1 #cryptidfiction #romance #adventure

Posted on August 31, 2015 by Mae Clair

I know summer isn’t officially over until the autumnal equinox rolls around mid-September, but by the time the calendar reads August 31, I’m already thinking fall. My husband and I will be closing our pool this coming weekend, Halloween stuff is stocked in most every store I visit, and the days are growing noticeably shorter. I live in the northeast where summer is much, much too short. Blink and it’s easy to miss. I love fall, but I thrive on summer. So…I’m lamenting the demise of my favorite season with an end of summer sale on SOLSTICE ISLAND, my breezy romantic adventure novella. Many thanks to all my friends and fellow bloggers who are helping me spread the word today and tomorrow!

Why should you read SOLSTICE ISLAND (other than the fact it’s like a shot of summer wrapped up inside Kindle pages)? I’m glad you asked. 🙂

The Top Ten Reasons Why You Should Read Solstice Island by Mae Clair:

You’ll meet a hot charter boat captain trying to live down his family legacy.
You’ll encounter a spunky heroine cryptozoologist, determined hot captain should embrace said family legacy and all the baggage that goes with it.
You’ll be able to impress your friends with your stunning new knowledge of cryptozoology.
You may find yourself struck by the uncontrollable urge to look up blurry images of strange creatures online or go on a cryptid hunt (think Loch Ness, Big Foot, and the Jersey Devil).
You’ll learn why you should never ignore a craving for mint chocolate chip ice cream.
The next time your boat is attacked by a rampaging sea monster, you’ll know precisely what to do.
You’ll be swept up in a tale of romance, adventure, and folklore.
You’ll uncover buried treasure, thwart a villain, and discover a new use for a boat oar.
As a 72 page novella, SOLSTICE ISLAND makes a quick end of summer read.

And the number one reason you should read SOLSTICE ISLAND:

It’s FREE on Amazon August 31 and September 1!

SOLSTICE ISLAND Blurb:
Can an ancient leviathan work magic between a practical man and an idealistic woman?

Rylie Carswell is an amateur cryptozoologist in search of a mythical creature, the Sea Goliath. In order to reach Solstice Island, a location the ancient leviathan is rumored to haunt, she’s forced to hire charter boat captain, Daniel Decatur.

Initially, Daniel wants nothing to do with the trip or the fool woman waving double payment in his face. Convinced she’s yet another loony treasure hunter looking for gold on the remote island, he reluctantly agrees. An embittered neighbor wants to have his charter license yanked, so the extra cash will help him stay afloat.

It doesn’t take long for Daniel to realize Rylie is after the same beast his parents were tracking when they mysteriously vanished ten years earlier. He’s avoided all links to cryptozoology ever since, but the smart and sexy cryptid hunter has him second-guessing his oath and wondering what he’s signed on for.

Warning: A family legacy, glowing plankton and rough waters.

Download SOLSTICE ISLAND Free from:
Amazon

Add SOLSTICE ISLAND to your Goodreads TBR

Looking Back at 2014 by Mae Clair

Posted on December 31, 2014 by Mae Clair

It seems only natural that we glance back over the previous year as we get ready to transition to a new one. As a kid, I looked at New Year’s Eve as a so-so holiday. Sure, it was fun to stay up and watch that glittery ball drop in Times Square, but there really wasn’t much more to recommend it.

When I got older, and met my husband, we enjoyed parties out with friends, ringing in in the New Year with large groups of people. But the older we grew, we gradually transitioned into New Year’s Eve being a quiet holiday at home. It has become “our holiday,” the one festive night of the year we celebrate solely alone…a late night candlelight dinner, champagne, just the two of us. As a result, I’ve grown to view what I once considered a so-so holiday as a charmed night. Not just for the romantic date-night ambiance, but also the bewitchment of one year bowing before the next. I’ve come to view that magical moment when the clock strikes twelve with a combination of whimsy, nostalgia and excitement.

I’m happy for the new writer/blogging friends I made in 2014, and the wonderful friendships I’ve maintained. I’ve discovered some great new blogs, authors and books, and am continually amazed by the peer-support in the online writing community. Guys, if I haven’t said it before—you rock!! What an amazing network!

