The Devil Won’t Keep Us Apart is a new, gripping thriller novel by debut author Shane T. Clark. The story is suspenseful with a unique narrative, two tales told by one of the three main characters that come together in the end. Disturbing and dark, it keeps readers on the edge of their seats. The author himself has a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice and has taught Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Deviant Behavior for over a decade. Clark’s background clearly adds to his storytelling in this suspenseful thriller. With all of this in mind, we’re pleased to have this opportunity to ask Shane T. Clark some questions about his debut novel, his journey as an author, and what’s next for him.
Can you tell us about your journey as a writer and what initially drew you to the suspense thriller genre?
I have always been a reader, not avid, but I have read books since high school. The first book I ever read for fun was Forrest Gump in 1989. I remember the year because it was the year I moved to Ohio with my mom, and I was lonely. I noticed the cover at the local grocery store and bought it. This is when I noticed books and words can take you to another place and deeply impact your emotions. As I read more, my preferences went from John Grisham to Cormac McCarthy and Donald Ray Pollock. These are the writers who inspire me.
The story wrote itself and the finished product fits with the genre. My goal wasn’t to write in a specific genre. I wanted to write a unique story with the best developed characters. Nevertheless, all three of my manuscripts fit the thriller genre. My writing style, my preference for unusual stories, my background in Sociology and Criminal Justice. These all pull me towards suspense and thrillers.
Suspense thrillers often incorporate elements of mystery, tension, and unexpected twists. How do you go about building and maintaining suspense in your novels?
I think of each chapter as a stand-alone story. Something new about the two main characters is being 
shown to the reader. As you read about their journeys and their experiences with grief, sadness, or new friendships, you’re not waiting for the punch line or twist–you’re fully engaged in the experiences. I aimed for the reader to care about them as much as I do. If you try to build suspense, the readers will catch on to the forced writing. I write the stories through the characters’ experiences. I try to put myself in their shoes like the story is non-fiction and I just write their life story. The mystery and tension is “What the hell is going to happen to them next?” Adrian and Conner have traumatic experiences that shape who they will become. These experiences create complex characters who have dramatic emotional changes in their journeys.
Tell us about the main characters in your novels. How do you develop and shape your characters, and do any of them hold a special place in your writing?
The Devil has three main characters: Adrian Franklin, Conner Wallace, and Elmer Ray. Adrian’s story begins at around twelve. His personality developed through his trauma and life experiences in a bad neighborhood. As he was put in harms way, I’d close my eyes and think about what I would have done or said at that age and write the next sentence. I knew his conclusion and understood for him to choose that direction, he had to go through some serious trauma in early childhood. Through these experiences, his voice is developed. Adrian is hardened and tough. Had a yearning to be loved and accepted.
Elmer Ray is the elderly neighbor of Adrian. When I developed his personality, I thought about my father and how he would probably react if one of his children experienced was Adrian. His story wrote itself–grew and changed with each edit of the book. Early on, Elmer was rough and sarcastic. Then he becomes closer to Adrian than any other person.
Conner Wallace was a drifter, loner, and fighter with one goal: to get home to his girl. Along his journey, his moral code seems to always interrupt his journey and get him in trouble with the law. On the dirt road, his life experiences bring new hopes and dreams. These new and unexpected relationships soften the chisel of his façade. Lit the corners of his soul, bringing air and life to dormant feelings of love and desire for a future.
People call them characters; I call them people. They are alive to me, live in my head. I read one time about an author and his unhappiness with the actor chosen to play the lead in the movie adaptation. “Who cares, you’re making millions of dollars.” Now I understand. I did my best to give Adrian, Conner, and Elmer their own voice and personality. I aimed for a reader to read a sentence and know exactly who it is about without being told.
All three characters hold a special place in my writing. I could write another twenty books, and none will mean more than The Devil.
How important is the setting and atmosphere in your thriller? How do you use these elements to enhance the readers’ experience?
It has a huge importance. I don’t describe the characters in the book or what they’re wearing. Instead I let the reader interpret what they think Adrian, or any other character looks like. I try and put the reader in the room through descriptions of the setting. If they can see the setting, they will be more able to feel the conflict (atmosphere) in the words.
