Guest: Author RWK Clark

I am pleased to welcome R WK Clark this week. I’ve had my eye on him as a guest for some time. His works cover a number of fictional genres, perhaps ‘something for everyone’, but certainly not ‘all for everyone’, (although he has one YA series).  Let’s let the man speak for himself.

None of my books have foul language, the love seen if any, are clean and always between the opposite gender. I feel comfortable letting my own daughter read any of my books. Anyone who is a fan of my work has plenty of material to comb through and there is no doubt that more is on the way. As of today, I have published twenty books and seven of them are available in Spanish. At this moment my three psychological thrillers are my most popular books, Passing Through, Brother’s Keeper and Box Office Butcher. My romantic suspense novels are Requiem for the Caged, Passage of Time and Out To Sea; Out to Sea is my environmental awareness offering. My novels that offer a bit more underlying romance would be Overtaken, Blood Feather Awakens and Living Legacy. Now, DeSai In The Depths has the most intimate seems of all, reason being he is a vampire. If you like zombies, I have four books for you. Dead on the Water, Permanent Ink, Living Legacy and the Zombie Diaries series. If you like Witches I have two for you. Lucifer’s Angel and the DeSai trilogy, DeSai is a vampire that falls in love with a witch. If you like Vampires I have two for you. Stolen Blood and of course the DeSai Trilogy. Lastly, I have one crime drama Shattered Dreams, although, Passage of Time and Out To Sea, could be considered as dramas.

Welcome!  First, what shall we call you? Robert, or R?   Is there a story for the change to just your initials?

My first name is Robert, although my friends call me Clark.

 

Something that will interest all of the writers: You sat down and wrote a book in one day. Will you tell that story one more time?

This was misunderstood, one day as in someday; one of these days.

Almost everyone says that they might decide to sit down and write a book someday, and yes, I procrastinated for most of my life in doing so. Finally, one day I made it a mission, to complete one of my work in progress stories into a full book. I will tell you the hardest part for me was not only writing the books, but publishing, most publishing houses want tens of thousands of dollars to publish your book for you, and they want to rewrite it in the process. After tons of research, I was finally able to self-publish my first novel in July of 2015. I published, Overtaken: Captive States a novel about aliens.

Were you a kid who read? Were you a kid who wrote?

I was a kid that dreamed, I love to dream up little movies in my mind and some of which I wrote down, to this day I wish I would have wrote all of them down. At least the basics, just enough details to jog my memory enough to recreate the vision I initially had. So many stories were lost over the years, that I thought would make a fantastic novel, or perhaps a movie.

 

Throughout your books there is a bit of humor, even if it is in quips from a few characters, but none of your work could be considered truly light-hearted.  You have contemporary murders, but more  futuristic stories , zombies, vampires, , witches devils, angels and aliens. You have a real flair for tension, even in the work where you let us  know the culprit, the characters in town seem to suspect the culprit, and we know what he is going to again do, (which we can’t even elude to this ‘family-friendly’ blog), yet, the suspense is thick enough to cut. I doff my hat to you!  Your readers can also find themselves caught up in worlds of your making. What drives you to write, and write so darkly? (You seem like a nice and funny guy on Facebook!)

I’ve always like scary thrillers, I guess it’s the chills, the adrenaline that is released when you are spooked. It is probably why so many people love thrillers, are we adrenaline junkies? Virtually everyone knows what it’s like to feel really scared. That pounding heartbeat, fast breathing, nervous perspiration and of course butterflies in the stomach. I think of it as education, if you live life not knowing these kinds of psychopaths could exist, I believe it leaves you unprotected. What would you do if you met Eliot Keller in real life? Would you stop your car to help him? Would you rent him a room? I think the creepy feeling you get when you meet some people, that feeling of apprehension, that is your key to triggering all the scenarios that played out in all the novels you have read and the movies you have seen. Your mind starts running through all the scenarios, what if this guy is a killer? What would I do, how would I get away from him. After seeing so many movies and reading so many books you are now armed with the knowledge, and hopefully you will not make all the same mistakes the victims made, plus, now you don’t scare so easily. At least that is the way I look at it.

