The First Wednesday's Here!

Thanks Alex J. Cavanaugh

Optional Question: What do you love about the genre you in most often?

The awesome co-hosts for the February 7 posting of the IWSG are Stephen Tremp, Pat Garcia,Angela Wooldridge, Victoria Marie Lees, and Madeline Mora-Summonte!

Please stop by and say to them.

And come by TickTock's Facebook Page. We'd love to see you there.

http://cleemckenziebooks.com

The question today is perfect for this post on the new Tick Tock blog. I usually write contemporary/realistic fiction or when I'm writing for younger readers, I love fantasy/adventure. I'm comfortable in each of those categories. 

Writing about modern day youth--their problems, their triumphs--takes me both backward and forward in time. What I've discovered is that a lot has changed in the teen world since I dwelled there, but the underlying universal issues are the same: Love. Loss. Insecurity (this seems to lurk everywhere). One mistake after another. Emotional highs and lows at every turn. Buckets of angst. And sometimes death before a teen is prepared to cope with it. There are no end of themes, so I love writing these stories, and I aim them at the young adult/crossover level, so a lot of my readers said goodbye to their teens a while ago.

When I need a break from reality, I love to write for middle grade readers who want to jump into fantasy and adventure. It's fun for me to imagine impossible events that a twelve-year-old might be a part of: time travel, ghostly encounters, or a journey though the backside of a computer game. 

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Well, now that I've told you about my usual writing, let me introduce you to my short story in Tick Tock, A Stitch in Crime. It's called Heartless, and it's obviously not either a young adult or a middle grade piece of fiction. I found that I enjoyed creating a story with detectives, crimes, and murders for a bit. 

I set Heartless in Chicago in 1871 because that's when The Great Fire destroyed 300 lives,18,000 buildings and left 100,000 residents homeless. I also wanted to explore the Victorian period with its strict social codes. I loved how macabre it was to have someone murdering young girls in a time when an unmarried couple couldn’t travel in a closed carriage together and the word “leg” was not permissible in polite conversation--"limb" seems to have passed the moral litmus test though. 

The challenge I had in writing Heartless, was keeping the tone of the period without making it too stiff for a modern reader. Remember, I'm deep into the teen and middle years language. I had none of that to rely on. I guess reviewers will tell me if I succeeded. 

Here's how Heartless begins:  

October 6,1871 

Journal Entry

A swath of pale pink paint across her cheekbones and her face glowed with vitality. Her eyes glistened in the light of my workroom. Even now, as I write this, I roll my head to ease the strain across my shoulders. Months of intense labor and still the final touches remain undone.

I can’t believe I began a new project tonight as well. I didn’t plan to, but I couldn’t resist. She was unexpectedly accessible and a perfect match for my needs. So, in spite of being exhausted, I had to clean the knife before returning it to the tool chest, then wash every surface until all of the dark fluids drained into the hole at the center of the sloped floor. I hadn’t needed the metal pot tonight, so at least I didn’t have that to manage. 

My last chore was to check the ice storage to be sure all was in order there. I’m smiling just recalling that moment.

Tonight, I spent hours longer than I planned, and I’d have been late to the dinner if I hadn’t pulled myself away immediately. So very hard to do. When I’m not quite finished, I hate to leave.

With great reluctance, I drew a soft blanket around her shoulders. Before dousing the light and pulling the door behind me, I glanced back. I’m eager to dress her in the gown, and I must restore her hair straight away. It looks so alluring curled around the nape of her neck. 

I’ve named her Alexandra.

***

The End...No, just kidding. I hope you'll get your copy of Tick Tock, A Stitch In Crime. You can pre-order and copies will be available May 1. Add it to your TBR list on Goodreads! Join us on Facebook. 

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