Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Thankful Author 2016- CB Clark



I’m a grateful author. Writing has given my life meaning and substance. I’m very fortunate to have a loving husband, two children, a beautiful granddaughter, good friends, a loyal dog and my good health, but writing is the one thing I do just for me.

I’ve always been a writer. When I was a child, I wrote in a diary and described the joys and pitfalls of growing up. Later, I was an avid letter writer. I’d sit at the kitchen table and pen page after page to family and friends.

Then due to a botched operation, I lost my voice for a year and could only speak in the quietest of whispers. I love to talk and being unable to was hard at first. I felt alone and isolated, as I couldn’t contribute to the simplest of conversations. Then one day, I decided to try and write a book as a way to release all my pent-up ideas on paper.

My goal was five pages per day. That’s 1250 words. Not easy, as all writers know, but I stuck with it, day after day after day, until one day, I was finished, and I typed those two, wonderful words: ‘The End’. A feeling of euphoria filled me at my accomplishment. I’d written 86,000 words. Incredible.

The plot of that first effort wasn’t great, the characters were flat, and the story filled with a plethora of clichés. But I was proud of what I’d written. I’d done it. I. Had. Written. A. Book. This one accomplishment changed my life. I discovered I love using my imagination to create new worlds and peopling them with varied and interesting characters.

Now, several years of writing later, I have two books published, and a signed contract for another. I’ve met other authors on-line and in person, joined writing associations, attended workshops and conferences, and thoroughly enjoyed every second of this incredible journey. I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to write.


Blurb:

Twelve years ago, sixteen-year old Carrie Ann Hetherington, pregnant with the child of a murder suspect, fled the small town of Cooper’s Ridge for the anonymity of Seattle. Now, faced with a family dilemma, she must risk her carefully reinvented life and return to her childhood home.

Eighteen-year-old Declan McAllister’s prom date is found beaten and strangled to death, and he becomes the prime suspect accused of the grisly crime. Now this successful Dallas businessman returns to Cooper’s Ridge to find the true murderer and finally lift the cloak of suspicion he’s faced all these years. In his quest to prove his innocence, he must join forces with the woman who shattered his heart to find a devious killer who will stop at nothing to protect a shocking truth.

Caught up in a menacing web of secrets, deception and danger, they struggle to overcome past betrayals and present danger. Can they tear down the barriers they’ve erected around their hearts and rediscover true love?

Excerpt:

Her breath caught in her throat. A small fragment of cloth lay atop her purse, the vibrant colors glowing in the meager, late afternoon light. With a shaking hand, she picked up the cloth. The smooth silk slid between her fingers. Mesmerized, she studied the scrap of torn fabric. 
The air in the car was suddenly too thick to breathe. Fingers shaking, she turned the cloth over and jammed her fist in her mouth stifling a scream. Written across the silk in thick, black letters was a single, condemning word. Guilty.    
She dropped the cloth as if it burned and gulped air. While she’d been traipsing around the forest looking for where the killer had dumped Skye’s body, someone had been inside her car and left this piece of Skye’s scarf for her to find. The same person could still be here, watching her, waiting.
Her hands shook so much she dropped the keys on the floor twice before finally fitting them in the ignition and starting the car. The engine choked, sputtered and died.

Buy Links:

Amazon: 

Kobo: 

Book Strand: 

iTunes: 

Nook: 

The Wild Rose Press: 

Author Bio:



C.B. Clark has always loved reading, especially romances, but it wasn’t until she lost her voice for a year that she considered writing her own romantic suspense stories. She grew up in Canada’s Northwest Territories and Yukon. Graduating with a degree in Anthropology and Archaeology, she has worked as an archaeologist and an educator, teaching students from the primary grades through the first year of college. She enjoys hiking, canoeing, and snowshoeing with her husband and dog near her home in the wilderness of central British Columbia.

Social Media Links:

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Blog: 

Goodreads author page: 

15 comments:

  1. Thanks for organizing the Thankful Author posts, Angela. I guess you are one more reason to be tankful this season.

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  2. Thank you for such a thoughtful hopeful post.

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    1. Thank you, Charlotte. I appreciate you taking the time to read the post and comment.

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  3. Well said. May you continue to do what you love...write

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    1. Thank you, Lin. I do love writing. Good luck with your writing as well.

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  4. Wow, looks like a fantastic book! And I agree, writing is a gift (and maybe, just a little bit, an obsession!) Enjoy!

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    1. An obsession, for sure, Laura. Writers have to be a bit 'different' to continue to write. Good thing our families love us anyway.

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  5. I talk so much, I can't imagine losing my voice. I'm so happy you found an outlet and a true calling in life. Wonderful!

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    1. I talk a lot too. I think my husband and kids liked the quiet. Now that my voice is back, I more than make up for my year's silence.

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  6. It's always heartening to read about a fellow author's successful path to publication. Good luck, and keep writing. Cheers, Madeleine

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  7. What a beautiful start to your writing path, C.B.! Wishing you all the best and thanks for sharing. :)

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  8. Thanks, Mary. All the positive comments I've received from fellow authors is truly something to be thankful for.

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  9. A beautiful post, CB. I love that you have chosen to do something just for yourself, something that makes your heart sing. Anni. xx

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  10. What a novel background story! I so relate to your euphoria at having written that first 86,000 word story. I remember feeling stunned at the completion of my first novel. It *does* make you feel like you can do anything you set your mind to, as you've just proved.

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