The Clackity
Lora Senf
February 3, 2022
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Hi Lora, it’s great connecting with you.
Let’s start with your debut book The Clackity. What is it about? Nearly-thirteen-year-old Evie Von Rathe lives in Blight Harbor, the seventh-most haunted town in America (per capita). Her Aunt Desdemona, the local paranormal expert and otherworldly advice columnist, doesn’t have many rules. One absolute, iron-clad rule is to stay out of the abandoned abattoir at the edge of town. Evie obeys – until she doesn’t, following her aunt to the slaughterhouse one bright June day. When her aunt disappears into the abattoir, Evie goes searching for her. |
Photo: courtesy of the artist |
There she meets The Clackity, a creature that lives in the shadows and seams of the slaughterhouse. The Clackity promises to help Evie get Desdemona back in exchange for the ghost of John Jeffrey Pope, a serial killer who stalked Blight Harbor a hundred years earlier, and who has unspeakable ties to the abattoir. To find them both, Evie crosses through the abattoir to a strange neighborhood of seven houses. She must make her way through them, one by one, until she reaches the seventh house, and her aunt. The task sounds simple enough, except these aren’t regular houses, and she’s being followed by a dead man. Save her aunt, escape a dead serial killer, and get them all back to The Clackity before the sun sets. None of it is going to be easy, especially with Evie’s panic attacks, but the strange neighborhood plays by its own set of rules, and some of them might just be in Evie’s favor.
How would you describe your journey from the initial idea of writing a book to the finished product?
I’d call it an unexpected journey, but I think that line has been taken. The story grew from two seeds – a random text from my sister and a visit to an abandoned abattoir in my husband’s hometown of Butte, Montana. Those two things happened months apart but when they came together, I had a whole story. Fortunately, my agent loved it and we found a wonderful editor who felt the same way.
The best moment to date might have been when I saw my cover for the first time. I’m so, so grateful to have worked with the incredibly talented Alfredo Cáceres. He’s a brilliant artist and his cover art and interior illustrations for The Clackity perfectly capture the heart and darkness and whimsy of the story. Proof it was meant to be: Alfredo illustrated covers for a number of Spanish editions of books by John Bellairs, and John Bellairs was my first favorite author when I was a kid. It really felt like coming full circle.
Can you tell us what you learned about yourself as a writer while writing The Clackity?
The most important thing I learned writing The Clackity is that my best work comes when I write from my heart and not my head. That sounds trite, I know, but it’s true. This book is my love letter to stories, and to readers who love stories as much as I do. When you write from that place, the work becomes a joy.
I also learned to trust my instincts and to trust the story to help guide me—I let The Clackity get as strange and surreal as it wanted to. I was able to do that because I trust kids. Children are smarter than us and better than us and they don’t need adults to talk--or write—down to them. Kids handle scary and surreal better than most grownups, and they are wonderfully open to the possibility magic is real. Taken together, that means we children’s authors must respect our readers and be authentic in our storytelling or our audience will call us out on our BS in a heartbeat. Sorry, that was a tangent, but kids are rad and the best possible readers to write for.
How would you describe your journey from the initial idea of writing a book to the finished product?
I’d call it an unexpected journey, but I think that line has been taken. The story grew from two seeds – a random text from my sister and a visit to an abandoned abattoir in my husband’s hometown of Butte, Montana. Those two things happened months apart but when they came together, I had a whole story. Fortunately, my agent loved it and we found a wonderful editor who felt the same way.
The best moment to date might have been when I saw my cover for the first time. I’m so, so grateful to have worked with the incredibly talented Alfredo Cáceres. He’s a brilliant artist and his cover art and interior illustrations for The Clackity perfectly capture the heart and darkness and whimsy of the story. Proof it was meant to be: Alfredo illustrated covers for a number of Spanish editions of books by John Bellairs, and John Bellairs was my first favorite author when I was a kid. It really felt like coming full circle.
Can you tell us what you learned about yourself as a writer while writing The Clackity?
The most important thing I learned writing The Clackity is that my best work comes when I write from my heart and not my head. That sounds trite, I know, but it’s true. This book is my love letter to stories, and to readers who love stories as much as I do. When you write from that place, the work becomes a joy.
I also learned to trust my instincts and to trust the story to help guide me—I let The Clackity get as strange and surreal as it wanted to. I was able to do that because I trust kids. Children are smarter than us and better than us and they don’t need adults to talk--or write—down to them. Kids handle scary and surreal better than most grownups, and they are wonderfully open to the possibility magic is real. Taken together, that means we children’s authors must respect our readers and be authentic in our storytelling or our audience will call us out on our BS in a heartbeat. Sorry, that was a tangent, but kids are rad and the best possible readers to write for.
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Were there any moments when you felt like quitting? If yes, how did you overcome the difficulties?
Like my main character I live with anxiety, so quitting stuff is something I think about all the time. But not with this book. I loved every minute I spent writing it, revising it, and praying for safe travels while it was out on submission. There were certainly times I worried no one else would get it, that it wouldn’t be commercial enough to get picked up. But I never felt like quitting on it.
Who are your biggest cheerleaders? Who have you been cheering for these days?