Personally, I managed to pull off a few feats in 2014. It seems there’s always something waiting on my radar. This past year, I became a contracted author with Kensington Publishing when Lyrical Press was acquired by the New York house. I saw both of my two previous titles with Lyrical (WEATHERING ROCK and TWELFTH SUN) re-released through Kensington, with both titles going to print shortly.

I wrote my first novella, SOLSTICE ISLAND, and indie published it on Kindle. I also designed the cover for SOLSTICE ISLAND, which had me feeling pretty pumped up (Rah!). Strike a few more “firsts” off my list.

After that, I indie published ECLISPE LAKE to Kindle AND *gulp* print using Amazon’s CreateSpace. It took me a while to actually buckle down and make myself tackle the latter, but I’m delighted to have MY book in my hands at last. I remember how I used to dream of that moment when I was a little girl, laboriously writing stories out longhand in a loose-leaf notebook.

I submitted a romantic suspense/mystery novel, MYTH AND MAGIC, to Kensington which was accepted for publication. I just finished the galleys for that one, and if all goes according to schedule, MYTH AND MAGIC will release in June of 2015.

I am presently *thisclose* to finishing the first draft of my Mothman romantic suspense/mystery. My goal is to submit the ms to Kensington by February of 2015 then gnaw on my fingernails, er…work on something else, while I wait to see if it’s accepted.

Finally, I am a voracious reader and devoured 65 books this year, the same as last year. I had hoped for more, but the learning curve with indie publishing took a toll on my time. All in all, not a bad year. I can only hope that 2015 will be as productive!

Have you already set goals for yourself for the coming year? Mine include launching a newsletter, doing my first book signing, and—of course—more writing. What about you?

Friday, Solstice Island and Summer by Mae Clair

Posted on June 27, 2014 by Mae Clair

It’s Friday and it’s summer. Are you in the solstice mood? I am!

Today I’m visiting with Calisa Rhose at her blog ranch, and dishing up the “Top Ten Reasons Why You Should Read SOLSTICE ISLAND,” my romantic adventure novella. I hope you’ll hop over and give it a look-see. I had fun drafting up the reasons–a few might even surprise you.

Curious? You can find my amazing list of reasons here 🙂

In the meantime, I wish everyone a Happy Friday. The gateway to the weekend has arrived. Enjoy it!

Hump Day Visits by Mae Clair

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Mae Clair

I’m visiting today, hopping over to my friend’s blog. Daisy Banks, a lovely sister author from across the pond was kind enough to invite me to her blog to gush er, talk, about SOLSTICE ISLAND. Before I hop over there (and invite you to do the same), I wanted to wish everyone a happy hump day.

We’re on the downside of the week now, rolling toward the weekend (my favorite time).

We’re also halfway through April. Have you noticed how green everything is getting? In my neck of the woods, trees are blooming, flowers are sprouting, and the grass has tossed off the brown dregs of winter. On the downside, all of that lush budding and flowering is playing havoc with my sinuses. I suppose it’s a small price to pay for the return of spring.

Enjoy your Wednesday, and if you get a moment, please say hello over at Daisy’s blog. She’s got a really nifty hangout and loves to showcase authors. You may even want to sign-up to follow while you’re there! 😀

I’m also visiting with the awesome Debbie Peterson with an entirely different post on SOLSTICE ISLAND. Debbie has a very cool paranormal blog and writes beautiful ghostly romances. I’m presently enraptured with her current release, SPIRIT OF THE KNIGHT, which is looking destined to become one of my all time favorite reads. While you’re wandering around the blogosphere on hump day, do drop over and say hello! 🙂

Friday Fun by Mae Clair

Posted on April 11, 2014 by Mae Clair

It’s Friday! My favorite day of the week after Saturday and Sunday, so it’s only appropriate to kick it off with some fun. Today, I have two good friends helping me out.

Jessi Gage, a fabulous hybrid author in her own right, is doing a Free Publicity Friday spotlight for SOLSTICE ISLAND on her blog. I’d love to have you hop over and check it out while you’re wandering about the blogosphere!

Donna Cummings is also hosting me today on her blog, All About the Writing. Donna writes “humorously ever after romances,” and is a delight herself! I love her fun sense of humor. Today, she injects that frivolity in a three question interview. Yes, she only gave me three questions to answer, but let me tell you — that first one required major thought!

