I love connecting with authors to learn about their process and what works for them. As I often say, the only writing practice that works for you is the writing practice that works for you. S. L. Clarke feels similarly, as we discussed during this interview.
We also touch on publishing challenges (what happens if your book title and cover just... don't match the book?) and dealing with impostor syndrome. Please note: This interview also contains a mention of the death of a child.
S. L. Clarke has spent a lifetime bouncing between creative pursuits—cross-stitch, knitting, crochet, trumpet, photography, painting, and eventually writing. After earning an English degree from Utah State University in 2013, she assumed she'd write fiction forever. Instead, she became a proudly genre-fluid author, following stories wherever they lead.
Her debut novel, When He Returns (originally published as True Strength) (affiliate link*), drew heavily on her emotional journey while studying martial arts and sparked a passion for telling stories rooted in real life. Whether writing fiction or memoir, she explores resilience, healing, and what it means to rebuild after life's hardest moments... though her attention span has yet to pick a permanent lane.
Her short fiction and nonfiction have appeared in multiple anthologies and have received several awards, including a Bronze Quill Award from the League of Utah Writers for When He Returns. She lives in the mountains of northern Utah with her goofy husband, four boys, and a pure-bred mutt. You can usually find her online as @authorslc or at authorslc.com.
How did you decide to start writing your book?
When He Returns was a victim of the there's-not-enough-space phenomenon. I wrote multiple short creative fiction pieces trying to fully describe my emotional journey while studying Shorinji Kempo, but none of them felt finished. So, I created a character very similar to me—with similar traumas and anxieties—and put her into a fictional world.
What mindset challenges do you encounter when writing? How do you overcome them?
My biggest challenge is my inner critic. But not really in the way that one would imagine. I mean yes, I do get the thoughts "that sentence sucks," "wow that character is so flat," etc... but those aren't my biggest challenge.
My biggest challenge is my inner critic reinforcing my (probably) incorrect beliefs about myself. So thoughts like, "I'm not good enough" or, "I don't deserve to be successful at this or anything else," those are the thoughts that are my biggest challenges.
I'm... still learning how to overcome them. Mostly I try to borrow other people's belief in me and power through the imposter syndrome.
Can you describe a “day in the life” of your writing practice?
My morning either starts with me turning off my alarm and going back to sleep until my husband kisses me before heading to work or with a kid on my face.
Ideally, it would start with me waking up naturally, then spending some time listening to my astrology podcast while doing some mindless game on my phone, then eat breakfast, shower, and then go downstairs to my office for coffee and time on my computer.
I often go back and forth between working/writing and playing. It's how I've learned my ADHD brain works best. If I know I'll be working on more sensitive material, like my memoir, I'll often light a candle and take some soothing breaths before I start working on the writing.
What is something you love about the craft of writing?
Finding the perfect metaphor or description or word that encapsulates what's in my head.
What has your publishing experience been like?
Difficult. I didn't have the patience (or, let's be honest, self-certainty) to get When He Returns trad [traditionally] published, so I gave myself a deadline when I NEEDED to get it published.
Because of that, I ended up rushing things and ended up realizing later that the cover and even the title didn't really match the genre of the book. So then I had to republish it entirely.
What’s next for you, creatively?
I'm working on a memoir about my journey to self-discovery that began when I woke up one morning to find my 2-month old son dead. It's been a long journey and really heavy to work on this project, so I also have a cozy mystery side project that I work on when the memoir is too heavy and I need a longer break from it.
What advice would you want to offer another writer?
Go at your pace. But don't give up. If it's taking longer than "other people" well... that's because they are different from you. You have all that you need to finish the book, publish it, and write the next one. You have you.