Inside The Indie Author: A Conversation with Clay Boura

Diana Kathryn
May 25
8 min read

Have you ever considered writing under a pseudonym, and why or why not?

I have not. It’s just not something I have ever thought about or considered.

What is your “go-to” method for working through or around writer’s block?

I will typically re-read my current books for inspiration. If that doesn’t work, I ask my wife and kids or my nieces and nephews, who often help me come up with great ideas.

From your perspective, what are the most important elements of good writing?

The first things that come to mind are spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc. However, above and beyond those things, I think it is important to write from your heart. When someone writes about something that they are interested in or passionate about, it is much easier. Also, the writing is so much more natural and flows freely and isn’t forced. This can also allow for more creativity. I think when I am reading something, it is often easy to distinguish between a writer who has written about a topic that they are passionate about and a writer who has written about a topic they are not passionate about.

What comes first – the location, the plot, or the characters – and why?

My books are all about a young boy, Beamer, who dreams up stories in his head for where he thinks various English idioms come from. The idioms that I use for each book typically come naturally from my day-to-day life. Upon hearing or using an idiom that I think would be good for a book, I then come up with the plot and location of the “story” that Beamer dreams up. This then leads me to creating the various characters.

What are your least favorite and most favorite things about publishing a book?

My least favorite part about publishing a book is all of the file formatting. My absolute favorite part about publishing a book is the day I get to receive the finished product in my hands for the very first time. After spending months and months writing and illustrating and formatting, holding the final product in my hands is extremely rewarding and satisfying.

What is a significant way your book changed from the first to the final draft?

I tend to be very organized in the way that I write my books and so they don’t typically change too much from beginning to end. I first come up with the English Idiom that my book will focus on. I then create the “story” or “dream” that my main character, Beamer, comes up with to help explain where he believes the idiom may have come from. Then I write out the actual story, page by page, which helps me to get an idea for and visualize what each illustration will be. Then, once the entire story has been written, I begin illustrating until I am finished. So my process is very linear and I don’t typically have many changes in the written story. I tend to change my illustrations more than I change my written stories.

What was the inspiration for your most recent book?

My most recent book, Leave it to Beamer Presents: Get the Ball Rolling, came to me while at one of my daughter’s soccer games. I overheard someone use the idiom “get the ball rolling” in reference to starting the soccer game and the creative juices instantly started flowing and the wheels started turning and an idea hit me at that moment!

What is a “darling” you’ve killed in a book that you’d like to resurrect in a future book?

Ha ha! I write children’s book! So I don’t ever kill off any of my characters! The closest I’ve come to that is putting a cat in a bag!

Where are your most productive writing spaces, and what elements are important about that space to keep you focused on writing?

I love the water and being in and around the water. My house has a very large natural pond behind it and we have a deck overlooking the water. I also live very close to a bay and a large, major river. So I love to sit by the water when I write or illustrate. I think the reason why I love working in those spaces is because it is such a nice, calming, relaxing atmosphere which allows me to center myself and focus. I am able to leave all of the stresses and complications of everyday life behind and just focus on my writing and illustrating.

If you were to give one of your side characters a novella of their own, who would it be, and why do you think they need their own story?

I think I would give a side story to either Monterey Jack, the hero mouse knight from Leave it to Beamer Presents: Don’t Let the Cat Out of the Bag, or to the Elephant Ninjas from Leave it to Beamer Presents: The Elephant in the Room. I just think it could be fun to explore some further adventures with them saving the day.

What risks have you taken with your writing that made the book better?

My books are all about a young boy dreaming up silly stories in his mind for where he thinks various English Idioms originated from. Beginning with my first book, my wife – who is a teacher – suggested that I add an educational component to my books. So at the back of every single one of my books, I go a step further to explain what an idiom is, what the idiom from that book means and where it actually originated from and why we use it today.

What’s the best monetary investment you’ve ever made with regard to your writing practice?

This is less for my writing and more for my illustrating, but my best monetary investment has been my Apple iPad. It GREATLY reduces the number of steps and the amount of time it takes me to do my illustrations.

