Author Interview: Samantha Clarke

It's been a busy couple of months in the book world, peeps!

Part of it is getting to meet new authors just about every day! There are indie authors, and traditional authors, and every genre you can imagine! It's a pleasure, every single time I meet one!

Today's blog is an interview with Samantha Clarke: a lovely, young author who has writing coursing through her veins!

So, let's get to it...ladies and gents...Samantha Clarke!

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I was probably twelve or thirteen, it was my freshman year of high school.


How long does it take you to write a book?

I’ve only published one book so far, but after I sat down and became serious about finishing it I was in the final stages of editing after four months.

What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
On days that I’m able to I will write for an hour or two in the morning, go about my day and then write for another hour or so before going to bed.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I write everything down in a notebook, including backstories, world building etc. before I type anything out.

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?
From reading or from the world around me.

When did you write your first book and how old were you?
As I mentioned I recently just published my first book, but the first book I have ever written I was the last part ninth grade, so I was probably thirteen at the time.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?
I like to read a lot but between school, work and writing I don’t get to read very much at all.

What does your family think of your writing?
My partner and their family is a lot more supportive than my own. The only people in my family that are supportive are one of my cousins, my mother and her parents. The rest of my family doesn’t take my writing very seriously at all.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
I pay very little attention to grammar when I’m ‘in the zone’. It took me ages to edit my book and finish all of my grammatical errors.

How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
I’ve written three, but only one has been published. I don’t plan on publishing the other two, as they were written when I was much younger.

Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so, what are they?
Since I’m still learning the tools of the trade, I feel like I need advice more than I would be able to give it.

Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
I’ve heard from a couple. They’ve all asked me when my second book is coming out and have told me that they can’t wait to read it.

Do you like to create books for adults?
Yes, however my target audience is young adults.

What do you think makes a good story?
Good world building and consistency.

As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
When I was very young I wanted to be a teacher and own a farm.

Thank you, Samantha!

If you'd like to find out more about Samantha, visit her here:

Website

Facebook

Amazon Author Page

Winging It

Today I'm just gonna write.

Right here.

Right now.

Writing.

I'll see where it takes me.

Where I end up.

What is my brain thinking about?

So many thoughts swirl through at once.

I glimpse a piece of something...

Then it's gone.

What was that?

Writing.

It's Labor Day.

Do I need to blog about it?

I think not.

Not that I've read anyone else's,

But I don't want to write about that.

Right now.

Right here.

Writing.

I'm hot and muggy.

Sweating for no reason.

I've wiped my brow more times than I can count.

I'm just sitting.

Writing.

Did I really just write about the weather? 

Oh man.

I guess I did.

But that's how it is...

Right here.

Right now.

Winging it.

Coming Out of the Low

It’s the light at the end of the tunnel

The sun creaking over the horizon

Climbing out of the deep, dark hole.

Waking up.

I snap myself out of the long, low I've been in for the last several days.

Ideas run wild in my head.

There is the catching up on household chores.

More ideas.

Desires.

I want to do things.

I like to do things.

I will do things!

I wish I could feel this way all the time.

Accomplishing on a regular basis.

Feel good every day.

Hormones have other plans for me.

They like to pull me up and drop me down.

I am at their will.

I do their bidding.

They silently rule the universe.

I wonder if they get a kick out of it?

Do they know at all, the power they possess?

Do they enjoy the toying with my body and mind?

I hope they at least appreciate my obedience.

Smile with me

Cry with me

Join me.

For now, I am coming out of the low.

I am on my way back up.

On my way to my favorite time.

Which makes this a good feeling.

Knowing what is coming is good.

Out of the low.

Late Night Chats

Flop on the bed

Lights are dim

It’s late

The boys off to dreamland.

Late night talking with my daughter.

My one and only girl.

So much feeling!

So much love!

So much chatting!

Friends

Foes

Loves

Losses

Pasts

Presents

And futures.

School

Summer

Plans

Tears

Spirits

Laughter

Love

So much love!

These are the moments

The times

I will never forget.

Even if there comes a day

That I don’t remember.

That love will never leave me.

From the Front Door

From the front door I see the lake.

It's large, obvious, and beautiful.

I see the sun shining down on everything in its path.

I feel like I just entered a new world,

One which is peaceful, wonderful, alive.

It sends a shiver down my spine, despite the heat of the day.

The grass, trees and bushes are lush green,

And flowers show themselves like tiny dots of color all around.

There are other colors too...

Childrens' chairs, and water toys,

Flags and bathing suits,

Kayaks and boats and other floaty things.

Making a most amazing rainbow across the ground.

I want to just ride it to the water,

Leave my troubles behind.

Question everything.

Question nothing.

Go where everything is new and fresh and good.

Then I remember...

I am already here.

More of My Favorite Things

It happens.

I completely forgot to blog yesterday.

I am amazed I made it this far into blogging, before I forgot.

I tend to forget things easily.

Especially if life gets in the way.

Which happens a lot in the summer.

Summer is life.

It can get in the way all it likes.

It gets in the way, and I am glad.

Glad for the sun, the warmth, the greenery all around.

