Writer Spotlight: Kathleen E. Clark

 

Marshmallow the book, sesquicentennial farm, a cat who thought he was a chicken and a dog who raised bunny orphans: the never typical days of Kathleen E. Clark

Charlie Barshaw coordinates our regular Writer Spotlight feature and interviews writers of SCBWI-MI. In this piece, meet writer and farmer Kathleen E, Clark.

You’re building a website. How goes it?

I am not a techy person, so this has been a totally new experience for me– exciting and daunting at the same time. Being able to put this together as an expression of who I am has certainly tested my skills as a writer.  It has also tested my patience!  

I don’t even want to guess where I would be without help. Among those generous with their time, expertise, and suggestions were Charlie and Ruth McNally Barshaw, and also a shout out to my techy daughter, Heather.  Thank you! All in all, it has been fun getting to share my creative side with the rest of the world. 

One of my favorite things about writing is finding just the right words; now I get to choose the pictures too. 

On your website you reminisce about how your “Mom walked you downtown to the library.”  Paint the picture: Downtown where and when? What were some of your favorite books growing up?

Oh, what a fun memory. I grew up on a crazy, “let’s try farming,” thirty acres in the village limits of the quaint railroad town of Holly. 

Downtown Holly's buildings old brick facades, complete with a dime store, pet shop, and hardware. On the corner of the main street, next to the old filling station, was the library. The only daylight was from the shop window out front, and inside, just a narrow floor space with rows of books. 

But I could always find my favorite, even in the dark. Marshmallow, by Clare Turlay Newberry. The best line– “A bunny’s a delightful habit, No home’s complete without a rabbit.” And yes, our home was complete with a rabbit or two. 

You work at a library now. Is that a tribute to your Mom, a genuine love of the library, or both?

Well, for sure I have to say it started with my mom and a love for children’s books. The first in my collection was my own copy of Marshmallow. 

I homeschooled my kids up through graduation, and the local libraries were a must. Actually, our favorite part of the school week. 

At fifty-five, I found myself searching for job listings, having my daughter help with my resume, and putting myself out there. And look what popped up, a clerk position in my hometown.  No, I didn’t get it. 

After suffering from a bruised ego for a month or so, a position came up at the library where my kids and I went, closer to our farm, but not in the same zip code. Just proof that where one door closes, another one opens. I just love it there.

 

The “adventurous Dad” trip to find the starting place of the spotlight. Where did it end up coming from? Was there more than one occasion?

Something I will never forget. It was just the two of us, and we ended up at a furniture store having a big sale! No, not that exciting, but the fun was in the journey. Definitely something to be said about enjoying the journey.  

And one Thanksgiving, we ended up at Plymouth Rock because my mom said she didn’t have any plans when my dad asked her. 

How did you meet your “very own farmer”?

The first time I met him, he was with the band group helping recruit middle-schoolers to join the high school band. He was kind of big and scary, at least compared to my almost five-foot self. 

Though quiet and reserved, this tall and strapping farmer had a singing voice to match his size. Any time he was on a tractor, he would sing all the louder. He got asked to sing at church and wondered if I could accompany him. Well, I had a few piano lessons. We practiced. Sat in the front row on Sunday. And they never called on him, but he asked me out after. 

I didn’t even scare him off when I swamped our canoe in one of the farm ponds. In my defense, he did say to look at that fish. He just didn’t know what an enthusiastic looker I was. 

What makes your farm “sesquicentennial”?

Michigan has a great centennial farm program honoring family farms. My husband and I were starting the paperwork for it when he passed suddenly at work. I wasn’t sure about trying to file the paperwork, pay the fees, and get the sign, but his friend, a fellow farmer, wanted to do that in his honor. 

When they contacted me back, they said our time frame was over 150 years, and they would send the added sign at the same time. There was even a write-up in Michigan History Magazine. Definitely an honor to my very own farmer and his heritage.

Now we put small stones or pebbles from vacations underneath the sign. Some we took together and new ones too. My daughter just brought back some from Scotland to add to the collection. 

Describe a typical day for you.

Never typical- it’s a farm!

What kind of menagerie do you have at the Clark Farm?

Young Kathleen, her Mom, and a lamb

Farm animals here consisted of work horses and a long barn of milk cows before my time, Herefords later. In my early married days, they kept one milk cow. 

I only milked when the boys didn’t get home in time. My thanks, a slap in the face with a dirty tail. Ugh. She never did that to them. 

