Mark Clifford’s life reads like fiction ~ except every scar is real.
From Marine infantry to undercover narcotics to published novels...Clifford’s next chapter may be his boldest yet.
Faith, Fitness & Finance Focused
FROM SWAT TO STORYTELLER
Mark Clifford’s life has been anything but ordinary.
By the time most people are considering retirement, Mark R. Clifford had already lived several lifetimes.
The proud fourth-generation San Franciscan spent ten years in the Marine infantry, rising to the rank of Staff Sergeant and receiving Special Operations training while attached to the 3rd Marine Division in Okinawa. In 1991, he was operating in the Philippines during the catastrophic eruption of Mount Pinatubo - an experience that would stay with him for decades.
Then came a 25-year law enforcement career that was equally intense.
Clifford served as a police sergeant in assignments ranging from SWAT to undercover narcotics, building a career defined by discipline, danger, and service. But today, the Moraga resident channels those experiences into something entirely different: storytelling.
“Stories are bridges back to purpose,” Clifford says.
And his stories carry weight because they’re lived.
Clifford’s writing has appeared in the San Jose Mercury, Contra Costa Times, Military Experience & The Arts Magazine, The Manila Times, San Leandro Times, Diablo Gazette, and Lamorinda Weekly. Readers praise his vivid imagery and immersive storytelling, drawing comparisons to classics like Stand By Me and Heart of Darkness.
But perhaps his most powerful chapter began after a life-altering stroke in 2023.
Clifford made himself a promise: if he survived, he would return to the volcano that nearly killed him in 1991.
Five hundred and eighty days later, he stood once again at the crater of Mount Pinatubo.
“I found greater appreciation for life, deeper relationships, increased personal strength, new possibilities, and spiritual shifts,” he says.
That journey inspired his published novel Typhoon Coast, but Clifford says the deeper lesson wasn’t literary.
“Stories are not just entertainment,” he says. “Stories are growth.”
That philosophy shapes everything he writes today. His experiences as both a Marine and police officer revealed something many veterans understand well: trauma can become strength.
“Post-traumatic growth revealed that trauma can be transformed into strength,” Clifford explains. “We carry scars, but we also carry each other.”
Despite his international recognition as an author, Clifford remains deeply rooted in the Moraga community he’s called home since 1996.
“Clifford loves the city's close, country living life in his small town,” he says.
An Eagle Scout, he’s passionate about mentorship and paying traditions forward. Locally, he helped guide his sons to Eagle Scout rank and continues mentoring veterans transitioning to civilian life through musician Zac Brown’s, Camp Southern Ground.
As a retired police sergeant, he also believes thriving communities begin with engaged neighbors.
“The first people to recognize that no one is caring for the community are the criminals,” Clifford says.
These days, Clifford continues writing while preparing readers for his next novel, Return to The Devil’s Sea, which revisits the Pinatubo crater and promises to be his “most daring yet.”
And while his résumé reads like an action movie script, his advice is surprisingly simple:
“Everyone has a fascinating story to tell,” he says. “Find a way to tell yours.”