I’m so fortunate to have a lot of incredible people in my corner—more than I probably deserve. Family, friends, and my small but mighty writing group all saw me through the early drafts and self-doubt and neurotic worrying. Also, of course, my agent and editor and the whole team of professionals it takes to turn a story into a book.
Today I’m cheering for all my fellow authors debuting in 2022. But I’m always cheering loudest for—and any time I get the chance, gleefully yelling about—all the writers who are putting wonderful, hopeful, spooky-as-hell children’s horror out into the world.
Do you feel like sharing any random thoughts with us on this cold February day?
Up until a week ago, I though gription was a word my daughter made up. Google proved me wrong. It’s still a good word, but I liked it better before I knew it was real.
Give us a peek of your writing nook. Did you stick to a rigid writing schedule for your book? Tell us more about your writing routine.
I fantasize about the day I’ll have a writing routine, but that isn’t today. I have a fulltime job and eight-year-old twins, so I write when I can. Mostly at night. But there are times I just don’t have any words in me at the end of the day. I have so many stories in my head, and so many worlds I want to explore, but I do what I can with the time I have.
We have an ongoing campaign titled #BeatTheBlues on ways to prioritize mental health. What does Lora Senf do to #BeatTheBlues?
I start and end my day with gratitude. Every day, no exceptions. Even the days that suck. Especially the days that suck.
I read stories that make me happy. Horror (for kids and adults) makes me the happiest, so that’s what I’m usually turning the pages of.
I connect with people I love and who love me. That can be time with my husband and kids, or texting with a friend. I’m a hardcore introvert who is happiest in a dim room with a good book, but there’s nothing better for the soul than telling another person you love them and meaning it.
Any advice for aspiring writers?
There is more writing advice out there than there are authors. Some of it’s good, some is garbage, and it’s almost all subjective. There’s no one right way to do this. The best advice I can give anyone is to write your story, your way, in your time. That’s really all a writer can control.
Share with us one of your favorite lines from your debut book The Clackity.
Favorites are so tough, so I’ll give you a bit that’s meaningful.
Evie, the protagonist of The Clackity, is a girl who’s dealt with more than her share of loss and uncertainty and lives with intense anxiety. I think this moment tells you a whole lot about her and her motivations:
We never parted without saying I love you. It was a rule. My rule. Because you could never know. You always think you’re going to see someone again, but you really, truly never know. And of all the worries on my list, I guess that was the one that scared me the most.
Thank you & Good Luck!
Like my main character I live with anxiety, so quitting stuff is something I think about all the time. But not with this book. I loved every minute I spent writing it, revising it, and praying for safe travels while it was out on submission. There were certainly times I worried no one else would get it, that it wouldn’t be commercial enough to get picked up. But I never felt like quitting on it.
Who are your biggest cheerleaders? Who have you been cheering for these days?
I’m so fortunate to have a lot of incredible people in my corner—more than I probably deserve. Family, friends, and my small but mighty writing group all saw me through the early drafts and self-doubt and neurotic worrying. Also, of course, my agent and editor and the whole team of professionals it takes to turn a story into a book.
Today I’m cheering for all my fellow authors debuting in 2022. But I’m always cheering loudest for—and any time I get the chance, gleefully yelling about—all the writers who are putting wonderful, hopeful, spooky-as-hell children’s horror out into the world.
Do you feel like sharing any random thoughts with us on this cold February day?
Up until a week ago, I though gription was a word my daughter made up. Google proved me wrong. It’s still a good word, but I liked it better before I knew it was real.
Give us a peek of your writing nook. Did you stick to a rigid writing schedule for your book? Tell us more about your writing routine.
I fantasize about the day I’ll have a writing routine, but that isn’t today. I have a fulltime job and eight-year-old twins, so I write when I can. Mostly at night. But there are times I just don’t have any words in me at the end of the day. I have so many stories in my head, and so many worlds I want to explore, but I do what I can with the time I have.
We have an ongoing campaign titled #BeatTheBlues on ways to prioritize mental health. What does Lora Senf do to #BeatTheBlues?
I start and end my day with gratitude. Every day, no exceptions. Even the days that suck. Especially the days that suck.
I read stories that make me happy. Horror (for kids and adults) makes me the happiest, so that’s what I’m usually turning the pages of.
I connect with people I love and who love me. That can be time with my husband and kids, or texting with a friend. I’m a hardcore introvert who is happiest in a dim room with a good book, but there’s nothing better for the soul than telling another person you love them and meaning it.
Any advice for aspiring writers?
There is more writing advice out there than there are authors. Some of it’s good, some is garbage, and it’s almost all subjective. There’s no one right way to do this. The best advice I can give anyone is to write your story, your way, in your time. That’s really all a writer can control.
Share with us one of your favorite lines from your debut book The Clackity.
Favorites are so tough, so I’ll give you a bit that’s meaningful.
Evie, the protagonist of The Clackity, is a girl who’s dealt with more than her share of loss and uncertainty and lives with intense anxiety. I think this moment tells you a whole lot about her and her motivations:
We never parted without saying I love you. It was a rule. My rule. Because you could never know. You always think you’re going to see someone again, but you really, truly never know. And of all the worries on my list, I guess that was the one that scared me the most.
Thank you & Good Luck!
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