Also, calves, chickens, and barn cats, including one deaf cat who thought he was a chicken. And yes, I am working on a story about that cool cat who took up prime real estate, napping on the only nest in the coop! Needless to say, we figured out why all those squawking noisy hens never bothered him. 

Here are the last two stanzas of my WIP about my "chicken cat."

“So don’t get all worried

If things start out slow.

Hang in and make friends

While you blossom and grow.

 

Turn a challenge around;

Put your strengths to good use.

Make your place in this world

Then just chill and hang loose.”

I’ll bite (because the dog won’t). What’s the story about the rabbits you raised “rescued” by a toothless dog?

Post, pond and wildflowers 

My dad got me a dog for my birthday from the pound. Sweetest dog ever, but it nipped at kids when it played. Maybe something from its past, but still not okay. 

Though my dad was the dentist, it was my grandma who came up with the idea of pulling its teeth to rescue it from a sad fate. The vet checked, and sure enough, pulling just the front ones was a great solution. 

Maybe that’s where my dog got the heart for rescues. By the way, eye-droppers make great bunny bottles. It’s probably a good thing our vet didn’t have caller-ID, we were calling so often to ask vet questions.

What kind of manuscripts do you have resting “in the drawer”?

I have almost a dozen stories that are drawn out of life lessons I learned from the animals. Nature is a great teacher, and I’m working on just how to share those messages of humor and hope with the next generation.

What are you working on now? I should specify “writing,” because you’re always working.

I’m working on the story of a small bantam hen, Josefina. Of the importance of determination and learning to spread your wings in a big people’s world. 

This tiny hen needed a home, and someone thought of us. Here she was thrown into a group of large old biddies, and she escaped out into the feedlot full of cattle with horns! 

 You received a critique from author Lisa Wheeler. What did you learn from her? What other writing and educational challenges have you tackled?

Oh my goodness, she was so gracious and helpful. I learned I needed to get to the heart of the story quicker. To focus on the main point and stick with it. I learned to pay attention to my character’s voice and point of view.  I also learned that it’s okay if my stories come out in rhyming fashion- ha. 

She was just as generous with compliments too. It certainly made a big difference in my manuscript. Such a gifted writer. I love her stories! 

How did you find SCBWI? How did you find LAST?

Swallow and rainbow, captured by Kathleen

When I began to make my stories into picture books, I scoured the internet for helpful information. SCBWI was recommended so many times, I can’t count.   I decided to be brave and paid my money for the first year, but that was it. Oh, the resources I was missing. 

During the shutdown for Covid, there were so many opportunities to connect by Zoom to local groups.  Whether in-person or online, it has been fantastic meeting everyone– learning, sharing, and being encouraged. 

I am so thankful for the LAST group and those in the various regions. Everyone is so welcoming and helpful. It has been extremely informative– and fun. 

At the first in-person at the park during introductions, I said I was a want-to-be writer. Ruth asked me if I write– well yes. She said, “You’re a writer.” I will never forget that. A totally different perspective of myself.

What’s the story with your uncle, who turned a ballroom into a roller rink?

So, during the Covid shutdowns and Michigan ice storms, I decided to make use of the 14-day free trial at Ancestry. Of course, you then get ads for Newspapers.com. 

Through both sites, I pieced together this family --my family-- of Scottish Hand Loom Weavers (HLW), displaced by the Industrial Revolution I am guessing.  They made their way to Canada and eventually the West Coast, losing their dad at an early age. 

They, along with their mom, were certainly go-getters, making a new life in a new country– lumbermen, railroaders, miners, hotel proprietors, a stagecoach driver, and a township constable.  In the newspaper, their mom is known simply as Grandma Kerr. She must have been quite a woman. 

In changing times and a world throwing them curve balls, it seems my uncle and his brother, my great-great-grandfather, adapted and swung for the fences. I would have loved to have seen the new roller rink back in 1908.

What is “Christmas in Action”? What is your most memorable Christmas interaction?

This organization is such a great gift to the community, benefiting low-income senior or disabled homeowners. 

It's kind of like Christmas in July, but in May. The community comes together. Raises money. The local restaurants provide meals.  We meet that first Saturday and all work together to make this world a better place, and a safer place for the elderly or disabled. 

We do home repairs, yard clean-up, and even plant flowers—all in one day. A lot of hard work, but you meet so many great people. All in all, a win-win, for the homeowner, the community, and the workers.

  

And speaking of win-win, two kittens

Please include any social media contacts you wish to share.

You can find Kathleen at:

kathleeneclarkauthor.com

lovefromthefarm.com  

and on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest at:

@kathleeneclarkauthor