Friday, February 15, 2013

Interview with Mae Clair + Giveaway!


WELCOME TO THE BLOG, MAE! :)
 

Mae Clair opened a Pandora’s Box of characters when she was a child and never looked back.  Her father encouraged her to create make-believe worlds by spinning tales of far-off places on summer nights beneath the stars. She fell in love with the night-time sky, snagged the tail of a comet, and hitched a ride.
Mae loves creating character-driven fiction in settings that vary from contemporary to mythical. Wherever her pen takes her, she flavors her stories with conflict, romance and mystery. Married to her high school sweetheart, she lives in Pennsylvania, is passionate about writing, old photographs, a good Maine lobster tail and cats.

 
 
Where to Find Mae:

 
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~




The_Book_Queen: Hi Mae! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Mae: I live in Pennsylvania, am married to my high school sweetheart and have been creating stories since I was six. Since writing doesn’t pay the bills (yet!), I work full-time as a marketing professional for an independent real estate firm.



TBQ: We all have our own idea of a dream job. If you weren't a writer, what would your dream job be?

M: If I weren’t a writer? That’s a tough one, as writing has always been my dream job. If I take that out of the equation, I also have a passion for history and earth sciences and could see myself involved in some type of research in either.



TBQ: Weathering Rock is your debut novel (Congrats!). Can you tell us a little bit about this book, and why readers are going to love it?
 
M: Weathering Rock is a combination of time travel, mystery and paranormal romantic suspense. My lead character, Caleb DeCardian was a colonel for the Union Army during the Civil War. Shortly after the Battle of Gettysburg, he’s transported to the 21st Century by a shower of ball lightning. When the novel opens, he’s already been living in the present for three years, looking for the man who cursed him to life as a werewolf. Seth Reilly is his former friend, now a bitter rival, and the man responsible for turning him into a lycanthrope.

In the present, Caleb meets Arianna Hart who teaches American history and has a passion for the Civil War era. From their first encounter, she realizes there is something different about him. When she starts digging around on her own, she discovers a photograph of him at Gettysburg and begins to fit the pieces together. I should probably also mention the title of the book refers to an old home/estate that has been in Caleb’s family since the 1800s and factors into the novel.

 

TBQ: Are there other genres you would like to write about, or will you stick with paranormal? How about other types of paranormal stories?

M: I enjoy writing in different genres and will likely try for publication in several. I especially enjoy contemporary romance, myth, urban fantasy and fantasy. I can easily see myself tackling any of those (some I am already) and also doing another paranormal.

 

TBQ: I know we all hate this question, author and reader alike. :) But I have to ask: What are a few of your favorite books and/or authors?
M: There are so many! Don’t we all say that? J  The writing team of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child is at the top of my list. I also love P.J. Parrish, Cassandra Clare, and Kate Ellis. Although I write romance, I read mainly thrillers and mysteries and it’s reflected in my taste. Nora Roberts has written numerous books I enjoy and, for a single title, I’m enthralled by the skill Dan Simmons employed in writing the novel, The Terror. 900+ pages of riveting story-telling. A masterpiece.



TBQ: We've all fallen for a hero (or two, or three, or....ahem).  Tell us one hero that you've fallen for—who is he and what drew you to him?
M: Another strange one for me. The character that makes my heart pitter-patter (actually more like a jackhammer on steroids) is a Special FBI Agent, Aloysius Pendergast, created by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Ladies, he was not written to be a romantic hero but *huge sigh* I’m smitten. Why? He’s a combination of Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, a courtly Southern gentleman and a highly lethal operative who works outside the law. The fact that he’s rich, good-looking, ex-special forces, holds dual doctorate degrees, and has little patience for red tape only sweeten the pot. I’m hopelessly besotted.

 

TBQ: What's next-- Can you tell us a little bit about your upcoming releases or WIP?