Curious? I hope so 🙂 You can find our short interview here.

Happy Friday! Here’s hoping yours is grand!

Would you search for a mythical creature? by Mae Clair

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Mae Clair

I can actually say “been there, done that,” in relation to the question above. If you’ve visited my blog before, you might know I’ve traipsed around West Virginia in the area where the legendary Mothman was sighted — all in the name of research which I’ve factored into an upcoming novel.

But going out on a charter boat to track down a leviathan larger than a whale . . .a mythical seabeast that has a taste for gobbling up ships? Nah, probably not.

That, is however, exactly what my heroine, Rylie Carswell, does in my new indie release, SOLSTICE ISLAND. Today, I’m visiting with my Kensington Books/Lyrical Press sister, Gemma Brocato on her fabulous blog. If you get a chance, I’d love for you to pop over and say hello.

Solstice Island by Mae Clair: Now on Amazon for .99 Cents #RomanticAdventure

Posted on April 6, 2014 by Mae Clair

I did it! After learning the ropes of HTML formatting, Amazon KDP, and working between Word, Notepad, Calibre and Amazon Kindle Generator, I finally finished and uploaded my first indie publication . . . a romantic adventure novella, SOLSTICE ISLAND. I’m sure there are simpler ways of accomplishing the whole thing (hopefully, I’ll discover them the more I move ahead), but the bottom line is it’s done and available for purchase! *huge sigh of relief*

Time to celebrate and do the happy dance!

I’m jazzed to announce you can now buy SOLSTICE ISLAND for just .99 cents.

Can an ancient leviathan work magic between a practical man and an idealistic woman?

Warning: A family legacy, glowing plankton and rough waters.

The book is only available through Amazon right now, but if you don’t have a Kindle, you can download a FREE Kindle Reading App for your PC, iPhone, iPad android, tablet — take your pick and download here.

Then hop over and grab your copy of SOLSTICE ISLAND for just .99 cents by clicking this link. This is a short, fast read that plays on my love for mythical creatures and romance. I hope you enjoy the tale and will help me spread the word!

Cover Reveal: Solstice Island, by Mae Clair #RomanticAdventure

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Mae Clair

Wow, I can’t believe the day has finally arrived! I’m another step closer to releasing my first indie-pubbed title, SOLSTICE ISLAND. Today, I’d like to share the cover with you.

I designed this myself, and was really pleased to have found two models who matched my characters in appearance so closely. As a result, I’m pretty jazzed about how it turned out. What do you think?

SOLSTICE ISLAND is a sweet (PG-13) romantic adventure novella pairing an intrepid woman with a withdrawn man during the search for a mythical sea creature. I’d like to extend a “thank you” to everyone who shared their input when I was waffling on several title possibilities a few months ago. SOLSTICE ISLAND was the runaway winner.

As a refresher, here’s the blurb:

Can an ancient leviathan work magic between a practical man and an idealistic woman?

Warning: A family legacy, glowing plankton and rough waters.

~ooOOoo~

I’ve got my fingers crossed I will have this released before the month is out and hope you’ll consider adding it to your TBR list. Thanks for sharing in my cover reveal today. I’m pumped! 😀

Writing with Friends by Mae Clair

Posted on March 10, 2014 by Mae Clair

I was recently tagged by the lovely and super energetic Kitt Crescendo in a “Writing Process” related blog hop. Kitt writes sizzling racy novels and has already burst onto the scene with two hot releases. She’s a very active blogger, a supportive friend, and someone with a strong passion for music. You’ll find her blogging about all of her many diverse interests (usually with a twist of humor or heart-felt passion) at The Inner Wild Kat
Just don’t mention frogs around her and you’ll be fine. 🙂

Thanks for the tag, Kitt!

Ok, the way the blog tag works, I’m supposed to answer four questions related to my writing style then tag three other bloggers to carry on the torch. You’ll meet those enchanting ladies at the end of this post, but first the questions with my answers:

What am I working on?
A lot! 😀 I actually have three projects going on right now. The first, SOLSTICSE ISLAND, is a short romantic adventure involving the search for a mythical sea creature. My first venture into indie publishing, I hope to release it later this month.

I also have a full-length romantic mystery called ECLIPSE LAKE that revolves around a fifteen-year-old missing person’s case. I’m also indie-pubbing that and hope to have it available in May/June.

