Advertising copywriter by day and aspiring novelist by night, Lakewood resident Will Clarke welcomes the publication of his first novel, Lord Vishnu’s Love Handles, A Spy Novel, by 1st books. Set in Lakewood and featuring neighborhood locations such as the Lakewood Country Club, the comic novel chronicles a psychic’s employment by the United States government.

Inspired by a 1995 Time magazine investigation about a $20 million government-funded psychic spy program called Stargate, Clarke’s novel explores the comic possibilities presented by this unlikely agency.

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“The idea of the U.S. military having their own ‘Psychic Friends Network’ cracked me up,” Clarke says. “So I thought that would be a good premise for a funny book.”

Although his novel, told in first person, asks larger philosophical questions despite its comic premise, Clarke says he resists answers. Exploring subjects such as love and laughter, he says his novel “lets readers find answers for themselves.”

As a marketing major at SMU, Clarke never expected to be a writer. Though he was known for entertaining childhood friends with his storytelling, it wasn’t until a summer job at Disney World that he realized his creative bent could lead to a career.

Clarke says that while working within Disney’s imaginative theme parks, he “had an epiphany.”

“I was surprised to find out you could earn money by making stuff up,” he says.

Although Lord Vishnu’s Love Handles is not his first effort at writing, it is the first book Clarke has wanted to publish. His full-time job at an advertising agency meant he had to write during off-hours and in short spurts nearly every day for seven months.

“I’ve become an expert at going into 15-minute rabbit-holes,” he says of his efforts.

Writing much of the novel at local coffeehouse Legal Grounds, Clarke says he didn’t know how the story would unfold day to day. But he just kept at it.

“If you write two pages a day for six months, you’ll have a 360-page book,” he says.

Lord Vishnu’s Love Handles is available on Amazon.com and in local Barnes and Nobles stores. Clarke is working on another novel titled The House of Bamboo, which takes place in Dallas after JFK’s assassination.

For information about book availability and local readings, email willclark13@earthlink.net.