How do you research areas and information on places and procedures which are not from your own imagination? Have you studied psychology to reach into the depths of some of your characters?

 

I don’t really, I just enjoy creating these fictional towns full of ignorant, innocent unawares that have no idea what is about to hit them, yes, it is far-fetched and sometimes unbelievable. But, I love to develop these little burgs, and I enjoy creating the people who live blissfully within their boundaries. This is what makes it such fun fiction.

[I don’t find small towns full of ignorant, innocent unawares as ‘far-fetched’-T]

“The glory of fiction is in its falseness, but the impact of fiction is found in its painful reality.” – R.W.K. Clark

YA books have become popular with the senior set. Do you find that older fans like The Zombie Diaries?

 

Yes, I do, I consider this light-hearted novel a horror comedy novel. The ‘horror’ part is simply to appease those who may be squeamish about reading something bloody or scary, but this book is really neither. Granted, it has some moments that are a tad ‘gross’, with no in-depth details. It is easy, as the reader, to get the point without ever coming close to losing your lunch or sleeping with the lights on, and it is safe for young readers as well. The best thing about this book, and the others, is that it shows us, by example, that when it comes to fiction there are no rules. Being a zombie does not have to mean walking around, grunting and groping for brains. The series chronicles the adventures of Mavis, a teenager who suddenly finds herself going through some pretty serious changes: She is slowly becoming a zombie. Since she doesn’t know what is happening to her, Mavis is dealing with each change as it comes, and sometimes she is quite unsuccessful in her efforts. Since her family and friends have no idea regarding her situation, they are no help, and she is pretty much stumbling through the dark alone. The results, while a bit gory, are pretty mild, and sometimes very funny.

Most, if not all, of your books are available in Spanish. I assume you have a large following of Hispanic/Latino readers. Do you often hear from fans in both language?

Yes, in fact, Overtaken in Spanish is more popular than the English version.

 

Back to Facebook, it seems that you daily post “Reasons to Read”, with adorable and/or funny memes. I look forward to them. Where do you find these, and which are your favorites?

It is a collection that I have been building for a few years, whenever I come across a new book related meme, I It is a collection that I have been building for a few years, whenever I come across a new book related tend to add it to the collection. I have so may I couldn’t choose a favorite, but they are usually all good for a smile and that is what is important, starting the day with a smile.

Although I have never been to New Mexico, I have had friend from there and more friends move there. What keeps you living in and loving Albuquerque and the area? (Although I’ve been over much of Arizona, I know there is a difference; any New Mexican will tell you that quickly enough!)

Well, there is not enough shade and water in Albuquerque for me. I am planning on moving soon, I would like to find a location with an abundance of trees and water. Arizona is very different, indeed. I lived in Ahwatukee and Mesa for a few years. Phoenix for example, all the highways are landscaped and very clean, free from trash and litter, the roads are in fantastic condition and you would agree if you live there or have visited. It is unfortunate that Albuquerque, and Rio Rancho suffer on all three major points.

What do you do when you aren’t writing? What other talents do you possess?

I work full time as an IT Director. I love to do fine art photography and sculpting, I want to try my hand at painting eventually.

Is there anything that you’d like to tell our readers?

Yes, I would like to thank all my readers for their continued support, I am extremely grateful. You will not be forgotten.

Please let our readers know how they can learn more about your work.

http://rwkclark.comhttps://amazon.com/author/rwkclarkhttp://rwkclark.comhttps://amazon.com/author/rwkclark

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/r.w.k.+clark

https://www.facebook.com/R.W.K.Clark.Novelist

https://www.goodreads.com/rwkclark

Thank you again for coming in for the interview, RWK Clark.  I’ve been waiting to have you in!

 

 

 

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