Interview with Clover Callahan

 

Biography

She is a Canadian romance writer and author of The Fate Date, opposites attract, fake dating romcom.

When not crafting spicy romcoms, you can find her consulting the stars, reading tarot cards, sewing book inspired garments or debating if grumpy heroes are, in fact, just misunderstood.

Credit : About - The Clover Patch 🍀

Questions

What do you like the most about romance?

When a romance is really well written, I love seeing through the character’s eyes why they are specifically in love with another character. Not when it’s vague, when they notice the little, quirky things that make someone unique and think to themselves: “damn, this person is cool.” There’s a special magic is witnessing and falling for someone for who they truly are.

Why did you choose to write about tarot cards?

I developed an interest in tarot during COVID. I’d read lots of books with magic and witchcraft in them, but I had never read one that featured someone who read tarot cards – at least without it being gimmicky, or as an eccentric side character. It was fun to weave in my own tarot knowledge and reflective approach to tarot into a book—I’d never seen that before.

What advice would you give to a new author?

Hmmm. Couple of things:

-          Don’t underestimate the power of connection

Writing is so often a solitary endeavour. Finding a community (local writing group, online critique partner, discord chat, etc) can help motivate you, they have connections and they can offer feedback to improve your craft. Nerd out!

-          Writing is a creative, iterative process

The steps are the same for everyone: outlining, drafting, revising, editing & publishing (then you go back to outlining – it’s cyclical, not linear) The HOW though, YOUR process, what works for you, is deeply personal. Just because your favourite author does something one way, doesn’t mean it will work for you. Your process will change with every book and every season of life. That’s the journey. That’s the learning. That’s the fun.

What struggles did you meet when you wrote your first book?

I absolutely hate the advice: “Embrace the Messy First Draft”

I get it—some people get caught up in perfectionism, overthinking, or finding time to write. But I see this advice everywhere and I need to warn you: at the end of writing the messy first draft, you will be left with a MESSY FIRST DRAFT. And for me, at least, this is more daunting than a blank page. Unless you have the skills (either personal talent or knowledge of craft) to revise, re-write and chisel out the story from that messy first draft, it can feel overwhelming and disheartening. My very first book had a great concept, was so much fun to write, and was definitely healing for me in so many ways. But it won’t see the light of day, not without a full re-write that I only NOW have the skills to attempt.

I am a hit the pavement running with a new idea kind of person, so for me, the opposite advice is what I give myself. Crack open the craft book (I love Story Genius by Lisa Cron), find an outline that you love (I have one called “Romancing the Cat” that is a mashup of Jessica Brody and Gwen Hayes), and read up on expectations when it comes to prose and mechanics (The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman was a gamechanger for me).

Do you listen to music when you are writing? If yes, do you have a special song?

Not for this book but I do for my current WIP. I like to make playlists for my projects during/after writing them. Usually, the lyrics or vibe might jog a memory for me. For The Fate Date, I loved the songs:

The Rush – JJ Wilde

11:11—Arkells

Stargazing – Myles Smith

Would That I - Hozier

Black Magic – Little Mix

Hazel Eyes – Sabrina Jordan

Love Gets Me Every Time – Shania Twain

Rose-Coloured Glasses – Blue Rodeo

Re-write the Stars – James Arthur, Anne-Marie

Willow - Taylor Swift

Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me) – Train

Mystical Magical – Benson Boone

What are your next projects?

These are the hard-hitting questions I don’t want to answer haha!

Right now, I’m on a bit of a side quest. I’ve been writing (and re-writing and revising) a novel for about two years now so that I can query it for traditional publishing. I think I’m close to the end of my fifth draft now, but who’s counting? (me. I am. I am very ready to set it aside.) No matter how this book is published though, I’m so deeply proud of it.

I’ve written about 20% of the next novel in the Glengarry Curse series. I’m excited to dig into that one next and get back to drafting!

I also have a Canadian historical romance draft tucked away for a rainy day. Think: The Bourne Identity meets Murdoch Mysteries meets Tessa Dare.