Many thrillers explore complex psychological and moral dilemmas. How do you incorporate these aspects into your storytelling?
Moral dilemmas are the heartbeat of The Devil. Elmer believes in second changes and has a progressive ideology. He’s morally challenged by the actions of Adrian.
Readers will be challenged by what Adrian does to fulfill his destiny. Maybe destiny isn’t the right word to use.
Are there any particular authors or books in the suspense/thriller genre that have influenced your writing or that you admire?
Jo Nesbo, maybe not as popular or known in the United States, but he is phenomenal. I read parts of The Son daily when I’m writing. He’s the author of the Harry Hole series.
Donald Ray Pollock and I share a hometown: Chillicothe, Ohio. All three of his books sit on my shelf and are used as motivation.
Cormac McCarthy, author of Blood Meridian, is in my opinion the best author over the last 50 years.
Your book cover features a striking and thought-provoking design. Can you tell us about the importance of cover art and design in conveying the essence of your stories?
The Devil, has a half-shadowed face of a man behind prison cell doors. The colors, title of book, font, everything was my idea. The story is dark, so I wanted to use black and white. The half shadowed face represents a dual personality and/or a dark side of the individual.
What message or takeaway do you hope readers find in your novel The Devil Won’t Keep Us Apart?
Scars from traumatic experiences can lie dormant for years under the skin, but when they wake chaos can take over the mind of the sane.
Can you discuss any upcoming projects or works-in-progress that your readers can look forward to?
The Devil is my first and only published novel. I’m incredibly proud and grateful to complete it. I’ve never thought I would ever publish a novel. After I finished, I went on and drafted two more manuscripts. I hope to have my second novel ready by the end of 2024. Currently calling it Not So Pretty Now, it is in the suspense thriller genre.
For aspiring authors interested in writing suspense thrillers, what advice or tips would you offer to help them succeed in the genre?
I would love to consider myself successful. Nevertheless, I have a long way to go to reach a status of “success.” Read, read, and read. Write, write, and write. The more I read, the better writer I become. My third manuscript was closer to being completed after being drafted than my first or second. I was a better writer when I wrote the third. To be great at football, music, or any skill, you must practice your craft. Write the best manuscript for you, not for readers. At the end, if you are not happy with the work, it won’t matter how many people buy your book.
Don’t be closed minded and have your destination predetermined before the ink is dry. The story will tell you where it wants to go. The Devil is so different than the original idea in my head. It transformed through the writing.
Follow the author
The Devil Won’t Keep Us Apart
Some vendettas can never be forgotten…
When Sherman Rehabilitation Center suffers its first murder in decades, authorities race to find a motive as the media swarms. The brutality is unprecedented, even in a prison setting. One week later, eighty-seven-year-old Elmer Ray walks into the local Ohio Highway Patrol Post, claiming he has the answers. First, they need to hear about the two most interesting people in the world: Adrian Franklin and Conner Wallace.
Adrian Franklin, the young neighbor of Elmer Ray, lived a troubled life of neglect and abuse. He had a bad haircut and a worst nickname. The older man tries to take the boy under his wing in a way no one else has ever done. For Adrian, most see a quick temper and lost soul. Elmer sees something different in him, a sense of loyalty and a yearning to feel loved.
Conner Wallace, a British National, a drifter on a motorcycle, and a pugilist with a quick wit, roamed the west and lived by an unbreakable moral code that got him in more trouble than he bargained for. After a five-year bit in a Nevada prison, he finds a safe haven in the underground fight scene on the shores of the Pacific Ocean.
What does a young boy and foreigner have to do with a brutal prison murder in the sleepy town of Sherman, Ohio? Only Elmer Ray knows the answers. And he isn’t giving them until the Post Commander hears how their lives converge with an Appalachian drug dealer, a sexual predator, and a mob boss to influence the brutality in that prison cell.
The Devil Won’t Keep Us Apart is a shocking and raw account combining a coming-of-age tale with a disturbing psychological thriller.
