A Moment In Time

 

 

A Moment In Time

by Martin Dukes

YA Fantasy

Alex Trueman has just turned fifteen. He's a typical teenager, a bit spotty, a bit nerdy and he's not exactly popular at school, not being one of the 'cool' kids. His tendency to day-dream doesn't exactly help him to be cool. either! But being cool isn't as good as the talent Alex discovers he has - stopping time.

Yes that's right. Stopping time!

Well, for everyone except Alex, that is, who finds that whilst everyone else is caught in a moment in time, he is able to carry on as normal. Maybe not quite 'normal', after all, he's able to stop time, and whilst that's not exactly as good as a certain 'boy wizard', it's pretty close!

The only trouble is that reality for Alex isn't always what is seems, and being plunged into an alternative can be a bit tricky, not to mention the fact that he makes an enemy almost as soon as he arrives, which tends to cause a problem.

Will Alex Trueman, nerdy daydreamer, be able to return to reality or will he be stuck forever in his alternative? Is a moment in time enough for Alex to discover the superhero he needs is probably himself?

A Moment in Time is the debut novel of author Martin Dukes, and is the first in a series of Alex Trueman Chronicles, which take the reader, along with Alex, into a bedazzling world of time travel, alternative reality and flying sea creatures. His further adventures include the past, possibly the future and definitely a fight to save reality itself.

Excerpt:

“What on earth are you doing?” rang Alex’s mum’s voice from behind him, and then “Oh!” as she took in the scene of the accident. The two girls were led past Alex. He gaped. There was something so familiar about that girl, and as she passed their eyes met. There were tears in hers – anguish, shock – and then as she passed by a glimmer of recognition. Alex almost called out, but what was there to say? Then she was gone, her head turned away once more as the crowd swallowed her up. His mum was scolding him, grabbing at his arm, but Alex hardly heard. He remained frozen, watching until the two girls vanished inside the police station. Then he allowed himself to be drawn away back towards the High Street, letting his mum’s complaints wash over him.

“… out of your pocket money,” she was saying. “Great clumsy clot. And running off like that. What on earth did you think you were doing?”

A stranger appeared at Alex’s side, a young man with a struggling goatee beard and a kindly face. He wore an ill-fitting suit. Before Alex could react, the stranger had taken his hand and pressed something into it. Alex glanced down. It was a page torn from a jotter with a name and a telephone number scrawled upon it. Alex looked up.

“Come on,” called his mum impatiently from up ahead.

But the young man had gone. Alex glanced wildly up and down the street. He looked at the paper again. ‘Kelly’ was the name.

About the Author

I’ve always been a writer. It’s not a choice. It’s a compulsion, and I’ve been writing as long as I can remember. Lots of childish scribbles in notebooks, lots of rejection slips from publishers and agents testify to a craft long in the making. In addition, it has proved necessary to earn a living by other means whilst those vital skills mature. For thirty-eight years I taught Art and Graphic Design, thirty-seven of them in a wonderful independent girls’ school in Birmingham, UK. For much of the latter part of this career I was Head of Department, which gave me the opportunity to place my own stamp on Art education there, sharing with the pupils there my own love of Art and the History of Art. Over a decade I was able to lead annual visits to Florence, Venice and Rome (some of my favourite places on the planet) as destinations on my Renaissance Tour. These visits created memories that I shall cherish for the rest of my life.

I love history in general, reading history as much as I read fiction. I have a particular interest in the ancient world but I am also fascinated with medieval times and with European history in general. This interest informs my own writing to the extent that human relationships and motivations are a constant throughout the millennia, and there is scarcely a story that could be conceived of that has not already played itself out in some historical context. There is much to learn from observing and understanding such things, much that can be usefully applied to my own work.

Teaching tends to be a rather time-consuming activity. Since retiring, I have been able to devote much more of my time to writing, and being taken on by the brilliant Jane Murray of Provoco Publishing has meant that I am finally able to bring my work to the reading public’s attention. I like to think that my ideas are original and that they do not readily fall into existing tropes and categories.

I am not a particularly physical being. I was always terrible at sport and have rather poor physical coordination (as though my body were organised by a committee rather than a single guiding intelligence!). I tend to treat my body as a conveyance for my head, which is where I really dwell. My writing typically derives from dreams. There is a sweet spot between sleeping and waking which is where my ideas originate. I always develop my stories there. When I am writing it feels as though the content of my dreams becomes real through the agency of my fingers on the keyboard. I love the English language, the rich majesty of its vocabulary and its rhythmic possibilities. My arrival at this stage could hardly be describes as precocious. However, at the age of sixty-two, I feel that I have arrived at a place where I can create work of value that others may appreciate and enjoy. 

Q&A With The Author

When did you first consider yourself to be a writer?

