Out of Time, Out of Place
Dicing Time for Gladness doesn’t just involve anachronisms or use anachronisms to drive the plot; is a story entirely about anachronisms. Although based (rather loosely) on an actual historical period in America, it remains, at its core, fantasy. Dicing Time for Gladness asks the question: what if the autogiro (called the “helixpteron” by Victoria) and – more outrageously – a practical, working gas-turbine engine had been conceived and constructed just before the turn of the century . . . and by a woman, no less? (In real life, the autogiro was invented by Juan de la Cierva in 1923. Steam-powered turbine engines had been around for hundreds of years, but they did not become a feasible means of propulsion until the 1930s, using jet fuel.)
What happens when technology arrives too soon, before society is ready to accept it? What happens when a woman comes into the fullness of her own powers in an age dominated by men? What happens when an unwelcome, threatening outsider is the source of vital innovation? What if Nikola Tesla had been a woman? What if Glenn Curtiss had been a woman? We know today that whether you have two X chromosomes or one X and one Y has nothing whatsoever to do with how good your ideas are. In 19th-century America, however, this was not yet widely believed. Females who stepped outside of accepted gender roles were subject to scorn and ridicule – or worse. These questions provide the author with fertile fields to cultivate.
Side note: the airship – a mainstay of Victorian science fiction – did already exist in 1899, although the Purblind Doomster was far more technically sophisticated and far more lavishly appointed than real airships of the day, which were still relatively primitive. Victoria’s ship presages the great zeppelins, the first of which was launched in 1900, and which would reach their greatest glory in the 1930s.
In general, I tried to strike a reasonable balance between period accuracy and keeping the narrative tight and brisk; I included real historical details only where I felt it was important to establish a tone. When a conflict existed between factual accuracy and plot continuity, I always prioritized the story. Chicago in 1899 is intended to function only as a broad context for the narrative. I made no effort to be meticulous about minutiae. If I had wanted to write a piece of academically rigorous non-fiction, I would have, but this is not that book. I took extravagant liberties wherever it suited me as an author or served to advance the action. It’s a rich compound of legitimate research and my favorite writing technique: Just Making Stuff Up.
That having been said, I’m pleased with the way the era permeates and resonates through the story. I’m having fun working on the second book in the series, Crass Casualty. Although only a few months have passed, the mood and spirit of France in 1900 is very different, and the contrast gives me a lot of rich and interesting background elements to play with as an author.
What happens when technology arrives too soon, before society is ready to accept it? What happens when a woman comes into the fullness of her own powers in an age dominated by men? What happens when an unwelcome, threatening outsider is the source of vital innovation? What if Nikola Tesla had been a woman? What if Glenn Curtiss had been a woman? We know today that whether you have two X chromosomes or one X and one Y has nothing whatsoever to do with how good your ideas are. In 19th-century America, however, this was not yet widely believed. Females who stepped outside of accepted gender roles were subject to scorn and ridicule – or worse. These questions provide the author with fertile fields to cultivate.
Side note: the airship – a mainstay of Victorian science fiction – did already exist in 1899, although the Purblind Doomster was far more technically sophisticated and far more lavishly appointed than real airships of the day, which were still relatively primitive. Victoria’s ship presages the great zeppelins, the first of which was launched in 1900, and which would reach their greatest glory in the 1930s.
In general, I tried to strike a reasonable balance between period accuracy and keeping the narrative tight and brisk; I included real historical details only where I felt it was important to establish a tone. When a conflict existed between factual accuracy and plot continuity, I always prioritized the story. Chicago in 1899 is intended to function only as a broad context for the narrative. I made no effort to be meticulous about minutiae. If I had wanted to write a piece of academically rigorous non-fiction, I would have, but this is not that book. I took extravagant liberties wherever it suited me as an author or served to advance the action. It’s a rich compound of legitimate research and my favorite writing technique: Just Making Stuff Up.
That having been said, I’m pleased with the way the era permeates and resonates through the story. I’m having fun working on the second book in the series, Crass Casualty. Although only a few months have passed, the mood and spirit of France in 1900 is very different, and the contrast gives me a lot of rich and interesting background elements to play with as an author.
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Upside-down, Inside-out, and Backwards
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