Welcome, friend! Today, I am chatting with author Rachael about her humourous short story collection, Let Your Lips Twitch, where she explores humour in a number of genres. Let’s welcome her.

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Get to know the author: Rachael Clarke

Welcome Rachael! Tell me and my readers a bit about yourself!

Hello! My name is Rachael Clarke (pseudonym R.A. Clarke) and I’m a former police officer turned stay-at-home-mom and author/illustrator living in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. I’m married and have two bright young boys who keep me busy at all times, which means I carve out writing time whenever I can—which is usually after the kids go to bed. Who needs sleep right? I love coffee, my dogs, cake, and borscht (but not the beet kind), and relaxing on the deck, whether that’s at home or at the lake. On the writing front, I am currently in the final stages of writing a science fiction novel that I hope to query literary agents with sometime this year. I also quite enjoy writing multi-genre short fiction, and am proud to say some of those stories have won various international short story competitions, including the Writer’s Games, Writers Weekly 24-Hour Contest, and Red Penguin Books’ Humour Contest. I was also fortunate enough to be named a finalist for both the 2021 Futurescapes Award and 2021 Dark Sire Award. Lastly, my children’s chapter book The Big Ol’ Bike was named a 2021 Hindi’s Libraries Females of Fiction Award Finalist. My work can be seen in various publications, some of which are free to read on my website: www.rachaelclarkewrites.com.

What inspired you to write this book?

The healing power of both writing and laughter, really. Back in 2017, I had to give up my policing career due to the onset of complex PTSD and debilitating panic attacks. I was a new mother at the time, desperately trying to cope, and it took years of recovery to get back to a manageable place. Aside from the support of my family, I turned back to my God-given creative talents—writing stories, poetry, and art. My old dreams of writing and illustrating resurfaced, and by the time 2019 rolled around, I knew I’d found the new purpose and passion for my life. I started writing picture books and trying my hand at illustrating. I found writing communities online and began entering short story contests. For my boys, I wrote/illustrated The Big Ol’ Bike, a children’s chapter book for ages 7-10, which was my very first published book. I dove headlong into writing, gravitating towards the speculative, scary, romantic, and often times… funny. So, I’ve leaned towards comedy ever since, feeling relatively at home there. Not only does it feel good to create something humorous—giving much needed lifts—but I also love the idea that my words might give others a boost, too. Having said that, in early 2022, after perusing through my file folders and seeing the fair amount of comical tales amassed there, the idea of publishing some of them kind of just struck and felt right.

How long did it take you to write this book, from the first idea to the last edit?

This book was a labour of love, spanning several years. I wrote stories that are included in this collection starting from back in 2019, all the way up to 2022. 

What makes your book unique?

We could all stand to smile and laugh more, and I love how comedy is so unpredictable. It can be dark, light, quiet, loud, sassy, slapstick, and so on. When I put Let Your Lips Twitch together, I really wanted to showcase the versatility of comedy and how its many varieties can leave a lasting impact on a person—the kind that elicits a smile or a laugh, even long after you’ve finished reading. I believe this world can never have enough humour. The same goes for funny short story collections, and that is what makes this book stand out.

Who would enjoy reading your book? 

I think any adult will find something to enjoy within this book, whether they’re mothers, wives, sisters, friends, siblings, fathers, husbands. Without a doubt, anybody who loves a touch of romance with their humour will be entertained, along with those who like sipping from more than one genre pool.

What’s something you hope readers would take away from it?

My simple hope is that readers will be left with a smile. You know the kind… like, when the credits roll after watching your favourite romantic comedy, and you feel so good inside, you just find yourself smiling. We only live once, and every day is so much brighter when there’s humour in it. Also, that funny things are everywhere, all around us—in the tiniest, simplest, or most bizarre of circumstances.

Do you have a favourite quote or chapter or story in the book that you find yourself going back to?

I love every page of this collection, but if I had to single something out, I’d say the ending of the last story called Clicking always leaves me feeling buoyant inside. It never gets old, no matter how many times I read it. I won’t spoil it by outlining what happens here, but when you read it, I hope you’ll see what I’m talking about.

What’s the best piece of advice you have received related to writing?

That it’s totally okay to take a break and step back to let the writing breathe sometimes. I have some pretty amazing and supportive friends in the writing world who’ve boosted me up and offered words of wisdom whenever I needed it, and they’ve all said some iteration of this at one time or another. I find if you do too much of something (even if it’s a great thing!), it can burn a person out. Especially if you are an overworking type, like I am. So, I force myself to take mini-breaks. A week or three here and there, and always after writing a big project. It clears my mind and gives the ol’ grey matter some space to think about other things for a while. By doing that, I find I always come back fresh and raring to go. Plus, it can have the added benefit of helping me see things clearer—like, if I was stuck on a major plot hole, then taking a mental breather will sometimes bring me the answer.

