The Truth About An Author's Life - Katie Clark

                                        

     “What happened to your twenty books you had published?” someone once teased me (all in good fun).

     “Yeah, I wish,” was my response.

     Don’t you wish you could just be able to sit down and put out a book a month? Or maybe even every three months? Not trying to be cynical, yet it seems the stereotypical idea of an author’s life is the ability to just sit in front of a computer, or even a typewriter, and let the creativity flow unhindered. Yeah, that’d be really sweet, but unfortunately for us, life gets in the way. The author helping sort out the fact and fiction with this idea is Dystopian Author Katie Clark.

1)      Tell us a little about yourself. What genre(s) do you write?

Hi Leah! Thanks for having me. I write in lots of genres, including speculative fiction for young adults, romantic comedies for adults, and children’s books. My favorites are the speculative fiction novels (that’s anything “weird” for those who don’t know :) ).

2)      Out of all the careers, why did you pick writing? What drew you to it?

Writing started when I was just a child. I can remember writing my first short story when I was seven years old! As a career? I never expected it to become that, but God had other plans. I’m so glad He did!

3)       Do you have a ‘day’ job?

I volunteer every morning at my church as the secretary. Other than that (and being a mom and a housewife) no other job besides my writing. However, I make that a full-time venture by doing ghostwriting, article writing, and editing for various clients—in addition to my novel writing.

4)      Did you ever once consider that writing might interfere with your family time, personal life or even your other job?

Oh, sure! There are times I’m so engrossed in a story that I have to force myself to step away because my kids have asked for lunch three times :).

                                             

When I became an author, I thought that cranking out books would be no problem; the money would start coming in right away and getting book signings and promotions would be a snap. You know kind of how it’s portrayed on television and the movies. However, life hasn’t let me live up to those expectations. 

5)      What do you think is the truth about an author’s life? Is it as easy as portrayed on screen?

Yes and no? Writing can be so much fun! It’s amazing to open a new contract. It’s amazing to hear someone say they love your work. It’s amazing to get a shiny new idea that you just know is going to be a hit. But it’s NOT amazing when people assume you have tons of free time. When they assume you are rolling in the dough (when you haven’t earned a single penny from book sales yet), or when they assume your life is rosy and you don’t have problems. Everyone has problems, you know?

6)      Have you developed a technique for juggling life, family and writing? And how long did it take you to master this skill? 

I do have a routine, and it didn’t take me long to get in the swing of using it. But I’m bent toward schedules and doing things “the same way”, so it’s actually easy for me to stick to my routine. I work at my church until lunch each day. After lunch I work on anything I have a deadline for, or anything I’m actually being paid for, and then I write a new chapter in my latest novel.

7)      Are there any secrets you’d like to share for other writers who need help juggling life and writing?

Sit down and write, whenever you can. You just have to show up. Whether it’s for ten minutes, or an hour, or whatever. You can’t write it if you don’t “show up” to the paper. Sometimes I write on a notepad while my kids play at the park. Sometimes I jot notes at church (ahem, confession time). Sometimes I have an hour to myself to just type!

8)      And last but not least, can you let us in on what your next book is going to be about and when can we expect it to be available for purchase?

Yes! My next book is called Shadowed Eden, and it’s a supernatural story for young adults (and the adults who like young adult novels!). You can preorder it now, and if you do you will receive a free ecopy of Vanquished, book 1 in my dystopian Enslaved Series. The details are in the description of the book trailer on YouTube, which can be found here: I hope you'll watch and enjoy the trailer. My publisher did an amazing job! 



 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGl3i7ZhJLs&feature=youtu.be   

Wow, amazing job indeed. Thank you so much for your time, Katie and keep on taking those notes. As usual, be sure to do two things 1) Check out Katie’s Enslaved series and 2) Check back tomorrow for another interview with our fourth author.