Glad for the lake, the cool, beautiful, fresh water.

Glad to sit by the water and catch up with family, friends and good books.

Loving fresh, locally grown produce.

Loving the many celebrations of life and love throughout the summer time.

Loving watching my children grow up next to their cousins, as I grew up next to mine.

I even love making sure there is time to do everything we want to do in the summer!

What do you look forward to in summer time?

What things do you love about summer?

I love life, so I love summer.

Summer is life.

Personal Week: Yep, I’m Still Fat, But…

Trying for the past 15 weeks to get into shape has been rough. It’s no longer the go outside and walk, walking more and faster every week. No. I’m in my 40’s now, and that just didn’t happen like it used to. It’s been a slow, tiring progress, but a progress nonetheless.

Through these 15 weeks, I've had many sore spots, many back tracks, with lots of ice and chiropractic to help me walk on.

Walking.

Just walking.

People do it every day. Then, why is it so hard?

Oh, right, because I’m fat.

Walking every week day, or at least most of them, my daily reminders that I am fat are louder than ever. Yes, I get at least one daily reminder that I am fat. Something happens, usually I run into something with my wide self, or move a certain way that hurts, or simply, my fat gets in my way. It could be any of dozens of different things that can happen on any given day. You can usually hear me simply say out loud, “Yes, I know I’m fat,” in reply. It always boggles my mind when I meet someone fat, who doesn’t realize they are so, or in denial about it, or whatever. I get at least one daily reminder a day, don’t they?

My shins screamed at me to the point of wanting to quit after the first few weeks, despite the stretching. A new pair of sneakers, and some terrific advice from friends helped that immensely. I waited the usual 4 to 6 weeks to see some improvement, to feel stronger, more limber, to be able to walk further for longer.

There really wasn't much to see.

I am a patient person, so I waited another few weeks. I know that being in my 40’s, and out of shape, things are going to take longer than ever.

I looked for the little things. Can I stretch a bit further? Yes. Good. Can I get through the walk with less pain? Yes. 

Good.

Keep going.

10 weeks came and I felt pretty good. I was still tired, when I was finished, but I recovered well, and could go about my day without feeling drained.

Good.

Keep going.

Here I am on week 15. It’s been a long process, but I can take a longer walk in the same amount of time, and I’ve added some crunches and push ups to my workout routine. Even those have increased. Finally! Some noticeable progress!

Keep going!

Up to this point, I haven’t expected significant weight loss, or to look smaller or better. I do feel better, and that’s a great start. I love it when my muscles respond to my moving without moaning and groaning about it. When I want to get up and do something, I don’t have to mentally prepare for pain. It’s dwindling, and that feels good. I want to get up and do things much more, now that it’s not so hard.

Good!

At this point, I look forward to walking on week days. I love the music on my ipod, and I got some new shorts to walk in, so I truly look forward to it. I’ve also noticed that I look better. I am only down about 5 pounds on the scale, but I know that I have built muscle too, so there is more than 5 pounds of fat that has gone. I can see it myself in the mirror, because I am looking for it. I haven’t heard anyone else tell me they’ve noticed, but I know that I am usually the first to do so. I’ve been down this road many times before. I am patient. I know it will come eventually. It’s not the reason I’ve chosen to do this, but it’s a nice perk.

Keep going.

I’ve decided to walk to be healthier. Losing fat is a side effect of healthy living. Walking has brought many things in my life to a better point. I am grateful that I can do it any time I choose. That my body will still move and respond in a positive way, even though I have spent many years avoiding taking very good care of it. I want to keep walking as a part of my health care routine. It’s not a weight loss thing, it’s a health thing. It is as good for my mind as it is for my body.

Good.

Keep going.

Me? A Writer?

I don’t really consider myself a writer, but I write. Back in school I wrote notes to almost every friend I ever had at some point. I was the queen of notes. I had stories with some friends, and we’d go back and forth with notes, adding to the story. Some notes got carried away. Far, far away. Eventually I learned that not everything needs to be written down. Some things really are better left unpenned.

I never thought of myself as a writer, but I write. Often in college, I thought it would be nice to write a book about my childhood. I had a really wonderful, blissful childhood. There were no major traumas or hardships. I was really spoiled in being a child. I had no complaints about it, and I thought it might make a great modern day Laura Ingalls story. I never did get around to doing it. To me, writing a book, a whole book myself, sounded out of reach. Sounded like something smart, older people do. Not me.

When people ask me, “What do you do?” I never say, “I’m a writer,” but I write. The first time I got pregnant, I kept a detailed journal of thoughts and feelings throughout. I was so excited to start this journey of parenthood. I was thrilled to write in my baby’s book, and record every first she had in her first year. As more babies came, the writing was less, simply from being busy. It was still meaningful to me to do it, to let the other two know about themselves in their babydom.

When my first child learned to read and write, she knew she wanted to be a writer, not me, but I write. I watched her love for books and the written word grow further than I ever could imagine. I knew, in my heart, she would be a great author one day. When she was small, and bed times were a bit rough, I used to think of ways to ease her little, creative, over worried mind. I used to tell her I loved her no matter where I was. Even if I went to the moon, I would still love her. I thought I’d make a children’s book about it. I even wrote it out and sketched some very rough drawings for it. But I didn't know how to go about publishing it, or getting someone to publish it (pre self publishing days). So it didn't happen.

