I
remember everything.
The
New Kid folded the letter closed as a sudden spike of realization lodged itself
in his brain. It burned and dug in, growing hooks. There was no question as to
who these letters had come from, just as there was no question that she had
probably been dead for half of a century.
He
read them all, pausing only to get a spare roll of tissue from the bathroom.
They told the story of a few rich years spent in London, of the scandal that
came out when her crocus tattoo was revealed, and of the only man who would
agree to marry her with such a thing hanging over her head. His name was James
Bordeaux, he was a captain in Her Majesty's Royal Navy, and he was the kindest
man she had ever met. He too had a tattoo: A sea serpent that curled around his
leg. They sailed the world together, and made each other ludicrously happy.
They
had two daughters, Charlotte and Anna. The oldest, Charlotte, was the spitting
image of her gentle, serious father, and Anna was the fulfillment of every
parent's wish that their difficult child would some day give birth to one just
like them. She was vivacious and bright, and frogs were her favorite thing in
the entire world. There was even one cupped in her hands the day that she
collapsed suddenly in the family's little garden, allowing it to hop away to
freedom. The town's doctor diagnosed her with tuberculosis, and in the early
days of 1913 she passed away with a soft sigh. She was nine years old.
Unable
to stay in the newly quiet house, the family moved to New York at the beginning
of spring and stayed until the end of the following summer. Elaine
Bordeaux—formerly Miss Elaine Penrose—promised to brave the madness of the Day
Out of Time so that she could find the Dogs of that age and ask them to keep
these letters for him. It is strange, she wrote, to think that I have
spent all these years missing someone whose parents are not yet born! What an
odd, wonderful life we lead.
There
were thirteen letters in all. By the end of the second, the burning spike in
his head had burrowed down the back of his neck and into his chest. It twisted
in a friendly way, becoming intimately familiar with the contours of his
breaking heart.
Not
caring about the pile of spent tissue beside him, or the hot marbles behind his
eyes, the New Kid picked up the first letter and read it again.
Dearest
Kevin,
I
remember everything. That first and last glorious view of the skyline, the
horseless cars, Romain the lovesick French soldier! I remember all of it. But
most importantly, I remember all of you. Even when I am a hundred years old and
have seen a hundred thousand things, I shall never want to forget you.
I
wrote down as much as I could once Mattie tucked in for the night. I must have
looked positively mad, scribbling away as I did! But I didn't want one single
thing to fade from my memory. Imagine how it felt this morning, when I woke up
and I could recall your face as if you were standing before me. It was like
being born and realizing that you remembered the miracle of Heaven.
I
want you to know what this has meant to me. When my heart is broken, and I feel
as if I can't get past it, I will always know that things can get better. I
will hold hope for the future deep in my soul where nothing can hurt it, and it
will see me through my darkest times.
Soon
enough I will be someone's wife, and I suppose that I will have to fade a bit
so as not to overshadow my husband. But for today—for this Day—I was truly
spectacular. I will never be the same, and it is all your fault.
Thank
you.
Love,
Elaine
Why is this scene/excerpt so emotional for you to write? And can you describe your own emotional experience of writing this specific scene/excerpt?
This scene was particularly emotional for me because it’s the
last contact between two people who became very dear friends over the course of
a Day. Not only will they never see each other again, they will never even exist at the same time. It’s also
emotional because when they parted, no one was sure if Elaine would remember
anything about the Day because of a specific plot point. So the discovery that
she not only remembered him, but took the time to write out a partial account
of her life just mends and then breaks his heart all over again.
My experience writing this scene was almost as difficult as the
New Kid’s, because I had to dig deep into his feelings in order to properly
convey them. This is the first person that he’s confided in since he was a
child, and one of the few people to tell him that his sensitivity and
compassion are just as important as his teammate’s aggression and competence.
When I write scenes like this, I wrap myself entirely in the characters. I put
the right music on; sometimes I even act out little bits so I can be in the
right mindset to tell the story as truthfully as possible.
X
X
Were there any deletions from this scene/excerpt that you can share with us? And can you please include a photo of your marked up rough drafts of this excerpt.
I think the only deletions were additional details about Elaine’s
life, particularly the death of her youngest daughter. In the end, some things
had to be sacrificed for the sake of clarity and emotional punch.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a marked-up draft because I wrote and edited it on
my laptop.
Other works you have published?
After/Effects, which is
the companion/sequel to A Day Out of Time.
I consider it both a companion and a sequel because it does follow the events
of the first book, but the focus is on a new set of previously secondary
characters.
Anything you would like to add?
Anything you would like to add?
I’m working on several projects right now, including the third
and final Day Out of Time book (set
for a spring release) and a standalone swords & sorcery novel called Fire and Lightning, Ash and Stone that I
hope to release in early December. It’s like a snarkier version of Patricia C.
Wrede’s Enchanted Forest Chronicles.
Kelsey
Clifton is a science fiction and fantasy writer who hoards books the
way dragons hoard gold (seriously, it’s becoming a problem). She lives in
Houston, Texas with the bossy cat from her websites and too many succulents. A Day
Out of Time is her debut novel.
Twitter:
@kelsey_writes_
Instagram:
@kelsey_writes
Facebook.com/kelseycliftonauthor
Tumblr:
sassypandacandy
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A DAY OUT OF TIME