When you first began writing, what was a common procrastination trap you encountered, and how did you overcome it?

When I started my very first book, I had a full-time day job with a wife and 3 young kids at home. At the end of the day, it was very hard to find the time and energy to work on my book. So to help motivate myself, I sketched out the cover image for my book on a piece of paper. Then I grabbed one of my kid’s children’s books and I taped the sketch to the cover of that book and I stood the book up on my dresser in my bedroom.

What is your writing software of choice, and what is its best feature?

I typically just use Microsoft Word when writing my stories. I have a template that I created which has a spot for writing out the text on each page and a spot for explaining what the illustration will be on each page. This is fairly simple, but helps me to keep things organized.

Do characters’ names come immediately to you? Do you add them in a final draft? Where do you find names, and how do you make a final decision about the names you’ll use?

I have a very large immediate family with 18 nieces and nephews and I like to use their names for the characters in my stories. I have also used my own kids’ names as well.

Tell us one of your favorite novels, and why this book is a favorite.

The entire Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien. I have always loved the fantasy genre and I have always loved Medieval themed stories with knights and wizards and dragons and all of the various races like orcs, elves and dwarves. The Lord of the Rings series has been a longtime favorite of mine because it combines all of these things. Coincidentally, I placed a Lord of the Rings easter egg in my very first children’s book, Leave it to Beamer Presents: Don’t Let the Cat Out of the Bag!

What are you reading right now?

Nothing at the moment. However, both of my daughter’s are huge anime fans and my youngest daughter wants me to start reading the One Piece manga.

If you could take on the identity of a character in one of your favorite books for twenty-four hours and retain the memory of that experience, which character would you choose? Tell us the title, author, character name, and why you would want to be that character.

I would take on the identity of Peter Pevensie from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by CS Lewis. Ever since I was a kid, I have loved that story. I love the fantastical nature of it and the medieval theme and I think it would be amazing to escape the “real world” through a magic wardrobe anytime I wanted and travel to the magical land of Narnia with knights and magic and talking creatures. Plus, Peter ends up becoming the King of Narnia, so that would be quite the thrill as well!

If you could save five books from being destroyed in the apocalypse, what books would you choose, and why?

The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper because it is the very first children’s book that my parents read to me and has such a great message about perseverance and never giving up, which is something I use to this day and even helped me to finish and self-publish my very first children’s book.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis because it is one of my all-time favorite books from my childhood and it really opened my mind to the world of fiction and fantasy.
Oh, the Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss. My grandmother gave this to me upon graduating high school and it has a great message about ones potential and following life to do and achieve wonderful things. I have also been a huge fan of Dr. Seuss since I can remember due to how imaginative his stories are.
How To Get What You Want And Want What You Have by John Gray. This is a self-help book about putting yourself into a happier, more positive mindset and using that to not only get the things you want in life, but to also be happy with the things you already have in life. This book really opened my mind and changed the way I view many things in life and helped me down the road to pursuing my dream of becoming a published Author.
Leave it to Beamer Presents: Don’t Let the Cat Out of the Bag by ME! This may seem a bit selfish, but it was a longtime dream of mine to become a children’s Author & Illustrator. And this is my very first book, which made that dream come true! So it will always be extremely special to me.

Tell us a little something about your current WIP. When do you expect it to be released?

I put an easter egg into each book, giving a clue as to what the title of my next book will be. So I always have my next book somewhat figured out before I finish the current book. That being said, my next book will be titled Leave it to Beamer Presents: Hold Your Horses. I have the general idea and plot of the book determined, but I am still working on ironing put the details for the “story” that Beamer will dream up to help himself explain this silly idiom.

What are the titles and genres of each book you’ve written?

Leave it to Beamer Presents: Don’t Let the Cat Out of the Bag (children’s picture book),
Leave it to Beamer Presents: The Elephant in the Room (children’s picture book),
Leave it to Beamer Presents: The Proof Is In the Pudding (children’s picture book),
Leave it to Beamer Presents: Get the Ball Rolling (children’s picture book),
Leave it to Beamer Presents: Fun With Idioms (children’s coloring/activity book)