If you could give a shout out to someone(s) who has helped in your writer journey, please feel free to mention them below!

I’ll give a shout out to the amazing writing groups I’m a part of: Write Around the Block (WAB), and my local Night Writers. I can’t forget my highschool English teacher Paulette Buizer, who took extra time to edit my first ever novella and meet with me at a coffee shop to chat about writing. She told me I had skill and that I should definitely keep writing. I never forgot that.

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Book Excerpt from
Let Your Lips Twitch

EXCERPT FROM HAPPY ACCIDENTS (the winning story from Red Penguin Books’ 2022 humour contest):

Mona greeted us at the door, her speech slightly slurred. “Don, you came! And this is your beautiful wife? Gorgeous.” She purred the last line, eyes swiping us both up and down. Linda forced an awkward smile, clutching her mashed potato casserole. The upbeat music and chatter echoing down the hall seemed a little exuberant for this kind of meeting.  

“Keys into the bowl there. Don’t want any drunk drivers, right?” She winked playfully. I did as she asked. “Now, follow me.” Mona led the way down the hall. “You’re going to have a great time tonight. This is a delightful group, supportive and caring. Eager to learn what works best.”

I grinned, seizing my chance to sound knowledgeable. “Well, I certainly know a lot about what works best—I’m pretty regular. Twice a day without fail. Yep. But it wasn’t always that way.” Proudly presenting my pouch of bowel cleansing powder, I added, “It’s a custom mix. Really potent. With only tiny doses, this gets your whole system working like clockwork.”

Spying Linda’s eye roll, I sliced a glare her way.  

Mona faltered momentarily, turning around. She stared at the bag of granular white crystals a moment, then broke into excited giggles. “How delightful. Now, I’m extra glad I invited you! We’ll save that for later.” She gave my shoulder a playful slap, carrying on.

The hallway soon opened into a generous kitchen and living area. “Now, make yourselves at home. Mingle. Taste anything you see—remember, gastronomy is only half the fun of these meetings.” With a delicate finger wave, Mona sauntered off, and several sets of eyes swung our way, inspecting us like we were up for best in show.

A low growl rumbled in Linda’s throat. She hesitantly put her casserole down on the counter, the space already packed with all kinds of fancy-looking food platters. Turning her back on the strangers, her wide eyes locked on mine. “This is a gastronomy club?”

“Yeah, I told you that.”

She hissed between gritted teeth. “No, you said it was a gastroscopy club.”

I popped a cracker littered with colourful blobs into my mouth. “Right. Potato, potato, they’re the same thing. Who knew there were clubs dedicated to intestinal scopes?”

Linda’s eyes blazed. “No, they’re not the same! Gastronomy is—”

“Hello! My wife and I wanted to introduce ourselves.” A tall, James Bond-looking fellow and his platinum blond wife eagerly shook our hands. “We’re the Schandals. Like scandal, but with an ‘h.’ Luke and Tilly. Lovely to meet you.”

Smiling politely, Linda replied, “It’s lovely to meet you too. We’re Linda and Don.”

“Yes, we heard. Did you bring a dish? Goodness, we absolutely must try it,” Tilly said, leaning in. 

Linda shook her head emphatically, moving to block her casserole. “Oh, no, it’s nothing really. I-I was really rushed for time.”

I looked over, dumbfounded. “Linda, dear, what are you talking about?” I chuckled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “She makes the best mashed potatoes. Seriously. Dig in before they’re gone.” Linda’s eyes seared into mine like two hot fire pokers ready to impale.

Luke waved a hand. “I’m sure it’s delightful.” But after taking a bite, his tight expression belied a less than tickled palette. 

Cheeks flushing, Linda rushed to say, “I only use the finest Asian garlic and hand-churned butter from Morocco. The unique flavours can be an acquired taste.”Confused, I opened my mouth to speak, but Linda’s branded glare promptly shut it again—her unspoken warning to zip it received loud and clear. 

The couple simply nodded. The oh, I see kind. 

Tilly lowered her plate and raised her pencil-thin brows. “So, do your exotic tastes extend into other facets of life?“

I thought for a moment. “Well, I do enjoy a Heineken now and then.”

The couple looked at each other, then burst into laughter. Tilly said, “Oh! Mona didn’t tell us how funny you are. I hope the keys swing our way tonight.” She smiled with a hunger that wasn’t for food. Then the pair continued mingling.

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Interested?

Find Let Your Lips Twitch on Goodreads and Amazon.

Thank you for hanging out with us today! Connect with Rachael on her website, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

I am curious about the versatility of comedy and look forward to reading this book.

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Cover Photo on Unsplash