The Tick Tock Man by R.M. Clark
Publication Date: May 2, 2017
Publisher: Month9Books/Tantrum Books
Publication Date: May 2, 2017
Publisher: Month9Books/Tantrum Books
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When the clocks in town stop, thirteen-year-old CJ discovers an unusual “clock world” where most of the citizens are clock parts, tasked with keeping the big clocks running. But soon the seemingly peaceful world is divided between warring factions with CJ instructed to find the only person who can help: the elusive Tick Tock Man.
With the aid of Fuzee, a partly-human girl, he battles gear-headed extremists and razor-sharp pendulums in order to restore order before this world of chimes, springs, and clock people dissolves into a massive time warp, taking CJ’s quiet New England town with it.
Author Post about the world building in his book
My previous five publications were mysteries, so the world-building needed for The Tick Tock Man was something I had to develop on the fly. The main character, CJ, is the storyteller, so the reader sees the new world unfolding as CJ does. The challenge was to build this new world slowly through short peeks. CJ goes in, then quickly comes back. For most young teens, that would be enough to scare them away for good. CJ is different. He knows his power is growing. He knows something is terribly wrong in the “other world.” Still, he’s only subject to a small portion of the world called The Sequence, a circular catwalk that connects all the great clocks in town. The structure is surrounded by mist and fog, so that keeps it mysterious.
Eventually, CJ meets Fuzee, a clock world citizen who is also part human. She knows her way around and eventually shows CJ the rest of her world, called Furtwangen. She acts as his guide as he tries to figure out why all the great clocks in town have stopped. Once inside the new world, the world-building task became easier. The citizens are clock parts and CJ easily assimilates himself into their world. With his newfound powers, they work together to end the conflict. By the end of the story, he is comfortable in either world.
Excerpt
