Story Details
Categories Science Fiction SteamPunk
Other than the materials from which it was made, every detail mimicked a human heart. The shape, the size, even wires running like vessels along the surface. It served no true function for Oscar, merely providing the sound of a heartbeat. A sound muffled to all but the most attuned ears, such as my own.
Author Details
Kat Heckenbach is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Tampa with a B.S. in Biology. She spent several years teaching, but never in a traditional classroom, and then homeschooled her son and daughter while writing and making art. Now that both kids have graduated, she spends her free time being entertained by her 80 lb. boxer mix. She is the author of YA fantasy series Toch Island Chronicles and urban fantasy Relent, as well as dozens of fantasy, science fiction, and horror short stories in magazines and anthologies. She paints, draws, and makes mixed media art with fantasy, sci-fi, and steampunk themes. Enter her world at www.katheckenbach.com. About the piece: The Clock-Work Heart is one of those stories that popped into my head pretty much fully formed--of course the core was already there in The Tell-Tale Heart, but almost every other aspect fell into place immediately. And there just seemed something natural about a Steampunk retelling of Poe's story. A heartbeat, the ticking of a clock--both sounds are normally comforting. I also very much enjoy stories that are totally honed in, with only a couple of characters, or sometimes only one, and a moment of decision. And again, Scot, thank you so much for your suggestions! I'm very much looking forward to seeing A Clock-Work Heart in DreamForge.
Illustrator Details
Jane is the Founder of Chroma Marketing Essentials, a digital marketing agency located in Jeannette PA. She holds a degree in Visual Communications from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and more years of experience than she cares to count. Before founding CME, Jane worked as an Artist, Art Lead, Art Director, and Project Manager for the computer game developer DreamForge Intertainment, where she worked on a number of early computer games, including Roger Zelazny’s Chronomaster. Jane, a lifetime fan of science-fiction and fantasy, has joined her husband Scot in forming DreamForge Magazine.
The Clockwork Heart, by Kat Heckenbach
Author Details
Kat Heckenbach is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Tampa with a B.S. in Biology. She spent several years teaching, but never in a traditional classroom, and then homeschooled her son and daughter while writing and making art. Now that both kids have graduated, she spends her free time being entertained by her 80 lb. boxer mix. She is the author of YA fantasy series Toch Island Chronicles and urban fantasy Relent, as well as dozens of fantasy, science fiction, and horror short stories in magazines and anthologies. She paints, draws, and makes mixed media art with fantasy, sci-fi, and steampunk themes. Enter her world at www.katheckenbach.com. About the piece: The Clock-Work Heart is one of those stories that popped into my head pretty much fully formed--of course the core was already there in The Tell-Tale Heart, but almost every other aspect fell into place immediately. And there just seemed something natural about a Steampunk retelling of Poe's story. A heartbeat, the ticking of a clock--both sounds are normally comforting. I also very much enjoy stories that are totally honed in, with only a couple of characters, or sometimes only one, and a moment of decision. And again, Scot, thank you so much for your suggestions! I'm very much looking forward to seeing A Clock-Work Heart in DreamForge.
Illustrator Details
Jane is the Founder of Chroma Marketing Essentials, a digital marketing agency located in Jeannette PA. She holds a degree in Visual Communications from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and more years of experience than she cares to count. Before founding CME, Jane worked as an Artist, Art Lead, Art Director, and Project Manager for the computer game developer DreamForge Intertainment, where she worked on a number of early computer games, including Roger Zelazny’s Chronomaster. Jane, a lifetime fan of science-fiction and fantasy, has joined her husband Scot in forming DreamForge Magazine.