Deborah Clack
https://www.deborahclack.com/
Author of Even After This
T4JYM: Today your latest book, Even After This, releases. Can you tell our readers what they can expect from it?
DC: Thank you so much for having me today!
Four years of grief. One botched dinner reservation. A movie star who can’t dance but makes her heart race anyway, and the story of what happens when you’re finally ready to live again.
The idea began with a funny, offhanded comment from my husband about how if he died, I would just go live at the Broadmoor Hotel because it’s my happy place. But the guts of the romance came to me through several tough losses that poured onto the pages of Meredith and Harlan’s story.
I know that saying I wrote a romance about grief is not a great selling point! Hang in there with me. I think grief is universal. It doesn’t have to be death. It can simply be change. Something happened and we’re left with feelings. All the feelings. So then what happens?
What does it take to recover from loss and live again? An awkward heroine on Famous People Probation and an endearing hero who just so happens to be a celebrity.
This book is about grief and struggle, but also humor and hope, sometimes all at the same time. Even After This is a real-life combination of the messy and the beautiful because that’s how I experience life. Can it get serious? Yes. But also could you laugh in some spots? For sure. I promise you that I won’t take you down to the bottom of the pit and leave you there. I’m going to bring you back up and hopefully you will laugh, but also, maybe you will find a piece of yourself in this story.
T4JYM: What is next for you? Are you working on something new? Anything different?
DC: Even After This is book 1 in the Shelter & Sky series. So right now, I’m working on the edits for book 2 in the series that releases October 2026. You’ll meet Penelope Reid in book 1. She’s the hero’s assistant who could run the world with her efficiency and organizational skills. In book 2, due to circumstances out of her control, she must work with security consultant Luke Grainger who has a gleam in his eye, total irreverence for Penelope’s clipboard, and a mile-wide protective streak. Which Penelope’s going to need when she makes a mistake she might not recover from. It’s the opposites attract story you want for both of these characters, but not at all what you’re expecting. I cannot wait to share it with you!
T4JYM: I was so impressed with your post, White Pants, that I wanted readers to have the opportunity to view it, too. Thank you for being so vulnerable. What kind of feedback have you received from visitors to your website?
Thank you so much for your kind words about the White Pants post! Can I just tell you something funny about that post? I always thought of it as me encouraging the world to lean into something new and uncomfortable. But last spring, I was in a pretty tough life situation. I had a group of women show up to a prayer meeting all wearing … WHITE PANTS!! They did this to encourage me, but I didn’t catch on at first. One of the women said, “I’m wearing my white pants.” And I just looked at her and thought, “Okay.” But then eight other women showed up, all with big smiles and white pants. I was totally slow on the uptake, but once I understood what was happening, I just have to tell you that it meant the world to me. It never occurred to me that white pants would be used that way, which is such a bizarre thing to even say out loud. But it was powerfully encouraging and still makes me smile.
T4JYM: Let’s explore a few more favorites… What is your favorite: Food? Drink? Color? TV show? Musician/Band? Hobby? Movie? Book of the Bible? Bible Verse? Worship Song?
DC:
- Food: Pizza
- Drink: Coke (I actually eat semi-healthy, but pizza and a Coke will always be my favorite)
- Color: Pink
- TV Show: Parks and Recreation
- Musician/Band: John Denver, various soundtracks, Brandon Lake…you never know what you’re going to get on my Spotify list!
- Hobby: I am laughing over here because my automatic response is ‘writing’ but that’s my profession. I guess that’s how much I love it!! But for a real hobby? I just learned how to play Mahjong. I’m terrible at it, but I keep trying.
- Movie: Star Wars, While You Were Sleeping, Pride and Prejudice, The Bourne Legacy. Again, you never know what you’re going to get! I just like a good story.
- Book of the Bible: Judges
- Bible Verse: “We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Romans 8:37
- Worship Song: Tear off the Roof by Brandon Lake
T4JYM: What advice would you give to someone interested in publishing their work?
DC: Keep your head down and constantly sit at the feet of Jesus. Ask God who He is and who He thinks you are. Ask God what is next for you, not for the writer next to you. There’s so much writing advice out there, and honestly, not all of it is for you. Should you learn the craft? For sure. Learn all the rules so you know why you need to break some of them later. Should you get in a critique group or find a writing partner? If you can. Hearing feedback from others is important, especially so you know how to shift and grow through the editorial process. But, also so you can learn to hear feedback and stand up for the work you believe in. Should you enter contests and attend conferences? Maybe. Those kinds of things get expensive, but there is a community out there ready to embrace you.
But the most important thing to remember is that God gifted you. And no one else can be an expert in how He gifted you … except Him. He wired you differently than other people. He put you where you are in life today. He has a plan. So the best advice from the best writers won’t mean anything unless that advice was meant for you from the Lord.
Everything I just listed takes me back to the cross constantly. Crafting my stories with Him. Hearing critiques with His ear. Walking through contests and pitching my work at conferences completely dependent on Him. This industry can be the most heartbreaking experience. Even After This spent ten years in rejection. But for me, the industry and publishing journey has also been one of the most tangible ways that God shows me who He is. The path to get here was paved in so many ways that I know it can only be Him, so I make every effort to sit at the feet of the cross and wait on the Lord for the next step.
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