London Clarke shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning London, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What is a normal day like for you right now?
A normal day for me right now is juggling writing, editing, and taking care of the day-to-day. Although writing novels is my favorite part of my work, I’m also an editor, a wife, and a dog mom. Recently, it seems like I’m meeting myself coming and going. I get up early, take care of the dogs, and then I try to squeeze some writing in before I start my editing work. In the afternoon, I return to writing. In between, I’m feeding dogs, walking dogs, and trying to make sure everyone else in the household is taken care of as well.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I mainly write horror/supernatural thriller novels, but recently, I’ve branched out into contemporary fiction with a bit of romance. In October, I will have a new series coming out called Songs for the Lost. These books will feature flawed and broken characters, romances with obstacles, and settings in Savannah, the Lowcountry, and the Sea Islands. However, I plan to continue writing my scary stories as well. In the next year, I’ll be working on a new series of haunted house fiction.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
When I was in middle school, I was a kid with very little confidence. We had recently moved to a new area, and I had no friends; I was also horribly shy. I had a seventh-grade teacher who truly believed in my ability to craft stories. That year, I wrote a story about my grandparents and how they had met and married during World War II. She tried to help me publish that story, and she constantly encouraged me to keep writing and pursue my talent. I credit Ms. Forsythe for my early passion for creative writing–one that endured into adulthood.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
No. I never gave up on becoming a writer. Somehow, deep down inside me, I knew that one day I would be published. As it turned out, the industry changed, allowing many of us who might not have had that shot of making it happen for ourselves to create, publish, and market our work. That shift from thinking I would take a traditional route to realizing I would need to make it happen for myself took a lot of work, discipline, and determination, but I never considered giving up.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What’s a belief you used to hold tightly but now think was naive or wrong?
I used to believe that to truly be a successful writer, one had to follow the traditional route. I beat my head against a wall for years, trying to make a profit while leaving my work in the hands of small presses. I also thought I could never market myself. Once I realized I could do it myself, it completely freed me up to write what I wanted and to market my own work to interested readers.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
This is definitely what I was born to do. Growing up, I was told to find a good job at a large corporation, make a lot of money, and retire at sixty-five. After doing a little bit of that in my twenties, then spending a miserable fifteen years as a teacher, I found that paving my own path, finding a job that allowed me to use my talents of writing, editing, and self-motivation, was what I was truly created to do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.londonclarke.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/londonclarkeauthor/
- Twitter: @londonclarke2
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LondonClarkeAuthor/
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