Wastepaper Prose : Guest Post: Twins in literature & real life with C.J. Hill

Friday, October 12, 2012

Guest Post: Twins in literature & real life with C.J. Hill

Erasing Time has two sets of identical twins. Sheridan and Taylor are 18-year-old girls from the 21st century who are brought to the 25th century by scientists who are looking for a famous physics genius. Echo is a historian wordsmith from the 25th century whose twin brother Joseph was just killed by a mob-like group called the Dakine. Sheridan and Echo hit it off right away partially because they both know what it’s like to have a twin.

People love twins. We love seeing them in stories, but we also love seeing them in real life. I have a set of boy-girl twins and when they were babies I couldn’t take them anywhere without people coming up to look at them and to tell me that they wanted twins. This comment astounded me. I always wanted to say, “What part of having twins appeals to you—the sleepless nights, the constant crying, or giving birth to babies who had the combined weight of a small pony?”

But there is something precious and special about twins. I know it’s a cliché, but there’s a bond between them. Here’s an entry from my journal when my twins had just turned four. I’ve changed their names to Dinah and Moe to protect their identities.

The twins just had their 4-year-old well check. They were more than happy to chat with the doctor while he asked them all of those developmental questions to make sure they’re on track. When the doctor asked Dinah to count to five, the twins both counted in simultaneous rhythm to twelve. I wondered how much they were depending on each other to get the right answers, but the doctor seemed satisfied that they knew their numbers.

The sight test was a bit of problem. While Dinah was supposed to be reading the eye chart, Moe kept telling her the answers. “It’s a star, Dinah,” he’d call out if she hesitated too long.

And Dinah wasn’t any better when it was Moe turn to read the eye chart—except that she tried to whisper the answer into his ear.

They were separated for the hearing test, and while we waited for Dinah to get done, the nurse gave Moe his shots. He screamed as though he’d been viciously attacked, and when it was all over, he sobbed in my arms and told me, “I don’t want Dinah to get her shots.”

I tried to explain that Dinah needed to get her shots to keep her healthy, and added that I was taking them both to McDonalds after we were done at the doctors, but Moe would have none of it. When Dinah came in a few moments later, he flung an arm around her and sobbed, “I want to go home now. Don’t give Dinah her shots.”

Dinah who has always been a bright child, didn’t need any more commentary on the situation and immediately burst into tears. She also tried to hide behind my chair.

When the nurse came in with the shots, I stood up and tried to put Dinah on the table but Moe had his own ideas. He hung onto her in a bear hug, and the two stood rooted in the middle of the office, wailing, while the nurse and I attempted to pry them apart.

Finally another nurse came in (by this time the twins were so noisy that every able bodied adult and curious child was poking their head into the room) and we managed to pull them apart. I stayed with Dinah to get her shots while one of the nurses carried Moe, still crying, out of the room. I could hear his “Don’t give Dinah her shots!” screamed all the way down the hallway.

Dinah howled as she got her shots, then continued to howl until she met up with her brother again in the waiting room. Then they howled in concert while I paid the bill, took them to the car, and for the entire drive to McDonalds. They encouraged each other, I’m sure, to scream louder and more indignantly, and they would probably still be screaming if I hadn’t told them that they couldn’t go into McDonalds if they weren’t quiet.

Once there, they ate French fries, picked at their cheeseburgers, downed an ice cream cone each, and played on the playground for nearly two hours.

On the way back across the parking lot Dinah told me, “You’re right, Mommy. Going to McDonalds did make me feel better.” Then she casually shared the last of the French fries with Moe, and they walked hand in hand to van.

Back to present day me now. If you’ve never had children before, this story might not amaze you, but it did amaze me because my other two older children would have probably fought to the death rather than share their French fries. Twins definitely are special.

Erasing Time by C.J. Hill

In this high-action and romantic futuristic adventure, there is no escape from the future for two contemporary girls pulled out of their own time.

When twins Sheridan and Taylor wake up 400 years in the future, they find a changed world: domed cities, no animals, and a language that’s so different, it barely sounds like English. And the worst news: They can’t go back home.

The twenty-fifth-century government transported the girls to their city hoping to find a famous scientist to help perfect a devastating new weapon. The moblike Dakine fights against the government, and somehow Taylor and Sheridan find themselves in the middle. The only way to elude them all is to trust Echo, a guy with secrets of his own. The trio must put their faith in the unknown to make a harrowing escape into the wilds beyond the city.

Full of adrenaline-injected chases and heartbreaking confessions, Erasing Time explores the strength of the bonds between twins, the risks and rewards of trust, and the hard road to finding the courage to fight for what you believe in.

About the Author

C. J. Hill is the mother of twins. They aren't identical, but this doesn't mean she always calls them by the right name. In fact, she occasionally calls all her children by the wrong names (she has five) and has even been known to throw the dog's name into the mix. Laugh now, but you'll do the same thing when you have kids.

If C. J. had a time machine and could visit another century, she would probably go to the Regency era instead of the future. According to all the novels she's read, the past was filled with a multitude of dashing lords and viscounts who were always on the lookout for damsels in distress, whereas the future is populated by scary dystopian societies.

Where to find her...
Website / Goodreads

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