Lillian Clark
Hi Kelly! Thank you for the question :).
Let's see... I can answer this in a few ways.
First, my family of course. They inspire me to work hard and keep going. I was fortunate to grow up surrounded by readers. Before he went on to dental school, my grandpa studied Chaucer! (Who my English Major Heart still adores. The Canterbury Tales are fascinating, and super dirty and weird.) And both of my grandmothers were ecstatic and devoted readers. Now, thinking of my three year-old, I'm inspired to write books that he'll hopefully want to read someday!
Artistically, good books and beautiful writing will always inspire me. Authors like M T Anderson, Laura Ruby, Jandy Nelson, George Saunders, Vonnegut, Murakami, Leigh Bardugo, Laini Taylor, David Arnold, Nicola Yoon, Traci Chee, Philip Pullman, and so many more; across all age ranges and genres, brilliant and thoughtful storytelling inspires me like nothing else.
And finally, I find writing for teens incredibly inspiring in and of itself. Being a teen (even more so today, I think, than when I was one oh-so many years ago, haha) is so complex and exciting and terrifying and intense. It's often the first time you're faced with the enormity of figuring out who you are, what you stand for, what you want, and what the heck you're doing with your self and your life. It's daunting and thrilling at the same time. And I find that mix incredibly inspiring.
(Wow, I'm long-winded... I'll blame the whole "novel writing" thing, ha.)
Let's see... I can answer this in a few ways.
First, my family of course. They inspire me to work hard and keep going. I was fortunate to grow up surrounded by readers. Before he went on to dental school, my grandpa studied Chaucer! (Who my English Major Heart still adores. The Canterbury Tales are fascinating, and super dirty and weird.) And both of my grandmothers were ecstatic and devoted readers. Now, thinking of my three year-old, I'm inspired to write books that he'll hopefully want to read someday!
Artistically, good books and beautiful writing will always inspire me. Authors like M T Anderson, Laura Ruby, Jandy Nelson, George Saunders, Vonnegut, Murakami, Leigh Bardugo, Laini Taylor, David Arnold, Nicola Yoon, Traci Chee, Philip Pullman, and so many more; across all age ranges and genres, brilliant and thoughtful storytelling inspires me like nothing else.
And finally, I find writing for teens incredibly inspiring in and of itself. Being a teen (even more so today, I think, than when I was one oh-so many years ago, haha) is so complex and exciting and terrifying and intense. It's often the first time you're faced with the enormity of figuring out who you are, what you stand for, what you want, and what the heck you're doing with your self and your life. It's daunting and thrilling at the same time. And I find that mix incredibly inspiring.
(Wow, I'm long-winded... I'll blame the whole "novel writing" thing, ha.)
More Answered Questions
Mackenzie Virginia
asked
Lillian Clark:
This is not a question, but I just wanted to thank both you and your sensitivity reader for the character of Reese in Immoral Code. While I obviously enjoyed the book as a whole, I originally picked it up specifically because of the ace representation, and I was so heartened by what I found. ?
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