I have always wanted to be a writer, ever since I was child. My mother encouraged me to write poems and copied them down in a little notebook. I read very widely as a child. When I was in my UK primary school (1st-5th grade, for you in the USA) I quickly finished the books everyone else in my class was reading. Because of this I was given the liberty to choose my own books from the bookshelf, which I thought a great and prestigious privilege! This interest in books, and my fascination with words inspired me to want to write my own. I think this was partly due to a genuine desire to create something new and partly because I wanted my friends and classmates to enjoy what I had written. Those twin motivations remain with me. My first serious effort was written when I was twelve and was catchily entitled ‘The adventures of George and his friends.’ I wrote it out long hand in a hard backed notebook and illustrated it myself with felt-tipped pen. I still have it. It reminds me of the long road I have walked on the way to eventual publication, a mere fifty years later!

What advice do you have for a new writer?

Perseverance is a vital quality in an aspiring writer, because, unless you are very lucky, you will face numerous setbacks. Getting your first book actually written is a vital first hurdle. There were times when it seemed to me that taking a story and navigating its complexities from outset to conclusion was a herculean task. Once you get the first one committed to paper, (or to a Word document!) it gets easier. You know that you can do it, and the next one will probably seem less of a challenge. It’s vital that you should enjoy writing for its own sake. If it feels like a chore to you, you may be setting yourself up for disappointment. In addition, it may well be that you are the only person who ever reads your work. If you’re not ok with that, it may be that you should be doing something else. Fifty years elapsed between the writing of my first book and the first one being published in the traditional manner. You may need to be very resilient and very patient. Having approached many literary agents over the years, I have a drawer full of printed rejection slips and an email folder full of their digital equivalents. It is essential that you believe in yourself. You must believe that you have written work of value and that others will enjoy reading it too. The writing itself is only the first part of the adventure. Bringing it to the attention of others, and relentless persistence in so doing, is what will eventually bring you success.

What is the easiest part of the writing process for you?

The easiest part is actually sitting down in front of my computer and letting the words flow out through my fingertips. That is literally what it feels like. When I’m writing, it feels that I’m opening a channel to a deeper part of me that knows just what to say and how to express it. It’s hard to rationalize this. Perhaps it’s an instinctive understanding of words and expression that has grown in me through the many years of reading that have been amongst my greatest pleasure over the years. I’m sure that many other writers have the same experience. It doesn’t feel like a learned skill at all. It feels like a deeply instinctive thing. Planning things out and thinking things through represent a much greater challenge. I often have to devote considerable time and thought to working out plot-lines and the deeper structure of my books. Once this essential framework is in place, the actual writing is a real pleasure. 

What is your favorite part of this story?

My favorite part of the story is the conclusion, when the leading characters are tested to breaking point by the crisis that they face and are engaged in a race against time to escape from the world they are trapped in. Another part is the beginning, when Alex begins to explore the potential of the extraordinary ability he finds he has been endowed with. I like to think that any of us, equipped with such an ability, would likewise find wonderful possibilities for its exploitation. When I’m writing, I am creating scenarios in which to place and test the characters I have invented. It’s a little like the way I used to play with toys as a child. Then too, I used to enact stories with my toys, in environments constructed in my bedroom. Thinking of this reminds me of Andy, in Toy Story, who likewise made up stories that involved the characters that were available to him. As in Toy Story, it’s interesting to see that the characters I invent develop a ‘life’ of their own, speaking and acting according to the nature I have prescribed for them.

Which Character was the most fun to write about? Why?

Alex Trueman himself was definitely the most fun to write about. There’s something autobiographical about this character. I like to imagine myself back in my fifteen-year old self and think about how my school days could have worked out, if had been in possession of the amazing power that Alex is endowed with. Whatever situation faces us in life, it’s interesting to think whether we might have acted differently if we had our time again. Writing gives us the chance to revisit old circumstances and create new ones, so that we can say the things we never thought to say at the time and do the things that we couldn’t do just then. Writing sometimes gives us the chance to be the person we might have been rather than the person we are. Although Alex Trueman isn’t actually meant to be me, he has given me the chance to re-live episodes in my life and re-cast them accordingly.

Which Character was the hardest to write about? Why?

I think Ganymede was quite a hard character to write, since he is rather a complex person. He acts in a manner that is harsh and tyrannical, although he can advance strong arguments to condone some of his conduct. He is also fundamentally dishonest and devious, desperate to hold on to his position and prepared to take extraordinary measures to defend it. He has quite a tragic back-story, which may do something to explain, if not excuse, his conduct. However, the true nature of his past does not come to light in this episode in Alex’s adventures. I think it’s quite hard to write about characters you don’t like, because you need to be conscious of creating a rounded individual, and if you’re not careful you can end up creating a caricature. 

https://provoco-publishing.com/martin-dukes

Twitter - @MartinDukes5

www.mdukes-wildestdreams.com

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