Linda Weaver Clarke

                                                              
 

Linda Weaver Clarke was raised on a farm surrounded by the rolling hills of southern Idaho and have made my home in southern Utah among the beautiful red mountains and desert heat. I have been happily married for 33 years and am the mother of six daughters and have four wonderful grandchildren .

After my family began to leave the nest, I decided it was time to finish what I had started long ago. I decided to go back to college and get a degree. It had been 30 years since I had been to college and it was one of the most frightening things I had ever done. I had to learn how to study and take tests all over again. The first day of college, I was a nervous wreck and wondered if I could do this, but with the support of my husband and children I was able to graduate. I received my Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theatre and Music at Southern Utah University and received the Outstanding Non-Traditional Student Award for the College of Performing Arts in 2002. During the meantime, I cut a CD named "Romantic Love Songs of Sigmund Romberg and Victor Herbert."

"I have enjoyed writing short stories and novels for several years but it took a lot of courage to begin submitting them. I'm happy to say that American Book Publishing has been great and my editor has been fantastic. http://www.lindaweaverclarke.com

 

 

"Linda Clarke is a fresh new face in the fiction market. Her vivid descriptions, engaging characters, and clever word usage make reading her work a pleasure. I look forward to enjoying her books for many years to come." -Betsy Brannon Green, best-selling suspense author

"Such memorable characters! What an incredible blessing in the lives of her future readers." -Kerry Blair, best-selling mystery author

"A writing style that opens the mind in a way that lets us…feel the thoughts and emotions of the characters. It is impossible to avoid becoming part of the story... She writes historical fiction as if she were taking the reader back in time." - Lloyd E. Reid
 

PageOneLit.com: Where did you grow up and was reading and writing a part of your life? Who were your earliest influences and why?

Linda Weaver Clarke: I grew up in southern Idaho on a farm. My father was a farmer and a Special Education Teacher. I always enjoyed writing and English was my favorite subject but I really didn’t start writing fictional stories until 2003. It all started after returning back to college in my late 40s. I had always wanted to return but kept putting it off because of raising a family. When my youngest was in 5^th grade, I decided to take the plunge. At first I was nervous about returning at my age, but I took a deep breath and registered for classes. It was difficult and a long four years but I would do it again if I had to. I learned so much. After I graduated in 2002, I came away with more confidence than ever before. I wanted to try new things that I hadn’t done before and one of them was writing a novel.

 

 

PageOneLit.com: Why do you write?    

Linda Weaver Clarke: I write because it fulfills a need inside of me, a need to create, to express my feelings, to do some good in the world if possible. I also write articles for the American Chronicle online every now and then.

  

PageOneLit.com: Your new book "MELINDA AND THE WILD WEST" is a wonderful work "Historical fiction" -- How much do you personally enjoy history and how much period research did you do for this book? What did you learn from writing this book?

Linda Weaver Clarke: I thoroughly enjoy learning and at the same time being entertained. That’s why I read and write historical fiction. The most exciting part of writing is to do research. My book is set in Bear Lake Valley in southern Idaho and so I had to do a lot of research. I found that Butch Cassidy robbed the bank in Montpelier in 1896 and the city recorded every little detail. I was elated. I decided to have Melinda be a witness to this robbery. But first, I had to do more research. I couldn’t portray Butch Cassidy as something he was not. I had to find out if he was a mean, ornery person or what? So, after much research, I found that he was a very charming person. He was the leader of the Wild Bunch, had a great sense of humor, a quick wit, and treated women with respect. He just didn’t respect the law. That helped me to know how to describe him as a character in my story and how he would treat Melinda. I had to do other types of research, also. I found that grizzly bears roamed the Wasatch Mountains in that area. That’s why it was called “Bear Lake Valley.” I had to do more research to find out what it was like to be confronted by a grizzly. I read an account written by a Mountain Man and another one by a farmer that lived in southern Idaho. That helped me to be able to write about Melinda being confronted by a grizzly, her feelings deep inside, the overwhelming fear that can overtake you, and the description of a charging grizzly. I’ve done many lectures so far, and I’ve had three different women in the audience tell me that a grizzly had confronted them and that my account was correct in every way, including how they had felt when it happened to them. (Luckily, two of the women were saved by someone in their party that had a gun, and the third woman was saved just in the nick of time as she ran toward a building and slammed the door.)

 

PageOneLit.com: In "MELINDA AND THE WILD WEST" your main character is Melinda Gamble -- This rather complex but still simple character study of a woman who is 'elegant..naive," a woman who gives up a 'life of monotonous comfort" for the opposite --- First, I want to know about the selection of her last name and how the last name 'Gamble' is very symbolic of the character - Was this premeditated by you while developing the character? Second, how much fun was it taking a character from her elements (Boston) and dropping her into a new and adventurous but unknown world of the West (Paris, Idaho)?

Linda Weaver Clarke: The name Gamble is taken from my great grandfather who was from Ireland. Melinda is part Irish, so I chose a family name, just for fun. The “elegant / naïve” part is simply because she is new to the Wild West. She is an elegant woman from Boston, but is naïve to the Wild West and it’s rugged atmosphere. That’s why she gets into trouble with the grizzly and a blinding blizzard. Being a city woman, she doesn’t realize that you must quietly and quickly get out of there. But instead, she stays and watches because she’s so fascinated with the wild life of the West. When there’s a blizzard, she doesn’t bundle up enough before going out to search for a doctor and then she loses her direction simply because she can’t tell which way is north or south, east or west.

It was fun to be able to take a “naïve” city-woman and help her to learn about the elements of the West, an area where I grew up. Melinda is a very stubborn and headstrong woman. She is, also, a very tender woman and wants to do some good in her life and make a difference in the lives of these children. At the same time, she finds that the people in this laid-back western community have made a difference in her life as well.

