Local author pens her first full-length novel

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This article was published 21/03/2024 (545 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Fresh off the success of her latest book, former Brandonite Rachael Clarke’s first full-length novel, “Race to Novus,” is being released by Cloaked Press LLC on April 5.

“I’m very excited about it,” Clarke, who now lives in Portage la Prairie, 129 kilometres northeast of Brandon, told the Sun. “This book is a sci-fi western, with elements of fantasy and romance, and it is the first of a planned trilogy.”

The book is a thrill-ride of a tale about a debt-ridden cowgirl who steals away a bionic horse named Herc and travels to a planet at the edge of explored space, where the pair enter a race, join a rag-tag alliance and meet plenty of challenges.

Throughout the book, which Clarke describes as a cross between the television show Firefly and the films Hidalgo, Avatar and Aliens, the main character and her trusty steed are on the look out for new land and a fresh start.

Clarke has always been a fan of reading and writing many different genres, with her favourites being science fiction and fantasy.

“I have found, funnily enough, that almost all of my ideas for full-length novels have gone towards science fiction,” she said. And being a horse fanatic since she was a young girl, it’s no surprise that bionic horse Herc is such a big part of the story. “Animals always kind of make their way into my stories.”

The inspiration for “Race to Novus” came wen Clarke took part in a writing prompt competition exercise that one of her writing groups did. The contest required her to create a whole new world for her story.

“From there, I just came up with this bionic horse, and everything else kind of branched out from him, “ she said. “He’s kind of the heart of the story.”

Herc is such a big part of the story that Clarke’s writing friends have told her that under no circumstances can any harm come to him in the subsequent books in the trilogy.

“It’s pretty funny. People have really responded well to Herc,” she said.

Clarke’s other published works include “Let Your Lips Twitch,” a humorous collection of short stories, and “The Big Ol’ Bike,” a children’s book about a boy named Oliver that touches on themes of bullying, friendship, and self-esteem.

“Let Your Lips Twitch” has received rave reviews, with a 4.37/5 star rating on Goodreads.com, where readers can search for books and quotes, leave reviews and track their reading progress.

“It’s quick little stories that you can read in short bursts rather than committing a lot of time,” Clarke said. “People have really enjoyed it. As far as I know, it’s giving some smiles to people, which makes me happy. That’s what I wanted to do.”

Clarke has found success in writing by developing her ideas and writing down notes to the plot. Once she has created a full outline, she structures it into a formal template and breaks it into chapters.

“That’s how I tackle it,” she said. “I am pre-structured in that regard … I have to have structure. I know that some people thrive on just letting the characters speak to them and letting everything go with just flying by the seat of their pants.”

Being a “pantser” as opposed to a “planner” has come in handy for Clarke when she writes her short fiction, but with her novels, if she doesn’t have a structured outline, she can easily become bogged down and forget where she’s at in the timeline of her work.

“I think everyone has their own process, and everyone does things a little differently,” she said.

Once she’s written her first draft, she reads it over and starts self-editing, going over her work several times. After that, Clarke reaches out to her writing groups and works with critique partners who are willing to beta read her novel. It’s important to get a few different pairs of eyes on her work and listen to feedback, Clarke said.

“I can keep cutting and polishing from there until I have a draft that I feel is ready to start querying agents with or submitted to small presses, or even self-publishing,” she said.

Showing her work to others, and eventually getting it published, is not only hard work but work that can be nerve-wracking as well, since authors pour so much of themselves into their creative work, Clarke said.

“It’s definitely a challenge. You’re being very brave. You’re putting yourself out there and being vulnerable,” she said.

Despite that, the excitement and sense of achievement that comes along with bringing a novel into the world is second to none, Clarke said. It’s all about taking that leap of faith and hoping that it will be met with an audience who will appreciate it, she added.

“It might be scary, but nothing ever comes from anything if you don’t try, if you never put your foot out there and actually do something,” she said. “You’ll never know unless you try. Maybe you could have something amazing, but if you never did it, you would never know.”

Clarke also uses writing as a creative outlet that is therapeutic in and of itself, she said.

“If I don’t write my stories, I’ll go crazy. You have to get them out.”

When it comes to her advice for other writers and would-be authors, Clarke says she recommends joining an in-person or virtual writing group, which helps to bolster confidence and keep writers on track.

“They’re all very creative and talented people, and they love to write in all kinds of different mediums. It’s good to critique other people’s work, even if it’s not in your normal genre, because it can expand your horizons and make connections.”

Clarke is currently working on the sequel to “The Big Ol’ Bike,” which tells the story of Oliver and other characters from the first book as they embark on new adventures as they attend a sleepaway summer camp.

“They get to this camp, it’s called Camp Run Amok, and the name is foreshadowing what’s to come when they’re out there,” she said. “All kinds of crazy shenanigans ensue.”

The book will also feature lessons on being happy with who you are and dealing with peer pressure.

Clarke is also working on the second book in the “Race to Novus” trilogy, which she says is about 95 per cent complete. She plans to write the third book in the series as part of this year’s NaNoWriMo event – also known as National Novel Writing Month.

Clarke will be on hand at the Brandon Public Library’s downtown location on April 13 at 10:30 a.m. for an author reading and book signing event of “Race to Novus.”

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