Today. wonderful author Lucinda E. Clarke is the featured author. Keep reading to find out more about her and her terrific books.
Tell us a little bit about you. Where are you from? What kind of books do you write? How many books have you written? Do you set your stories in the area you live in?
I usually say I was born in Dublin, dragged up in the Cotswolds and finished off in Liverpool UK. I’ve lived in 8 different countries, in a one bed flat, a mansion and on a boat – I’ve been a millionairess and deeply in debt. I have to admit I’ve had an amazing life.
I write in 3 genres, memoir (3 books), humour (1 book) and action/adventure/thriller (4 books). It’s doubtful I’ll write any more memoirs, I’ve covered the highlights and frankly I wrote two of them so I could re-read them in the old age home and re-discover myself. I shall concentrate on the adventure books hoping that vogue will come back into fashion one day.
Since I’ve spent most of my life in Africa, it’s the backdrop for all my books. “While you leave Africa, Africa will never leave you,” is my strap line. I can sit here in my little rabbit hutch in Spain overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and travel back to the land I love – wow, that’s so lyrical isn’t it? But I’m still homesick for the wide open spaces, the drumbeats beneath my feet and the feeling of total alertness. OK, I’ll stop rambling, but Africa is an amazing backdrop for stories.
Most writers I know are voracious readers. What kind of books do you like to read? What’s your favorite book?
I’m not sure I have a favourite book, I generally read at least 3 a week, and review the majority (I’m good like that). I like spy stories – my main heroine Amie is now a spy – and epics and thrillers, for example The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and authors like Jeffrey Archer, Robin Cook, Daniel Silva, Sidney Sheldon, Lynda La Plante, John Grisham, V.C. Andrews, David Baldacci, authors we’ve all heard of – but sadly the world has not heard of Lucinda E Clarke yet – and you may insert a heartfelt sigh here.
When I was writing for a living, I had to do lots of research, lots of complicated boring stuff I then turned into simple, humorous film scripts, so in my spare time, I grabbed light, exciting and entertaining books that did not tax my 300 remaining brain cells. I am now down to about 2 brain cells and these are struggling to survive.
Let’s play a quick game of “This or That”.
Real books or e-books? E-books easier to hold, keep my place and I can read in bed with the lights off.
Coffee or tea? Coffee, then more coffee and even more coffee – I drink it cool and make 2 mugs at a time to save time.
Sweet or savory? Sweet = chocolate – by the truck load.
Dogs or cats? Dogs – I used to breed Cairn terriers.
Summer or winter? Summer – I go into a decline in winter and hate any temps below 20C.
Morning or night? I like early morning, but do my best work at night.
Would you mind telling us about your writing style? Such as: Do have a routine? Do you need complete silence or blaring music? Early morning writing or late night writing?
Since we live in this little rabbit hutch I have to consider Dear Husband (he shuns publicity). I write frenetically at the dining room table, which happens to be the only table, when he goes out, in complete silence – bliss! I am also learning to write with my laptop on my knees while he watches TV in the evenings.
Do you have a favorite “writing” snack?
Chocolate biscuits.
Which do you think is the hardest to write: the first sentence or the last one?
The last one, When we were filming I was always looking for the final emotive shot, but I’ve always got the first paragraph in my head when I start a new book.
What is your biggest distraction while writing?
I’m afraid it’s DH, though I love him to bits. We’re still in the training stage. He’s not learned that when he bounces in and starts chatting I’ve lost swathes of dialogue for my characters. He also likes the radio on, and he plays lots of inserts off the BBC news page but I’m encouraging him to go out more often and hope that I feel creative as he drives off down the road. Oh, and the gardeners and the grape pickers – I never realized that grape picking was such a noisy occupation, they have to keep shouting at one another.
What is the best writing advice you’ve ever received?
Never miss a deadline – obviously when I was writing for a living.
Do you have any advice for new writers?
Write – just do it.
What’s next for you? What do your readers have to look forward to?
Book 4 in the Amie in Africa series ‘Cut for Life’ will be released on September 30th. It highlights a subject only talked about behind closed doors. Then there is the second part of my novella ‘The very Worst Riding School in the World’ but while part 1 in free on Amazon, part 2 will be for my newsletter subscribers only.
Where can we connect with you? Tell is where to find you online.
Do you remember the days when we had one address? Now we’ve got dozens, but I’ll restrain myself here and just list my web and author page
And I’ll sneak in my blog link too http://lucindaeclarke.wordpress.com
I love hearing from readers and you can connect with me on FaceBook too of course.
Thank you so much Beth for hosting my on your blog.
ReplyDeleteHahahaha, wrote your memoirs so you can remember yourself in the old age home—that is funny and I guess it could be sad.
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