Things That Make Me Smile No.66: Clam Clocks and The Steamship Chronicles

I’m sure they had a fancy name back in the day when they were all the rage, but I always called them clam clocks because of the way they close down within their shells for travel. These little beauties were all that kept my parents on time when they were on the road before every hotel came with a clock radio and smart phones offered customizable alarm clocks.
Clam clocks
While this one is red, my memories are all of tan clam clocks, though I know at least some of them are about the same clock come to my workshop more than once.

The shell helps, but clam clocks took a beating as they were tossed in an overnight bag or carry-on, wound tight at the last minute, and quite probably punched a time or two to make it stop (at least I would have done so being a strong abuser of the snooze button).

When they stopped working, my parents would hand them off to me to play with. I’m sure they were stunned and amazed when I returned the first one in running order, brushing away any stray parts I couldn’t fit back in when they weren’t looking.

I couldn’t fix every one, but sometimes a bent gear could be straightened, a sprung coil rewound, or a screw tightened or loosened to bring the clam clock back to life.

It wasn’t really my workshop. Just a tool bench in the basement, but well worth braving the troll under the stairs to see what mysteries hid under that shell.

I’d forgotten about those years when I was somewhere between 10 and 16 until I sat down to sign a copy of Secrets (The Steamship Chronicles, Book One) for my parents. Something clicked and I realized Samantha Crill was a magical version of myself down in that workshop.

I come into my tinkering honestly, though I don’t have much time for it now except within my stories. Both my grandfathers had a connection to mechanical devices. I have memories of visiting one grandfather’s basement workshop (his was a real workshop) and staring in awe at the working carousel he’d built for my mother. My sharpest memory of my other grandfather is when he showed me a case filled with music machines designed for dolls or music boxes, and I wondered at the way metal strips ticking off protrusions could produce a song.

So, anyway, my parents and older sister like to go yardsaling. One recent outing found this gem, which they got for me. I don’t know whether to be happy or sad it’s in working order, but I’m delighted to have something to connect me to that time in my past…and to connect me to Sam. I wonder what she would hear if she held this clock. What dreams are hidden beneath its red shell?

Safe Haven, the prequel to The Steamship Chronicles (a steampunk adventure), was just rereleased with a new cover and a new look. Blue Harvest Creative, the company responsible for the beautiful changes, gives you a glimpse of every aspect in their Announcement, including my lovely new logo.

The prequel tells the sweet romance between Lily, who works in a bakery while protecting Sam from unjust laws, and Henry, a police officer dedicated to helping the people. They struggle to find happiness in a Victorian England peppered with new-fangled steam-driven machinery that only emphasizes the difference between the haves and the have nots.

Then meet Sam and her new friend Nathaniel Bowden in The Steamship Chronicles, which begin with Secrets as Sam strikes out on her own eight years later to find a place where her talents are not cause to be locked up forever. Their adventures continue in Threats.

How about you? Are you a tinkerer as well? How does your curiosity manifest?

This entry was posted in Art, Music, Crafts, etc., News, Smiles. Bookmark the permalink.

2 Responses to Things That Make Me Smile No.66: Clam Clocks and The Steamship Chronicles

  1. Erin says:

    I always thought they were called “travel alarm clocks.” 🙂 Very mundane, I know!

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