M: I’d love too, thanks for asking! Twelfth Sun, a contemporary romance/mystery is being released by Lyrical Press in August. It involves a treasure hunt for a valuable marine artifact. My heroine, Reagan Cassidy, has been asked by her uncle to work with a friend who’s a renowned authority in the field of marine archeology. She agrees, thinking he’s going to be a stodgy old man, close to her uncle’s age. Instead, she gets Dr. Elijah Cross, a quirky twenty-five year old who looks like a grunge musician and who has held a Ph.D. for several years. Reagan is an ‘older’ woman at thirty-five but once they start working together, the sparks and attraction fly!

 
I’m also presently working on the sequel to Weathering Rock and a contemporary romance/mystery called The Mystery of Eclipse Lake. I hope to have the latter ready for submission in a few months.

 

SPEED ROUND:

 

A day on a secluded island OR a day at the spa?
Secluded Island

Reading a spicy romance novel OR a sweet “my-heart-skips-a-beat” one?My heart-skips-a-beat

 
Which would you rather have an affair with: a sexy highlander OR a devilishly handsome English lord?
Now that’s hard!! I’d say the English lord would win by a smidgen.

 
Hot summer days OR cold winter nights?
Hot summer days.

 
Where would your dream house be: in the city, where all the action is OR nestled in the mountain where you can enjoy the quiet and the wilderness?
Actually, I would prefer a coastal village but, between those two, I’d take the mountain location.

 
If you could live in any time period, past or future, which one would it be?
Victorian England. I’m enthralled by that period.

 
Cover Lover OR Blurb Fan?
Cover Lover

 
Steamy Novella OR Sweet Novel? (aka, Quickie or Slow Build Up?)
I love both. I lean toward steamy but it would really depend on the story.

 

 
And finally, tell us 3 unique/wacky/fun things about yourself:

  •             I saw a UFO when I was six

  •             I would love to adopt Toothless the dragon from How to Train Your Dragon (Me too!)

  •             My library contains a huge collection of books on Robert F. Kennedy

 

 

The_Book_Queen: Thanks so much for stopping by, Mae, and please know that you are welcome back anytime! Do you have any questions for our readers—something to spark a good discussion? :)
 

Mae: Do you think an author can successfully write in various genres? If you enjoy an author’s style, would you consider reading something by that same author outside your usual preferred genre?

 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Weathering Rock by Mae Clair
Publisher: Lyrical Press, Inc. (September 26, 2012)
Genre: Paranormal/Time Travel


 Drawn together across centuries, will their love be strong enough to defeat an ancient curse?
 
Colonel Caleb DeCardian was fighting America’s Civil War on the side of the Union when a freak shower of ball lightning transported him to the present, along with rival and former friend, Seth Reilly. Adapting to the 21st century is hard enough for the colonel, but he also has to find Seth, who cursed him to life as a werewolf. The last thing on Caleb’s mind is romance. Then fetching Arianna Hart nearly runs him down with her car. He can’t deny his attraction to the outspoken schoolteacher, but knows he should forget her.
 
Arianna finds Caleb bewildering, yet intriguing: courtly manners, smoldering sensuality and eyes that glow silver at night? When she sees Civil War photographs featuring a Union officer who looks exactly like Caleb, she begins to understand the man she is falling in love with harbors multiple secrets--some of which threaten the possibility of their happiness.
 
Finding a decent guy who'll commit is hard enough. How can she expect Caleb to forsake his own century to be with her.
 
 
 

Where to Buy*:
More Info:
 

 
Weathering Rock by Mae Clair
Excerpt


“What do you think of Arianna, Winston?”

 

He’d lived with his nephew for three years, but rarely conversed with him as a friend. They talked and argued, even bantered occasionally, but Caleb kept a deliberate line between them. He’d spent too many years distancing himself from his troops, befitting his rank, his circle of friends limited. And then there was Seth, whose betrayal had destroyed his belief in friendship, making him reluctant to open up to anyone, Wyn included.

 

“You’re not getting attached to her, are you?” Wyn shuffled the carrots aside and pulled a head of broccoli onto his cutting board.

 

“I don’t know.” It was as close as Caleb would come to admitting his feelings.

