Why I Write - Where Ideas Come From
Where did you grow up?
 I grew up in the town of Lloyd Harbor in Long Island, New York. My backyard was surrounded by woods and marshland, perfect for exploring nature. I remember the hollow crunching sound walking on soggy marsh grass, and skating on frozen pond water in the winter. There was also a history to this area - a Big Oak tree that dated back to Revolutionary times, and old estates with stables and carriage houses that once were used for housing horses not cars for transportation. My friends and I would play horse masters in an abandoned stable, pretending our bikes were horses and catching air riding over piles of dirt and straw.
What were your favorite books growing up?
 Animal Stories: Charlotte’s Web by, E.B.White; The Wind in the Willows by, Kenneth Grahame; Doctor Doolittle by, Hugh Lofting;
Adventure: Island of the Blue Dolphins by, Scott O’Dell; The Secret Garden by, Frances Hodgson Burnett; My Father’s Dragon by, Ruth Stiles Gannet
Historical Fiction: Johnny Tremain by, Esther Forbes; Blue Willow by, Doris Gates,
Fantasy and Folktale: Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books by, Betty MacDonald; Pippi Longstocking books and the Children of Noisy Village books by, Astrid Lindgren; and Grimms’ Tales.
When did you first start writing? Did you dream of being a writer?
 I wrote my first story in third grade, a mystery play we acted out in class called Murder By Death. I remember one of the boys in class having to fall off a ladder and pretend to play dead, but when we acted it out in front of an audience, he forgot to break his fall and landed on his nose instead. In fifth grade, I had a wonderful teacher named Mrs. Robinson who had us write rhyming poetry using colors, and stories that we wrote and illustrated ourselves. I had an aunt who worked at a publishing house, Oxford University Press, so with Mrs. Robinson’s encouragement, I submitted my story to that publisher and received a letter back that said please resubmit to us when you are older. That, and someday being a teacher like Mrs. Robinson, became my dream.
Do you have favorite pet story?
 My first dog was a strong, lovable Labrador Retriever named Babe. My dad would call the family to dinner by holding a metal pot up to her wagging tail. I was a sleep walker when I was young. One night, I got up while I was asleep and walked out the front door. My parents had guests for dinner and didn’t hear me leave. But Babe did. She followed me down the driveway and then blocked my way so that I could not walk into the street. Her barking alerted my parents. They ran down to find me standing at the end of the driveway with Babe. I was still asleep!
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Can I Quote You ?
Testimonials
At a staff meeting today one of the teachers showed a dramatic change in one student’s writing that she attributed to Clare’s work with her class. The student analyzed the earlier writing stating that she needed to include more details, add conversation to move her writing forward, and to improve the ending. Then the student wrote a second piece which did just that!
- Marilyn Loveness, Principal, West Woodland Elementary
Book Reviews & Awards
Lootas Little Wave Eater
"All alone, in the cold quiet waters of Uganik Bay in southern Alaska, a sea otter gave birth to a female pup. Floating on her back, she licked the small wet ball of fur nestled on her belly."
Selected as a 1999 Notable Book for Children by Smithsonian Magazine.
2005 Washington State Library's Washington Summer Reads Selection on the theme of "courage."
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Sneak Preview
Read and respond to Clare’s new work
Eli’s True North – A Middle Grade Novel
First Page of Chapter 1
Eli loved the smell of hay as much as he loved horses. He figured that being born in a barn had something to do with it. To hear his mother tell the story, the sudden snowstorm was another disaster in a long list of unhappy events since they’d moved to Montana, only this one had a happy ending.
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