1–What is the title of your latest release?
2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Lay Your Body Down is a psychological thriller about an ex-fundamentalist Christian who returns to her insular community, threatening to expose her former church’s dark secrets and uncover the truth of who killed the man she once loved.
3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
While the issues with the white evangelical church are global, there is something particularly Midwestern about the stifling nature of the community in this book. The people, the traditions, the culture, the atmosphere: these are all a huge part of Del’s story, and they flow from the setting. Although I lived in London for two years and have now been in Melbourne for nearly a decade, I grew up in Minnesota and it’s still the place I’m most familiar with. I was also raised in a small-town church with a patriarchal, conservative ethos, so it was important for me to capture that experience.
4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Absolutely. I’m a lot farther along in my journey of processing my past and deconstructing my beliefs than Del is, but she’s also a decade younger than I am. I’d hang out with her as a little sister and try to help her unpack some shit.
5–What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Hurt, furious, and determined.
6–What’s something you learned while writing this book?
That I am still expelling the internalized misogyny I grew up with! For some reason, I thought I had gotten rid of all of it, but no. The impression I had growing up was that men are generally strong, respectable leaders who are just doing their best in the face of constant attacks from the “secular world”, while most women are either insufferable nags or evil temptresses. It turns out, you don’t just unlearn that mindset over the course of a few years.
7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I don’t usually do deep edits while I’m drafting, but I do kind of rolling edits chapter to chapter with my best friend and critique partner. If I know that I’m going to be making a big structural or plot change, sometimes I will just note where in the manuscript I made that decision, and I’ll keep on drafting with that change in mind. Then, when I’m finished, I’ll go back and edit everything up to that point. Otherwise, I tend to get bogged down revising the first 5-10 chapters over and over.
8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I don’t know if this is foodie enough, but I still have dreams about the prosciutto, fig, and gorgonzola pizza I had at a café on the beach here in Melbourne. I’ve tried recreating it to moderate success, but there was nothing as luxurious and delicious as that first time.
9–Describe your writing space/office!
I work at a desk that is also a pull-down bed in our spare room. Right now, the walls are bare (we only moved in two and a half years ago—I haven’t had time!), but soon I’m hoping to have framed pictures of my book covers, as well as my New York Times review for Girl, 11 and a few other small pieces of art. My desk is covered in papers, books, and sticky notes with random thoughts and plot ideas for my work in progress.
10–Who is an author you admire?
Kellye Garrett. She is one of the busiest, kindest, most talented, and hard-working people in the crime-writing business. Not only does she write incredible books, but she makes so much time to be supportive of other writers, and she is a huge champion for equity and inclusivity in publishing. I admire her immensely.
11–Is there a book that changed your life?
I feel like I could say that about so many books, but I’m going to choose Cherish Farrah by my friend Bethany C. Morrow. I read that chapter by chapter while she was writing it, and I remember thinking, “Oh, I didn’t know you could do this with a book.” She is beyond wildly talented, and that book is a masterclass in character, voice, and misdirection.
12–Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
This is such a blur to me now. It happened in 2019, which means it feels like it happened in a different world than the one we live in now. My agent went on submission to publishers in August, and I’d had calls with three editors who were interested in the book within a couple weeks. This was already incredibly exciting, as I’d had two previous manuscripts die on submission—meaning I didn’t get any offers for them. One of the annoyances about living in Australia when you’re trying to work with people in New York is that almost the whole business day goes by while you’re sleeping. So, I got an email from my agent saying I should call her when I woke up. That’s when she told me I officially had my first offer. I did a little dance in my bedroom, and then my husband came in with a bottle of champagne, and we had a glass of bubbles at 7 a.m. before heading off to work!
13–What’s your favorite genre to read?
Thrillers, for sure. It’s amazing the depth and variety of stories you can tell within the format of this genre, and I personally can’t get enough of them. I also love upmarket commercial fiction, though, which I interpret as books that are too voice-y and fast-paced to be called literary fiction, but don’t fit neatly into an established genre.
14–What’s your favorite movie?
I never get tired of The Prestige. I’ve probably watched it upwards of ten times, and I still find it absolutely fascinating.
15–What is your favorite season?
Spring is a season of relief, and that’s why I love it. I grew up in harsh Minnesota winters, where at the first sign of a 55-degree day, I’d be outside in shorts and a t-shirt. Melbourne winters are much milder, but I still love when spring arrives and I can start leaving the house without thinking so much about how many layers I’ll need or taking a jacket just in case.
16–How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I am so boring! The last time I did anything special for my birthday was my 30th, which was five years ago. I went to this fantastic Korean restaurant with a bunch of friends in Melbourne. Now, my birthdays are mostly about taking it easy, not putting pressure on myself to write or do anything work-related if I don’t have to, and cake. There always has to be some kind of cake.
17–What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I am nearly finished with the incredible Prime documentary Shiny Happy People, which is about the Duggar family and, by association, Bill Gothard’s cult: the Institute of Basic Life Principles. There are so many correlations between this documentary and my novel, it’s alarming. I never knew about IBLP growing up, but I can see how my church and my family were influenced by its teachings. If you can stomach a dark, unflinching look at a fundamentalist evangelical Christian movement and the devastating toll it’s taken on millions of lives, this is an exceptional series to watch.
18–What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Can’t go wrong with Thai.
19–What do you do when you have free time?
laughs in twin mom To be honest, I do usually have free time after my kids go to bed each night. For about two hours, until I also go to bed. I generally spend that time watching a show with my husband or reading a book, but sometimes (if I’m in a really good stride) I will write.
20–What can readers expect from you next?
I’m currently writing a dark psychological suspense about white feminism, private schools, right-wing radicalization through online conspiracy theories, and corruption in policing.
LAY YOUR BODY DOWN by Amy Suiter Clarke
A young woman returns to her rural Minnesota hometown, where a radical evangelical pastor has poisoned everyone’s minds—and may be covering up a murder.
After Del Walker fled her small hometown and its cult-like church, she vowed to never return. The man she loved, Lars, left her to marry the local golden girl Eve, and their romance is now the focus of Eve’s viral blog espousing the pastor’s conservative philosophy about women and marriage. But six years later, Lars is suddenly killed, and she’s convinced it couldn’t have been an accident.
When Del returns to her hometown for the funeral, she discovers the now mega-church—and the insidious, patriarchal teachings of Pastor Rick Franklin—has grown not only in size but in influence. Eve was clearly discontent in her marriage, despite the carefully constructed “Noble Wife” positivity of her blog posts, and Del knows better than anyone just how far she will go to get what she wants. Del is determined to cut through the church’s lies and corruption to find out who killed Lars—even if it means confronting the religious trauma she’s spent years trying to bury.
Thriller Psychological [William Morrow, On Sale: June 27, 2023, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9780358418313 / eISBN: 9780358419464]
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About Amy Suiter Clarke
Amy Suiter Clarke is the author of psychological thrillers Girl, 11 and Lay Your Body Down. Originally from a small town in Minnesota, she completed a BA in theater in the Twin Cities then earned an MFA in Creative Writing with Publishing at Kingston University in London. She currently lives in Melbourne, Australia. Her debut novel Girl, 11 has been translated into twelve languages and published in fifteen territories around the world.
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