Sunday, February 16, 2020

#133 Inside the Emotion of Fiction "A Day Out of Time" by Kelsey Clifton



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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 
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.

Where did you do most of your writing for this fiction work? And please describe in detail. And can you please include a photo?
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.

What scene/excerpt of the book was the most emotional for you to write? This scene/excerpt can be as short or as long as you prefer.
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

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?
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

INSIDE THE EMOTION OF FICTION links

001   11 15 2018 Nathaniel Kaine’s
Thriller Novel
John Hunter – The Veteran

002   11 18 2018 Ed Protzzel’s
Futuristic/Mystery/Thriller
The Antiquities Dealer 

003   11 23 2018 Janice Seagraves’s
Science Fiction Romance
Exodus Arcon

004   11 29 2018 Christian Fennell’s
Literary Fiction Novel
The Fiddler in the Night

005  12 02 2018 Jessica Mathews’s
Adult Paranormal Romance
Death Adjacent

006  12 04 2018 Robin Jansen’s
Literary Fiction Novel
Ruby the Indomitable

007  12 12 2018  Adair Valerez’s
Literary Fiction Novel
Scrim

008  12 17 218 Kit Frazier’s
Mystery Novel
Dead Copy

009 12 21 2019 Robert Craven’s
Noir/Spy Novel
The Road of a Thousand Tigers

010 01 13 2019 Kristine Goodfellow’s
Contemporary Romantic Fiction
The Other Twin

011 01 17 2019 Nancy J Cohen’s
Cozy Mystery
Trimmed To Death

012 01 20 2019 Charles Salzberg’s
Crime Novel
Second Story Man

013 01 23 2019 Alexis Fancher’s
Flash Fiction
His Full Attention

014 01 27 2019 Brian L Tucker’s
Young Adult/Historical
POKEWEED:  AN ILLUSTRATED NOVELLA

015 01 31 2019 Robin Tidwell’s
Dystopian
Reduced

016 02 07 2019 J.D. Trafford’s
Legal Fiction/Mystery
Little Boy Lost

017 02 08 2019 Paula Shene’s
Young Adult ScieFi/Fantasy/Romance/Adventure
My Quest Begins 

018 02 13 2019 Talia Carner’s
Mainstream Fiction/ Suspense/ Historical
Hotel Moscow

019 02 15 2019 Rick Robinson’s
Multidimensional Fiction
Alligator Alley

020 02 21 2019 LaVerne Thompson’s
Urban Fantasy
The Soul Collectors

021 02 27 2019 Marlon L Fick’s
Post-Colonialist Novel
The Nowhere Man

022 03 02 2019 Carol Johnson’s
Mainstream Novel
Silk And Ashes

023 03 06 2019 Samuel Snoek-Brown’s
Short Story Collection
There Is No Other Way to Worship Them

024 03 08 2019 Marlin Barton’s
Short Story Collection
Pasture Art

025 03 18 2019 Laura Hunter’s
Historical Fiction
Beloved Mother

026 03 21 2019 Maggie Rivers’s
Romance
Magical Mistletoe

027  03 25 2019 Faith Gibson’s
Paranormal Romance
Rafael

028 03 27 2019 Valerie Nieman’s
Tall Tale
To The Bones

029 04 04 2019 Betty Bolte’s
Paranormal Romance
Veiled Visions of Love

030 04 05 2019  Marianne Maili’s
Tragicomedy
Lucy, go see

031 04 10 2019 Gregory Erich Phillips’s
Mainstream Fiction
The Exile


032 04 15 2019 Jason Ament’s
Speculative Fiction
Rabid Dogs

033 04 24 2019 Stephen P. Keirnan’s
Historical Novel
The Baker’s Secret

034 05 01 2019 George Kramer’s
Fantasy
Arcadis: Prophecy Book

035 05 05 2019 Erika Sams’s
Adventure/Fantasy/Romance
Rose of Dance

036 05 07 2019 Mark Wisniewski’s
Literary Fiction
Watch Me Go

037 05 08 2019 Marci Baun’s
Science Fiction/Horror
The Whispering House

038 05 10 2019 Suzanne M. Wolfe’s
Historical Fiction
Murder By Any Name

039 05 12 2019 Edward DeVito’s
Historical/Fantasy
The Woodstock Paradox

040 05 14 2019 Gytha Lodge’s
Literary/Crime
She Lies In Wait

041 05 16 2019 Kari Bovee’s
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Peccadillo At The Palace:  An Annie Oakley Mystery

042 05 20 2019 Annie Seaton’s
Time Travel Romance
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043 05 22 2019 Paula Rose Michelson’s
Inspirational Christian Romance
Rosa & Miguel – Love’s Legacy: Prequel to The Naomi
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044 05 24 2019 Gracie C McKeever’s
BDMS/Interracial Romance
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045 06 03 2019 Micheal Maxwell’s
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046 06 04 2019 Jeanne Mackin’s
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Coco Chanel

047 06 07 2019 Philip Shirley’s
Suspense/Thriller
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050 06 18 2019 Charles Salzberg’s
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#062 07 12 2918 Vic Sizemore’s
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BITTER WATER

