I’m Clay Cowan, the author of A Guide to Raising Sons to Manhood, Daily Affirmation for Men, and How to Find and Marry the Girl of Your Dreams.  I hope you’re all keeping safe and well during these troubling times. In the meantime, please feel free to explore and enjoy my online home.

Stay safe. Thanks for visiting. Here you’ll find a collection of book s and journals that I have written or designed. Please check me out and give my books a try. If you like one buy, and leave me a review on Amazon.com.

Describe yourself in five words.

Loyal, Creative, Innovative, Visionary, and Honest.

What fact about yourself would surprise people?

That I’m a very analytically minded person. I can see numbers in the air, and I can add or multiply them without writing them down. This is the main reason I had a career in Engineering.

How do you work through self-doubts and fear?

I pray about it and try to remember times that I made it thru. I often meditate on things that I have doubts about.

What scares you the most?

Dying without finishing all I need to do. Also, I have a fear of heights, I mean the very tall ones, like looking out over the grand canyon.

What makes you happiest?

  I love bowling, when I’m in the zone, nothing feels better, watching that ball roll off my hand and it feels like the strike is an extension on my hand. It’s simply wonderful. I also enjoy spending time with family, reading, and writing.

Why do you write?

I have gained so much knowledge and experience doing my life, I believe it would be such a waste to not share my inner thoughts and help with the world. I feel I have so much to give the world from my life experiences.

Have you always enjoyed writing?

Yes, just never had the time with work and raising a family. I have had to study hard to work through the grammar that is needed to be a good writer. So I was late in life before I started writing as a career.

What motivates you to write?

I feel I have many stories and events that need to be told. After publishing my first book, I knew I wanted to do many more.

What writing are you most proud of?

My first book; “A Guide to Raising Sons to Manhood, which is a book on guiding your sons into manhood. Since there are so many broken families today, and many where there is no male figure in the boy’s lives, I felt this was necessary.

What are you most proud of in your personal life?

Most proud of my children. Who are well established in their own lives. They make me prouder every day. I love them so much.

What books did you love growing up?

I grew up reading many types of books. I truly loved all sci-fiction. I loved “A Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” by Jules Verne. My favorite fiction authors were Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Isaac Asimov, and Ray Bradbury.

What do you hope your obituary will say about you?

That I will be remembered for all the good times my family and friends had together. That I have very few regrets in my life areas. That my books helped someone with their problems.

Location and life experiences can influence writing, tell us where you grew up and where you now live?

I grew up in a small town in North Carolina. Growing up in a small close-knit community helped me adjust to living in a bigger city. Knowing most of the people in town, it was a big adjustment after I moved to the city. I currently live in Stone Mountain, Georgia now.

How did you develop your writing?

By studying many courses, I am an avid reader and hired a writing coach.

What is hardest – getting published, writing, or marketing?

The hardest is marketing. Marketing was something I had never dealt with before.

What marketing works for you?

Amazon ads, then Pinterest and Facebook. Social media is still a challenge for me. I’m getting better at using it for marketing.

Do you find it hard to share your work?

No, I do not. I write to help people, so sharing is easy.

Is your family supportive? Do your friends support you?

Yes, family and friends are very supportive. I could not be a successful writer without their support. I wish to especially thank my wife for her support.

What else do you do, other than writing?

I still do engineering contracts as a side job. I have become a worker of wood. I’ve built raised garden beds for the family to grow gardens in the city.

What other jobs have you had in your life?

I‘ve had a variety of jobs, mainly as a design engineer. I’ve worked in retail, sold vacuum cleaners, pumped gas, and construction.

If you could study any subject at university what would you pick?

If I went back and study something else in college, it would be English. I was always good in math and sciences, but in English, I did just what I needed to get by. I never thought I would need it for writing the way I do now.

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?

Either Hawaii or Destin, FL. I love the beach, not necessarily the water. The cool breezes and soothing waves just totally relax me.

Tell us about your family?

I’m married with three children two boys and a girl. I also have 4 grandchildren and 1 great-grand. They are my pride and joy.

How do you write – laptop, pen, paper, in bed, at a desk?

I write on my computer, I use Microsoft word for my books. I make notes on paper when I get ideas or see something I want to remember for future writing topics.

How much sleep do you need to be your best?

I try to get 8 to 10 hours of sleep every night.

Is there anyone you’d like to acknowledge and thank for their support?

My wife and children, my sisters, and their families.

Every writer has their idea of what a successful career in writing is, what does success in writing look like to you?

Success is to reach enough people through my writing to make a difference in the world.

It is vital to get exposure and target the right readers for your writing, tell us about your marketing campaign?

Marketing is hard work, I use Facebook as my main source of connection with my readers. I use Pinterest as a lead magnet and for book pre-sales and promotions.

Tell us about your new book? Why did you write it?

My new book is a book on marriage rules. It is part of a series of books I’m writing. I wanted to help young (or older) married couples understand just what it takes to stay married as I have over 40 years with my wife.

If you could have a dinner party and invite anyone dead or alive, who would you ask?

I would invite Jesus, Martin Luther King, King Solomon, the Obamas, Maya Angelou, and Michael Jordan.

When you are not writing, how do you like to relax?

I enjoy listening to music and watching music videos and concerts. I have over 700 music CDs. A collection of music concerts and music videos. Reading and watching sci-fiction shows. I am an electronic geek.

What do you hope people will take away from your writing? How will your words make them feel?

My unique perspective on how things work together in our world. I want people to feel my passion for the subject.

What are the obstacles that come in the way of writing?

Staying on course, dealing with constant distractions. I do all my research myself, which sometimes hinders me from writing.

What’s the most memorable thing asked/said by a reader about your work?

How it gave them insight into another point of view on raising boys.

How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing for about 1 ½ to 2 years.

When did you first realize you wanted to become a writer?

After I retired from engineering, I wanted to do something with my time that was meaningful.

What is your work schedule like when you are writing?

I try to write at least 3 hours a day,  5 days a week, min.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

My point of view on many different subjects. I’m an introvert, so this is my solution to expressing myself.

How long does it take to write a book?

It takes me anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months. Since I do all my research it may take longer than I wish.

Do you have suggestions on how to become a better writer?

Find your niche first, the rest will fill in. Write every day,  don’t worry about what you write the first time, editing will correct most errors or mistakes.

What challenges do you come across when writing/creating your story?

I often write several books or articles at the same time, thus I don’t always finish a book when I planned to.

Do you see writing as a career?

Yes, I have turned writing into my second career. It is so rewarding to get great reviews on my books. I wish the reviews I get in person or online could add it to add to my website on Amazon review pages.

Visit Clay’s website at https://claycowanbooks.com/books/