Better Know An Author – Clay McLeod Chapman
Our weekly spotlight series on authors from around the world. This week we sat down with Clay McLeod Chapman!
Please give a brief introduction, including your name and where you are based
Hellooooo… My name is Clay McLeod Chapman and I’ve been fortunate enough to writer a few books and tell a few stories. I’m originally from Virginia but Brooklyn is now home.
What book or books have you published or are working on at the moment?
Coming up is my 10th book, a spooooky novel titled GHOST EATERS… which is all about a haunted drug. Pop a pill, see the dead. But it’s highly addictive and spooky things ensue.
Past books include WHISPER DOWN THE LANE and THE REMAKING, all with Quirk Books, along with a middlegrade series called THE TRIBE and a couple short story collections from way-back-when.
What drives you to write?
I found, at an early age, that there is a part of me that is compelled to tell stories. The southern boy in me learned early on that I’m at my most fluid, my most at ease, when there’s a lyrical yarn to spin. I grew up around campfires and I want to turn the world into my campfire so I can tell ghost stories to just about anyone and everyone. It’s a cathartic experience for me and it allows me to connect to others in ways I wouldn’t otherwise.
Where can folks find you online and on social media?
You can find me at www.claymcleodchapman.com or at Twitter (https://twitter.com/claymcleod) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/claymcleod/).
What is one piece of advice you would give to another author out there who might be struggling?
I guess it depends on the struggle… If the uphill battle you’re facing is with your own writing, the fundamental advice is that you need to set up a ritual for yourself. Carve an hour out of your day where you know you will be doing nothing but writing. Make it a sacred time, so that when you arrive at the magic hour, you won’t be checking your phone or flipping through the channels or anything else. You can stare at your computer screen for an hour, if need be, but as long as your body gets into the routine of writing, you’ll always feel unmoored. Give yourself the ritual of writing.
If the struggle is more about finding an audience and succeeding, well… that feels a little more subjective. I’d say first and foremost ask yourself what your idea of success is. It tends to be different for different people and sometimes our concept of success is based upon what others consider successful.
What are some of your five-year goals with writing?
To still be writing, honestly. Sustainability and longevity are the toughest roads to hoe.
Creatively, it’s a tough call because I don’t know where the next story is going to take me… You ask for five years but I don’t know what I’ll be writing about five days from now. I tend to let the story dictate where I go, so as long as I’m still writing five years from now, I’ll consider that a win.
Final Thoughts?
If we’re still kicking five years from now, poke me and let’s see where we are. It’ll be a trip to think what’s changed since now. I’ll be curious.
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