Interview with Author Linda Weaver Clarke
About Linda Weaver Clarke
Linda Weaver Clarke is the author of a series of historical fiction novels, one of which was chosen as a semi-finalist in the 2007 Reviewers Choice Awards.
Clarke is currently touring the United States as part of a program to teach people how to write autobiographies and histories of their family as a way of keeping family legacy alive.
To find out more about Linda Weaver Clarke and her writing workshop work please visit her website.
Interview with Linda Weaver Clarke
How long have you been writing books and what motivated you to start writing?
I’ve always enjoyed writing but it wasn’t until I began writing my ancestors’ stories that I began to write seriously. Their stories intrigued me. After doing that, I couldn’t stop writing so I turned to historical fiction and placed my characters in the area that my ancestors settled. Paris, Idaho in Bear Lake Valley! I even gave my characters some of my ancestors’ experiences to bring the story to life.
Which of the books that you have written is your favorite and why do you feel closer to it than to the others?
“Jenny’s Dream” is my favorite out of this five-book family saga. It was inspired by events that happened to me in my youth. I learned that forgiveness was essential for true happiness and well-being. I have a lot of myself in Jenny. She must learn to forgive and put her past behind her. While Jenny is trying to pursue her dreams, she realizes that her kindred friend means more to her than she thought. He isn’t the stereotypical handsome man that writers portray. I believe it’s important to get to know a person deep down inside first, to get to know a person’s inner soul. That’s what matters. Now Jenny has to make a decision whether to follow her dream or matters of the heart. This story is about accomplishing one’s dreams and the miracle of forgiveness.
Can you tell use a little about your latest book?
It’s about deep-rooted legends, long family traditions, and a few mysterious events! While visiting the Roberts family, David finds himself entranced with one very special lady and ends up defending her honor several times. Sarah isn’t like the average woman. This beautiful and dainty lady has a disability that no one seems to notice. He finds out that Sarah has gone through more trials than the average person. She teaches him the importance of not dwelling on the past and how to love life. After a few teases, tricks, and mischievous deeds, David begins to overcome his troubles, but will it be too late? Will he lose the one woman he adores? And how about the Bear Lake Monster? Does it really exist?
If you want to find out more you can read an excerpt at Linda Weaver Clarke’s website.
Why do you favor the historical fiction genre?
I love learning about the past. It’s fun to find out how the people lived back then. I love the fact that the people had good old-fashioned values. Family came first and they had a strong belief in God.
Would you say that a lot of research goes into your historical fiction novels?
Oh yes. I put a great deal of research into my novels. For example, the subplot of “Jenny’s Dream” is about a ten-foot grizzly bear taken from Idaho history. The research about this old grizzly was exciting to me because I had grown up with the stories of Old Ephraim. He wreaked havoc wherever he went, slaughtering sheep and calves, and scaring sheepherders so badly that they actually quit their jobs. With one blow of his paw, he could break the back of a cow. I found that he was the smartest bear that ever roamed the Rocky Mountains.
In my research for “David and the Bear Lake Monster,” I found that people really believe in this legend. The mystery of the Bear Lake Monster has been an exciting part of Idaho history ever since the early pioneers. Some people claimed to have seen it and gave descriptions of it. The monster’s eyes were flaming red and its ears stuck out from the sides of its skinny head. Its body was long, resembling a gigantic alligator, and it could swim faster than a galloping horse. Of course, it only came out in the evening or at dusk. Throughout the years, no one has ever disproved the Bear Lake Monster. A bunch of scientists tried to discredit the monster and said it was a huge codfish that was shipped in from the East but could not prove this theory. Does the Bear Lake Monster exist? Whatever conclusion is drawn, the legend still lives on and brings a great deal of mystery and excitement to the community.
Why do you put true family and ancestral experiences in your novels and can you give us a few examples?
I love inserting real ancestral or family experiences into my novels. To me, their experiences have always intrigued me. It brings a story to life. In my family saga series, I have set my story in Paris, Idaho…the place that my ancestors settled in 1863.
In “Melinda and the Wild West,” I inserted an experience that happened to my dad. When he was young, his father asked him to bury the skunks that he shot because they were getting into the chicken coop. Before my dad buried them, he drained their scent glands into a bottle. He called it “skunk oil.” Then he took it to school to show his friends. While explaining how he had done it, he must have gotten a little too excited because he accidentally dropped the bottle and it splattered on the floor. The scent of concentrated skunk oil permeated the room with a stench that was indescribable. Everyone ran out of the school as fast as their little legs would go. And the teacher followed close behind. They let school out so it could be cleaned up. My father said that he was a hero for one day because he got school out for his classmates. This novel eventually won an award as one of the semi-finalists for the “Reviewers Choice Award 2007.”
