Why did you feel you had to tell this story?
The idea of human inequality and how it comes to be has always baffled me, so the foundation for "The Clock Of Life" was more emotional than cerebral. This narrative began as a short story, and one morning while at a writer’s conference, I read an excerpt. When I finished, the instructor asked what I was doing for the next couple years, because, “What you wrote isn’t a short story, it’s a novel.” Realizing that the subject matter was so important, I took up the challenge.
Where do you get your ideas?
I like to write about working class, blue collar relationships, and quirky characters. In the short story genre, my initial intensions are to explore a characters struggle with something, and then I insert a friendship, real or imagined, and the characters guide me to the end. My novel, The Clock Of Life, started as a short story, and so did the manuscript I’m working on now.
Do you ever experience writer’s block and how do you overcome it?
More than writers block I sometimes suffer with the idea that the writing has little creativity and is boring. It’s like the “muse” has gone down for a nap. When that happens I let it sleep for a few days, then I return to the work refreshed and creative again.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers on the writing and publishing process?
Getting advice on how I should write never worked very well for me because my process is more organic than structured or disciplined. The two things I can say for sure are, don’t give up, and don’t let others make you doubt yourself (or if they do, shake it off fast and get back to your project.) Keep going no matter how long it takes, because it’s the only way it will happen.
If your book was made into a movie, who do you picture playing each part?
This question makes me laugh because someone once told me that the act of naming which actors should be in the movie version of your novel, before you have a contract, is called Casterbation. So, I’ve stayed clear of that, and instead think about who I would want to produce it. George? Yes. Ben? Duh. Will and Jada? Of course. Opie? It’s an endearment, Mr. Howard. Wahlberg? Which one?
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Book Blurb: In the small town of Hadlee, Mississippi, during the 1980's, Jason Lee Rainey struggles to find his way amongst the old, steadfast Southern attitudes about race, while his friendship with a black boy, Samson Johnson, deepens.
By way of stories from others, Jason Lee learns about his larger-than-life father, who was killed in Vietnam. He longs to become that sort of man, but doesn't believe he has it in him.
In The Clock Of Life he learns lessons from the past, and the realities of inequality. He flourishes with the bond of friendship; endures the pain of senseless death; finds the courage to stand up for what he believes is right; and comes to realize he is his father's son.
This story explores how two unsettling chapters in American history, the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War, affect the fate of a family, a town, and two boyhood friends.
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About the Author:
Nancy Klann began writing short fiction, which led to attending writing classes, conferences and local workshops. The goal―to create unique stories told in a distinctive voice. Short stories were her primary genre until she took up the challenge of turning one into a novel titled The Clock Of Life. Her collection of short stories is titled "Like The Flies On The Patio."
She is now working on a new novel loosely based on the time she and a friend found an old diary in an antique shop. They took a road trip to find the lady who wrote in the book. The novel will take the girls cross country and into all sorts of trouble.
FOR MORE INFO
Website: www.nancyklann-moren.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/nancyklann
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