As a parent, I became a good storyteller. Children love to hear stories, whether from books, or made up from their heads or yours, or stories about when you were little yourself. I never thought to write any of them down, to be a writer, but I write. I have vivid dreams from time to time. Sometimes I like to tell them to someone when I wake up. One time I told my husband and daughter about a strange, science fictiony dream I had, that stuck in my mind. My daughter told me I should write it down. I said I would, and found an old school composition book, and wrote down the dream. As I wrote, I didn't think of myself as a writer, but only a recorder of the dream. I wanted to share it, so I wanted to make sure I recorded it in as much detail as I could remember. I enjoyed it. Of course, when my daughter read it, she thought I was a goddess. She told me to make it into a story. She asked if she could make it into one, but she was already working on about four of her own. I already had an idea for it anyway.

I started to write my story. I wrote fiendishly sometimes, where other times I would go months without touching it. It kept calling to me, bringing me back. My daughter read new material every time I finished some. She loved it, and encouraged me to keep going. About three and a half years later, I had a story, a book, a novel. I am still learning about how to prepare it for publishing, but I am excited to share it soon. I feel more like a recorder, than a writer, but I write. I hope that you all enjoy it as much as I do.

Sunsets

I have a thing for sunsets. I mean, I really dig them. I love them. They are a magical feast for my eyes.

I grew up spending summers on a lake. We were on the east side, which meant we got to see sunsets every time there was one. Now, perhaps it’s because of this exposure to them that I love them so much. But you would think that seeing them nearly every day, I would take them for granted.

No.

Not even close.

I adore them.

When I was a teenager, I went out to the end of the dock and watched them. I was so enthralled, they took me away to their magical, fiery world. The clouds welcomed me into their realm, always happy, always smiling. I traveled there, among the clouds, and watched the brilliant, ever changing color show in awe.

Now that I am older, with a family of my own, I sometimes miss the opportunity to enjoy a sunset like that. I try to make time for it. It never disappoints.

The moment between dusk and dark is an amazing thing to see.

It is an event.

To see darkness creeping slowly, steadily up onto the blue sky is like nothing else I have ever watched. Yet it happens every day. It happens whether we watch it or not.

But I highly recommend watching it.

Get outside and trip out on a sunset. You won’t regret it.

My Sweet Valentines

My earliest remembrance of Valentine’s Day we called it St. Valentine’s Day. Yes, we celebrate this holiday because of a Saint. The school day was filled with making cute heart shapes, cutting and pasting. Home was filled the week before with papers of all sorts, old and new, paper doilies, lace and ribbons.

My dad used to make wonderful, ornate old fashioned Valentines for my mom every year. He would let us kids make our own as well. There were so many beautiful things to make a Valentine with! It’s one of my favorite memories of the holiday!

We also looked forward to getting a heart shaped box with chocolates in it from our parents. It was so fun to see how special the boxes looked every year. Some of them I saved and used them to put earrings in or some other small items of my childhood.

As I got older, Valentine’s Day took on new meaning of romance. There were endless possibilities and hope for love. I was such a romantic back then!

Eventually, I would receive beautiful gifts from my one true love every Valentine’s Day. He started with a teddy bear; white with a red bow. I slept with that bear for years, until it was matted with snuggly love.

There was jewelry, ah yes! Jewelry! One of my favorite desires! There was a gold shell on a gold chain, simple but beautiful. Then there was a gold heart, because that’s what he really wanted to give me the year before. There were earrings, and a bracelet with my birth stone. Oh to be wooed with such treasures!

My favorite of these treasures from my Valentine was my diamond ring. It was 21 years ago today that he asked me to be his wife. Since then, Valentine’s Day will be forever in my heart in a way that I cannot explain. This holiday meant to remember love changed my life forever, and I have loved it more ever since.

These days, I look forward to Valentine’s Day with my family; my Valentine and our three children. Every year I try to find something special for them, along with something sweet. I still hold up the tradition of picking out heart shaped boxes when I find ones I like.

Sometimes it’s the little things that make a special time for all of us. Valentine’s Day lends itself to lots and lots of little things that can make that time very special to someone indeed.

What to do?

Whenever I have a lot of time to myself, I can’t help but think all kinds of different things. Sometimes I think of things I’d actually like to write down and keep track of, or simply share with others. The problem with doing that is that usually when I think of these random things, I am busy doing something else; driving in the car, taking a shower, cooking a meal, shopping for groceries. I can’t always get to a pen and paper to write down what I was just thinking.

Sometimes if I think it’s important enough that I want to share, I try very hard to bring it into my conscious mind to remember and write it somewhere, usually on facebook. Other times I’ll tell someone who is nearby, usually a family member; my daughter, one of my sons, or my husband.

But sometimes I don’t think it would be appropriate or interesting to share with a certain person or certain people. When I think that, then I usually don’t share it in any way, especially over the internet. Then, before very long at all, it is gone.