 

The more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to spend. Remaining casual when she was nearby grew more difficult. He’d spent three years in the present, but still wasn’t accustomed to the sight of a woman in shorts. He wasn’t even comfortable enough to wear the ridiculous half-pants himself. When she’d shown up in the parking lot, dressed in so little clothing, it was all he could do to keep his eyes off her. The skimpy shorts and snug tank top were practically obscene. Not that he minded. He just didn’t want every other man lusting after her the way he did.

 

“I met one of Arianna’s friends today,” Wyn announced, still working at the broccoli. Caleb watched as he fed the fatter part of the stalk into something he called a garbage disposal. “Her name’s Lauren Talbot. I ran into her at a cafe and happened to overhear her mention Arianna’s name to an acquaintance.”

 

“Lauren?” Caleb sat straighter. “The Lauren she mentioned the other evening?”

 

Wyn nodded. “They grew up together, best of friends. Like you and Seth.”

 

“Not like me and Seth. I ruined Seth’s life and now he’s ruined mine.”

 

“You did not ruin that bastard’s life,” Wyn snapped. The knife came down on the board with a loud thwack, sending pieces of broccoli flying in all directions. With a perturbed sigh, Wyn turned his attention from the vegetables, angling his hip against the counter to face Caleb. “What happened to Seth was a result of war. He was injured in battle.”

 

“It was my decision to put him in charge of that scouting party.” Caleb fingered the gash on his neck, a grisly reminder of Crinkeshaw. “It wasn’t his place. He was an officer.”

 

“Already bitter because you outranked him by a grade. Your sergeant was sick with dysentery, one step from death’s door, your corporal felled by a leg wound at Bull Run. Who else were you going to send? You were a major at the time, Caleb, the highest ranking officer in your troop. I might not know about warfare, but even I know the ranking officer is too valuable for scouting duty.”

 

“We’re getting off the subject.” Caleb preferred not to dwell on the past. “I was talking about Arianna.”

 

Wyn joined him at the table. “I know you’re attracted to her, but aside from the fact you turn into a werewolf every twenty-nine days…” He grinned to ease the sting of the observation. “You don’t belong here. What happens when you find your way back to your own time? I know it’s been three years, but it’s not fair to involve Arianna in a relationship without a future.”

 

Caleb looked away. Wyn was right, but that didn’t miraculously erase his longing for the dark-haired schoolteacher. “Maybe I just need to find a tavern and a woman who wants to sleep with me,” he mumbled. “Get these damn sexual urges out of my head. It probably has nothing to do with Arianna.”

 

Wyn studied him evenly. “So when are you seeing her again?”

 

Caleb frowned. After three years, his nephew knew him well. “Wednesday night. I’m helping her paint her living room.”

 

 


~  * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
 



Mae is giving away ONE e-copy of Weathering
 
Rock to a lucky commenter!
 
Winner's choice of either NOOK or Kindle.
 
Open INT.

 
 
How to Enter:
  • Leave a comment below, answer Mae's question or leave one of your own!
  • Please, leave either your email, a Twitter name, or something similar so that we can contact you if you win.



Giveaway ends Feb 22 . Winner will be choosen and announced Feb 25. Good Luck!


~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
 
Thanks so much for stopping by today, Mae! I'm enjoying Weathering Rock so far, it's very different from many PNR I've been reading lately. :) I look forward to the sequel you have planned!




Don't forget Mae's question:

Do you think an author can successfully write
 
in various genres? If you enjoy an author’s
 
style, would you consider reading something by
 
that same author outside your usual preferred
 
genre?




Enjoy!   


Until Next Time,


 Photobucket


*TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!

4 comments :

Lover Of Romance said...

I really like the sound of this...and the excerpt was fantastic...it just makes me want to read it right now!! LOL I will keeping an eye out for this one!! Thanks for sharing!

Mae Clair said...

I just wanted to say thanks for having me as your guest. I had a fun time with the interview! :)

Mae Clair said...

Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I'm glad WEATHERING ROCK has you intrigued :)

The_Book_Queen said...

Congrats, Mae will be in contact with you soon!