 

PageOneLit.com: I was happily surprised to find that there is actually a Paris, Idaho -- Founded Sept. 26, 1863. How did you select this particular place and why did you select a real town for your setting rather than create a 'fictional' place?

Linda Weaver Clarke: I dedicated my novel to my great, great grandparents who were the first settlers of Paris, Idaho: Gilbert and Sarah Weaver. I wanted to learn more about the area that my great grandparents loved so much. That’s what “historical-fiction” is all about: taking bits of history and putting it into the lives of fictional characters.

  

PageOneLit.com: Tell us a little about 'Gilbert ' - Was this character's personality/background structured from anyone you have known/know? In the case of Gilbert and Melinda, do you believe opposites attract or do not attract?

Linda Weaver Clarke: Yes. Most definitely on both accounts. At first, I created the most perfect “rugged rancher” that I could think of, not realizing I was actually creating my character after the same man that I admired and loved, who was in my life for years – my father. It wasn’t until my stepmother read my book and mentioned how much Gilbert reminded her of my dad: Marcus Gilbert Weaver. The build of Gilbert was like my father, a tall hard-working farmer with bulging muscles. My dad had the strength to lift a 130-pound sack of grain over and over again until his truck was filled. The low soft chuckle of Gilbert was my father’s but it didn’t dawn on me until she mentioned each little aspect of my rugged rancher. Yes, my character took on the personality and build of my dad without me even realizing it. In a way, it touched me because my father passed away in his 90’s in 2005.

 I believe that opposites do attract. My husband is an out-going man, loves to travel, listens to talk-radio, and belongs to the Mountain Man Club. He dresses in his Mountain Man regalia and shoots a black powder rifle. Me? I love being at home, going to concerts, and listen to classical music. As the years rolled by, we began to enjoy one another’s tastes. I would go to his Mountain Man Rendezvous, and he would go with me to see a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta.

  

PageOneLit.com: "MELINDA AND THE WILD WEST" has "Such memorable characters!" one reviewer writes -- Which part of the writing process do you have the most difficulty  -- Plot or  Character? Do you feel one is more important than the other? Why or why not?

A: The plot is always something that I worry about. Is it strong enough? Is it interesting enough to the reader? I had to change the word to “theme” so I wouldn’t get nervous about it. I’ve written several novels thus far, while waiting to be published, and in each one the plot came to me in different ways. I knew the plot for Melinda right off, but in another book, it wasn’t so easy. I found myself changing the plot in mid-stream because of my characters. As I developed my characters and got to know them better, I decided that my plot would be stronger by taking a different direction. Sometimes, getting to know your characters is like getting to know a best friend. After a while, the plot is easier to see in your mind’s eye because your characters have been well developed. Does that make sense? The plot and characters are equally important to a good story.

 

 PageOneLit.com: What do you hope readers walk away with after reading  "MELINDA AND THE WILD WEST" ?

Linda Weaver Clarke: I hope that I can uplift people by inviting them into my world of make believe. If I can make someone laugh as they read about Jenny stomping around the house with pans tied to her feet, or sigh breathlessly as Gilbert takes Melinda in his arms and expresses his unconditional love to her, or gasp as the grizzly charges toward Melinda, then I think it was all worth it to write this novel.

  

PageOneLit.com:  "MELINDA AND THE WILD WEST" would make a great film -- Anything in the works? Who in Hollywood would you select to play your characters?

Linda Weaver Clarke: That would be difficult to say. The actors would have to be just like the characters in my story and I’m not sure who fits the description. In the early days of the West, men worked hard for a living and developed the muscles needed for that kind of work, and they were proud of it. They played stick-pull and wrestled for entertainment, both representing physical strength. (If he was a banker, then that was a completely different situation.) Here’s the description of Gilbert, a farmer and rancher who had to use his brawn for a living: He’s an imposing figure with piercing brown eyes, six-foot two-inches tall and every inch of him is muscle. He has broad shoulders, dark brown hair, and is ruggedly handsome. His arms are tanned from the sun and his shirt cannot hide the bulging muscles rippling across his shoulders and chest. Do you know of anyone with that description?

 

PageOneLit.com: How has your life changed since becoming a published writer?

Linda Weaver Clarke: I was so content being a homemaker and writing stories. I didn’t realize that this was going to change my life so drastically. Now I’m giving lectures and workshops and my life is so different. At times I would like to just sit and relax and write another book but this new routine has sort of disrupted that part of my life. I’m getting used to it, though, and enjoy meeting people. That’s the fun part of lecturing: meeting people.

  

PageOneLit.com:  What's next?

Linda Weaver Clarke: Melinda and the Wild West is the first in a four-book family saga. The other three have already been written. I wrote them while sending my novel to publishers. Thank goodness I had them written because I don’t have much time to myself anymore. The second is at the publishers right now.

 

PageOneLit.com:  What was the last book you read?

Linda Weaver Clarke: I love historical fiction love stories, but I also love mystery/suspense novels with a touch of romance and adventure. I can’t remember which one I read last.

 

PageOneLit.com: Do you have any hobbies? What are they? How do they enhance your writing?

Linda Weaver Clarke: I love to sing. I’m an alto and occasionally give a recital in our little town here. I usually do Irish songs for St. Patrick’s Day or Patriotic songs for the 4^th of July. How does that enhance my abilities as an author? Well, to begin with, it helped me overcome stage fright. Now I have to give lectures and I don’t get nervous at all. I figure that my recitals have helped me to learn to relax and have a better presentation.