Hey readers! Christian Author S.E. Clancy joins me today for an interview. She’s known for penning quotes that inspire keep it real like, “Heat, pressure, and time make diamonds, BUT they also make waffles,” and “Am I supposed to pray over leftovers? Lord, it’s me again with this spaghetti.” Welcome, Sarah!

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LB: Should we call you S.E. or Sarah? I mean, if you’re on the witness protection program, we don’t want to blab your actual name. 

SEC: Sarah is great. When I’m asked how to spell it, I remind them that not only is it the Biblical spelling, but spelled out backwards it sounds like harass. That usually sticks with them.

LB: Hehe, that is memorable. You have shared that you wrote Victoria Grace, the Jerk Face as a dare from your daughter. Well, what does she think of the finished product? 

SEC: As a fellow bibliophile, I share my love of books with her. I agreed to buy books that passed the five page flip test: five random pages with no swearing or sex. You’d be amazed how many Young Adult books fail that test. When she dared me to write a book she would like, it wasn’t a small challenge. We’ve all read plenty of books that are “meh.” The whole thing was inspired by a service project at her school. While it wasn’t as specific as the book, it was my mom who suggested my daughter visit a nursing home (where my mom worked). Even I had a visceral reaction to that suggestion. But the spark hit the tinder of “what if” and that’s where it grew. Originally, it was a flash fiction piece that was only 497 words, but I loved it so much that it grew like a piece of soap in the microwave. Corbin also wasn’t in the original cut, but that changed early on.

LB: Wow, from hearing about the service project to writing 497 words to developing it into a full novel – you have a great imagination! I love the friendship that blossoms between teenager Victoria and nursing home resident Marigold. What is the importance of intergenerational friendships? 

SEC: One of the things my mom learned after moving from hospital work (as an open-heart registered nurse) to working with nursing home residents is that a great portion of them are placed and forgotten, for lack of a better term. Most receive no visitors, no cards, no flowers. An art exhibit hit the internet by Tom Hussey portraying elderly subjects looking at their younger self reflections in a mirror and it punched me in the feels because everyone at the nursing home has stories that are being forgotten. There is wisdom to pass onto other generations, even when most of it is ignored.

LB: That is so true, and I’m so glad you showed that through Victoria and Marigold’s friendship. Your YA voice is strong. Can we convince your daughter to dare you to write any more YA books? 

SEC: Yes, yes, the Force is strong with this YA voice. Frankly, I love the genre and the gap it serves. We YA readers are either in the throes of going through the proverbial apocalypse of our life in that age bracket (technically, it’s 16-21 years old) or we have keen memories of how it felt to be pulled sideways, upways, diagonalways, while figuring out how to answer when anyone asked what we wanted to do as a job. I have a couple of pieces in the fire right now! One is an original story and the other is a YA contemporary retelling of Jane Eyre, without the gross age gap.

LB: Woohoo! Please keep us posted on these upcoming releases! You’ve also written a couple Biblical retellings. What do you think is the value of contemporary renditions of Biblical stories? 

SEC: There are no stories in the Bible that don’t have a purpose. Even the book of Esther, which never mentions the word “God,” has a reason. I can drone on and on and on about Rahab because she is intriguing. The context of her life and circumstances were bonkers. A prostitute with a working knowledge of the king of Jericho who happens to be in Jesus’ lineage. And all of the Bible stories about the flax on the roof and the red rope.

LB: I also find Rahab’s story fascinating, and I often think of the spies reporting back to Joshua. Imagine them trying to explain, “The recon was great, and we met the nicest harlot,” and Joshua was probably wringing his hands going, “Guys! That was not part of the plan!” And then like you say, her role in helping the Israelites and being Boaz’s mom is all so cool.

SEC: *ahem* Let me step onto my soapbox for this one. People just didn’t go out and buy a red rope back then, nor was it shipped via donkey Amazon. Red dye was more expensive than purple because it was the only color non-royalty could wear. And it’s not like there were Ziploc bags, either. Jericho is in a swampy area and if you’ve been in a swampy place, there’s mold. Hence the rope. Red dye powder couldn’t be stored so it was boiled into ropes. Now a rope that long to lower the spies would’ve easily been a couple years worth of wages. The flax on the roof? It wasn’t lying flat like the pictures show. When you want to dry long stalks (like corn), you lean them together in a teepee shape. Now does it make sense how the spies could hide and not be seen?

Oh, I love a good rabbit trail!

LB: Oh, how interesting! So Rahab was wealthy and sacrificial! Thank you for the informative rabbit trail. Is there a main takeaway or overarching theme that you hope readers gain from your writing? 

SEC: God didn’t make any mistakes when He created you. Nor did He make you to fit a mold to be like everyone else. You may have a monumental life-defining moment, or not, but you are here with purpose. Find out what that is and spread joy.

LB: That’s a wonderful takeaway! Tell us how your sense of humor helps you roll with the punches of life. 

SEC: There are so many more reasons to find joy in life rather than to be bitter. Yes, craptastic circumstances happen. God allows them to happen to refine our character. HOW we react is up to us. I choose humor a lot of the time because I’d rather make people laugh, even if they have just a blip of relief from whatever junk is flowing through their life at the moment. I’m not immune to said river of ick, but if I redirect my tendency to wallow to help others smile, it’s a win and it helps me dig out of that hole.

LB: Well keep writing, because the ability to give laughter in life is an enormous gift! What can readers expect next from you?

SEC: I hang out in fanfiction websites under a super secret handle. I have a sarcastic devotional that is in the hands of a publisher right now for consideration. 30 days of fast ninja Bible chop devotions. And, of course, finishing up the Jane Eyre retelling to also pass forward. 

LB: I’m glad there’s more to come! Thank you so much for being here today! Readers, check out Sarah’s books and comment below which are your favorite.

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An adrenaline junkie, S.E. Clancy has skydived, worked as a 9-1-1 dispatcher, and raised two daughters with her husband of over 25 years in Northern California. A bit of a sci-fi nerd, geek, and self-proclaimed dork, there isn’t much she won’t try at least once … unless it involves mayonnaise, because that stuff is just gross.