In “Edith and the Mysterious Stranger,” I based this story around the courtship of my parents. They wrote letters to one another before they ever met. She said that she fell in love with the soul of my father, what was deep down inside and they didn’t even know what one another looked like. The day they met, my mother told me that her heart leapt within her and a warm glow filled her soul and she knew she would marry this man. I knew this would be the basis of my next novel, but there’s one difference. In my story, you don’t know who the mysterious stranger is until the end of the book. Some readers guessed right while others were pleasantly surprised.
My great grandmother, Sarah Eckersley Robinson, was my inspiration for “David and the Bear Lake Monster.” Sarah lost her hearing as a child but she never let her deafness stop her from developing her talents. I took a lot of her experiences from her biography and gave them to my heroine to bring some reality into my story. Sarah was known as one of the most graceful dancers in town. She was known for gliding across the floor with ease, with just a touch of her partner’s hand. Sarah had such agility and gracefulness while swimming, that people would actually throw coins in the water so they could watch her dive after them. Once an intruder hid in her bedroom under her bed, thinking he could take advantage of her since she was deaf. He must have thought she was an easy victim but was sadly mistaken. She swatted him out from under her bed with a broom, and all the way out of the house, and down the street for a couple blocks, whacking him as she ran. What a courageous woman!
In my research about the “hearing impaired,” and talking to a friend who became deaf in her youth, I became educated about the struggles they have to bear. After all my research, I found that I had even more respect for my great grandmother and her disability.
Can you tell us a little more about your Family Legacy Workshops?
It’s important to teach our children their heritage. Who are your ancestors? What were their traditions? Did they fight for a cause and what was it about? Each of us has a story from our ancestors or even our own story to tell. If these stories are unwritten, then how are your children going to know of their parentage? For a sample of what you can do with your family histories, read the short stories on my website.
What do you encourage people to research in writing about their own families legacy?
The area your ancestors settled and the time period. First, find out everything you can about the area to both educate your readers and to make the setting feel real. If possible, go to the area you want to write about, walk around, find out where your ancestors lived, went to school, and played. If you can’t go there in person, then do research and find pictures of that area.
The time period is very important. If they lived during the depression or World War II, then write about it. What happened during those years of conflict? What did your ancestors have to endure? I found out that in 1942 they rationed gas to three gallons a week. To me, that was amazing. In 1896, they painted pencils yellow for the very first time, and for a very good reason. (I included this in my first novel, Melinda and the Wild West, and received many e-mails about it.) I found out that in the 1920s, women bobbed their hair and raised their hemlines. This new style brought about a lot of trouble. If women bobbed their hair, they were fired from their jobs. A teacher in Jersey City was ordered to grow her hair back by the school board or she would be fired. A preacher warned his congregation that a “bobbed woman was a disgraced woman.” Men even divorced their wives over the new hairstyle. Amazing! I love research!
Did your idea of writing as a healing process for the bereaved or abused arise from your own writing experiences?
No, I just wanted to help others. I know how important it is to write about a loved one once they have passed on. We have a need deep down inside to put their life on paper so they’re never forgotten. As for the abused, it actually heals us to be able to write down our own experiences.
What has been your most rewarding experience teaching the Family Legacy Workshop?
One incident really touched my heart. Many times my daughter comes with me as my assistant. At the Idaho Historical Society Library, a patron said to her, “I felt as if I had handcuffs on my wrists and your mother has just unlocked them.”
What are your plans for the future both in writing and with respect to your Family Legacy Workshops?
My future? As for my workshops, I plan on teaching until I’m too old to travel. As for my writing, I’ve started a new mystery series that has to do with American artifacts and mysterious events. I always enjoy putting a little history in each of my novels to educate my readers. The mysteries of the Anasazi Indians, the Mayas, Montezuma’s Treasure, and the Lost Dutchman Mine have intrigued archaeologists and scientists for many years. In The Adventures of John and Julia Evans series, I delve into such mysteries.
Books For Sale would like to thank author Linda Weaver Clarke for taking the time to do this interview.
