Do you have the uncanny ability of always knowing exactly what time it is? Then today’s Issue 049 author interview is for you! Read on as Emmie Christie shares her inspirations for “The Time Speaker.”
LSQ: “The Time Speaker” takes a mundane superpower and turns it into something completely mystical! Where did the idea for this story come from?
Emmie: I asked some of my friends what superpower they would have, considering their natural abilities and what they’re already good at. My friend Katie responded that she can usually tell what time it is without looking at the clock. As I was jotting that idea down, the concept of time itself being a language came to me, and I knew that’s what my character’s “superpower” would be.
LSQ: This story could have taken a more sinister Final Destination-type route, but instead time helps Katie in avoiding tragedy. Why did you decide to go for a gentler tale?
Emmie: At first I wasn’t sure if the mysterious entity Katie heard was malicious – which would have given the story a horror tilt – but I I ended up liking how Katie could help someone prevent death before a person’s time. She had to wait to translate each word according to the nature of time itself, and through that waiting, the one speaking to her felt to me like they had had good intentions and was trying to help others across the cosmos, sort of like a Morse code from an extra-planar being.
LSQ: If you could be a time speaker, would you? Why or why not?
Emmie: Absolutely I would! I wouldn’t have to tell anyone. I could just say things like, “Oh, how have you been feeling lately? Had your yearly check-up?” I would subtly remind others to take care of their health. I think I could get away with it, too, because my husband is a nurse, and I could just say I developed the habit of staying mindful from him.
LSQ: Are you working on any other writing projects at the moment? If so, could you tell us a bit about them?
Emmie: Last week I finished the rough draft of my debut fantasy romance novel and I couldn’t be more excited! The story follows a fox-person who can portal between six different worlds, and her mission to cultivate their fading magic, all while avoiding a giant entity seemingly intent on eating her. I am in the stage of developmental edits right now, and hope to be querying within the next few months to find an agent.