#066 08 01 2019 Sabine Chennault’s
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#067 08 02 2019 Margaret Porter’s
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BEAUTIFUL INVENTION:  A NOVEL OF HEDY LAMARR

#068 08 04 2019 Hank Phillippi Ryan’s
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069 08 08 2019 Diana Y. Paul’s
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070 08 10 2019 Phyllis H. Moore’s
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071 08 11 2019 Sara Dahmen’s
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072  08 19 2019 Carolyn Breckinridge’s
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073 08 21 2019 Alison Ragsdale’s
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074  08 22 2019 Lee Matthew Goldberg’s
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076 09 02 2019 Chera Hammons Miller’s
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077 09 09 019 Joe William Taylor’s
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078 09 15 2019 Linda Hughes’s
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079 09 19 2019 Max Elliot Anderson’s
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080 09 22 2019 Danny Adams’s
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081 09 24 2019 Arianna Dagnino’s
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082 09 29 2019 Lawrence Verigin’s
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083  10 05 2019 Emma Khoury’s
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#084 10 07 2019 Steve McManus’s
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#085 10 08 2019 Sheila Lowe’s
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#086 10 10 2019 Jess Neal Woods’s
Historical Fiction
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#087 10 11 2019 Karen Odden’s
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#88 10 14 2019 Kate Maruyama’s
Love, Loss & Supernatural
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#89 10 17 2019 Sherry Harris’s
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#90 10 18 2019 Linda Mooney’s
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#91 10 19 2019 Jayne Martin’s
Flash Fiction Short Story Collection
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#92 10 22 2019 Janice Cole Hopkins’s
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“IT ALL STARTED AT THE MASQUERADE”

#93 10 29 2019 Kristi Petersen Schoonover’s
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#94 11 01 2019 David Henry Sterry’s
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#95 11 03 2019 Jay Requard’s
Dark Fantasy/Horror
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#96 11 04 2019 Caroline Leavitt’s
Fiction
“WITH OR WITHOUT YOU”

#97 11 06 2019 Kelsey Clifton’s
Science Fiction
“A DAY OUT OF TIME”

#098 11 13 2019 John F Allen’s
Urban Fantasy Tale


#99 11 16 2019 Damian McNicholl’s
Historical Novel
“The Moment of Truth”

#100 11 19 2019 Stacia Levy’s
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“Girl Crush”

#101 11 24 2019 Charlotte Morgan’s
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#102 11 26 2019 T. L. Moore’s
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#103 11 27 2019 Jeanne McWilliams Blasberg’s
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#104 11 29 2019 Charlotte Blackwell’s
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#105 12 07 2019 Mike Burrell’s
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#106 12 09 2019 Phil McCarron’s
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“Escapement”

#107 12 11 2019 Wendy H. Jones’s
Crime Fiction/Police Procedural Novel
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#108 12 13 2019 Sandra Arnold’s
Historical Literary Fiction
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#109 12 16 2019 Amalia Carosella’s
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#110 12 19 2019 Laura Bickle’s
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#111 12 27 2019 Brian Pinkerton’s
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“THE GEMINI EXPERIMENT”

#112  12 28 2019 Sandra de Helen’s
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“TILL DARKNESS COMES”


#113 12 29 2019 Jo Wilde’s
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#114 12 30 2019 Sam Richard’s
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“To Wallow In Ash and Sorrows”


#115 12 31 2019 Duncan B Barlow’s
Literary Fiction Novel
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#116 01 02 2020 Allison Landa’s
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#117 01 03 2020 Pablo Medina’s

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#118 01 06 2020 William Trent Pancoast’s
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#119 01 07 2020 Jane Bernstein’s
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#120 01 09 2020 Terry Kroenung’s
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#121 01 12 2020 Melissa Yi’s
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#122 01 15 2020 Marcie R. Rendon’s
Crime Thriller
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#123 01 16 2020 Tori Eldridge’s
Multi Genre Novel
“THE NINJA DAUGHTER”

#124 01 17 2020 Kristen Joy Wilks’s
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#125 01 20 2020 Susan C. Shea’s
Cozy Mystery
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#126  01 22 2020 Phong Nguyen’s
Improvisational Fiction
“ROUDABOUT”


#127 01 23 2020 Kate Thornton’s
Mystery Short Story In Its Entirety
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#128 01 24 2020 Phil McCarron’s
Semi Fictional Essays
“The Great Facepalm: The Farce of 21st Century
Normality”


#129  01 27 2020 Kenneth Weene’s
Historicized Literary Fiction
“Red And White”

#130 01 28 2020 Graham Storrs’s
Science Fiction Thriller
“TimeSplash”

#131 02 08 2020 Angela Slatter’s
Short Story “Terrible As An Army With Banners”
From her Short Story Collection THE BITTERWOOD BIBLE AND OTHER RECOUNTINGS

#132 02 11 2020 Joan Joachim’s
Romance
Just One Kiss

#133 02 16 2020 Kelsey Clifton’s
Science Fiction
A DAY OUT OF TIME