An Interview with Romance S. H. Clark

S. H. Clark has been writing in the romance genre for many years, and has recently become known as a master of sub-genres like young adult, contemporary, horror, and fantasy. In this interview, we get a chance to learn more about her life as an author and her thoughts on these genres.

She starts by sharing her experience with the young adult sub-genre: “I think it’s important that YA romance stories reflect real life experiences while still being fun and entertaining. I try to create characters who are relatable but also inspiring.” She believes that YA novels should emphasize positive values like love and friendship over traditional romantic relationships.

Clark lives in Southern California with her two cats and her beloved coffee maker. When she’s not writing, which is rare, she’s an elementary school teacher on one of California’s Native reservations. She holds multiple secondary degrees, including an MFA in Creative Writing, has a bookshelf overflowing with paranormal romances, and loves to write to the sound of a thunderstorm.

It’s been said Clark has attempted to conjure Cadbury Cream Eggs with her Harry Potter wand.

Tell us about your book?

The Secrets of Constellations is about Norae Whelan, an eighteen-year-old just out of high school who dreams of owning a bakery one day. But like other teens, she has a parent who thinks they have the solution to a perfect, stable life. Her life gets upended when a man arrives and announces her birth mother (she’s adopted) has died and left her a house. The stipulation is she must live in the house for the duration of the summer in order to obtain the deed.

Thinking she’ll easily meet the demands and have the opportunity to make some money off the house sale, she heads to California to do just that, only to find herself face to face with five challenges – the roommates. Every single member of the house has a story to tell, and Norae gets pulled into each while simultaneously learning about her past. Throughout it all, she finds a connection with Orion Reise, a blind musician whose baggage walks the streets, cunning, dangerous, and deadly. Purchase on Amazon

What is the PRIMARY benefit, above all others, that your potential reader will gain from reading this book?

TSOC is about the different variations of family – adopted, blood-related, inherited, chosen, etc. The story explores how a person can interact with each of these variations, and the investment we put into the relationships in our lives. Love comes in so many different forms, and readers get a glimpse of the types of love that inspire, but can also destroy. All that aside, TSOC is full of fun, laughter, awkward situations, and just messy fun. It’s a fun read that keeps you entertained from cover to cover.

If you had to compare this book to any other book out there, which book would it be?

I’ve been told TSOC could sit on the shelf next to Colleen Hoover, Lucy Score, and Sarah Dessen. There’s a universal bond to the stories that involve the idea of young love.

Hundreds of thousands of books come out every year. Why should someone buy THIS book?

TSOC will make you FEEL. Not just a little laugh, or a single tear, but real, honest-to-goodness, feelings rooted somewhere deep inside you. Because TSOC is about the real, the real life experiences most of us go through. We may not all be adopted, but we’ve all had that moment in our youth where we looked at our parents (usually when one of us is angry or one of us did something weird), and we questioned whether or not we are actually related. This story is for those who thought they were forgotten prince and princesses, left behind and never returned to their palaces.

Who is your target audience?

I am a huge support of “YA is for everyone,” and that’s how I wrote it. The story mirrors real life – a melting pot of cultures in one place, Native American tribes, LGBTQ+, messy relationships, ridiculous circumstances. If you’re over the age of fourteen, I think this book will appeal to you.

Did your environment or upbringing play a major role in your writing and did you use it to your advantage?

Absolutely. I lived in Connecticut for school, which is where I got the idea for TSOC after a crazy, vivid dream during a snowstorm, but my hometown is in San Diego, CA. I decided I needed to use both locations in the story. My mentor, Eugenia Kim (The Calligrapher’s Daughter), once told me, “Write what you know,” so I do.

Tell us your most rewarding experience since publishing your work?

The most rewarding experience so far has been seeing people truly enjoy reading my stories, desperately needing me to write the sequels (I plead the 5th). It’s also an honor being selected at Barnes and Nobles Indie Book Choice for February and March. Purchase on Amazon

How would you describe your writing style?

I would say my writing style is a mixture of literary (thanks to my MFA education) and an easy-to-read approach that brings out the beauty of the world around you. I learned from my late mentor, Da Chen (Brothers), everything in a setting is important, from an unused chair to the fly in the window. I try to write in a way you can easily picture what my characters are experiencing.

Are your characters pure fiction, or did you draw from people you know?

I like to think I draw some ideas from the people I’ve interacted with over the years. For example, in TSOC, Willow-Fire is Luiseño. I teach in a school where my students are Native. I’ve had the opportunity to learn about the different tribes of southern California and used those experiences and relationships as influences for my character and her family. Otherwise, I try to keep my characters purely fiction.

Are you more of a character artist or a plot-driven writer?

I typically have a plot before I have characters, so I’d say I’m plot-driven. However, I spend a lot of time on the characters. I want them to be relatable. I need to know everything about them, including what they would have in their bedside drawer. But I plot. I use the sticky-note method. Most of my books are plotted out on my closet slider door. Who needs to see their reflection, right?

What do you hope to accomplish with your book other than selling it?

I hope readers will see that family is more than blood. You can’t choose who you’re born to, but you can choose who are your family members. And I’d love to get teens to read more! If my book gets a young person to read, then I think I’ve done a good job.

How can our readers get in touch with you?

Website: www.authorshclark.com