MYTH AND MAGIC is a Halloween-themed romantic mystery that I had originally planned to release in October. As it stands now, I’ll be offering it to my new publisher Kensington Books, when it’s ready, as they have first option. If Kensington passes, I will indie pub as I originally planned…hopefully, even meeting that October deadline. Of course, I’d love to see it with Kensington too!

How does my work differ from others in its genre?
My books, especially the more I progress, tend to straddle two genres . . . romance and mystery. I would place the ratio at about 70% mystery to 30% romance, so the mystery element is probably the stronger theme. That said, I’m a romantic at heart, so each story still has a romance (usually star-crossed) to complicate matters for my hero and heroine.

Why do I write what I do?
I’ve always been intrigued by the unknown. I enjoy crafting “what if” possibilities and dropping my hero and heroine into situations where they’re forced to unravel secrets. My favorite types of novels are those that make me think, while satisfying the romantic in me. It’s why I enjoy weaving elements of myth and mystery with romance in my stories. I like to keep my readers guessing.

I also love family dynamics, a theme that is usually front-and-center in everything I write.

How does my writing process work?
I usually always start with a single character and an obstacle. Other characters grow from there, weaving the plot as they develop. Most of that takes place in my head before I start making notes on paper. Although I am not a plotter by any means, I have a very loose concept of the story before I start writing. Most of it develops on its own as scene evolves into scene. In the future, however, I’m hoping to plot more. My panster style has worked for me to date, but doing NaNoWriMo last year made me realize the benefits of plotting.

And now I’d like to introduce you to the three ladies who will be following me:

Calisa Rhose is an Okie, born and bred, through and through, and proud of it. While growing up, when she wasn’t on the back of a horse, she could be found with pen and paper in hand. Her writing career began with poetry in her younger days. Then she discovered Rock-n-Roll and cute musicians. Poetry turned into stories of romance and dreams. These days she lives with the same man who convinced her to take a romantic journey with him almost 30 years ago. After raising three strong daughters she spends her days loving their granddaughters, hoping for a boy someday, and writing. When she’s not writing, you can find Calisa putting on her editor hat and working to help other published and aspiring writers.

She is working on more projects with her favored contemporary cowboys, first responders and firemen, as well as, the occasional ‘other’ heroes — and their sexy female counterparts, those sassy, stubborn heroines.

Find Calisa at her website/blog http://calisarhose.wordpress.com

Twitter@CalisaRhose, Facebook/Calisa Rhose, Goodreads and Amazon

~ooOOoo~

Daisy Banks writes sensual and spicy romance in the Historical, Paranormal and Fantasy genres. An obsessive writer Daisy is passionate about her stories. Her focus is to offer the best tale she can to readers. Daisy is married, with two grown up sons. She lives with her husband in a converted chapel in Shropshire, in England. Antiques and collecting entertain Daisy when she isn’t writing. She has also occasionally been known to make a meal that doesn’t stick to the pan.

You can find Daisy at:

Blog http://daisybanks.wordpress.com/
Website Twitter Facebook Pinterest

~ooOOoo~

Having traveled and lived all over the world, Cd Brennan now talks with a strange accent, a mix of distant terminology, a blend of culturally cute but confusing euphemisms that leaves everyone looking at her with a blank stare. Luckily, her Australian husband (who she met in Ireland) and her two Aussie/Yankee sons have no problem understanding her – well, except for the word NO.

Now settled back “home” in Michigan, she enjoys reliving her glory days by writing about them. She considers the last fifteen years abroad the perfect research for her Love Where You Roam series; matchmaking women and men from different cultures, even different hemispheres, helping them find their true one across oceans of difference.

As destiny plays a hand in all the stories, Cd Brennan truly believes that what is for you, won’t pass you by. She hopes to inspire others to get out there: “Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” [Mark Twain] And of course, fall in love.

Get in touch with Cd at her at website http://www.cdbrennan.com
Facebook Goodreads Twitter Pinterest

The Unexpected Curve Ball by Mae Clair

Posted on January 7, 2014 by Mae Clair

Dear Friends,

In the event you haven’t heard the news my publisher, Lyrical Press, has been acquired by New York house, Kensington Books. Lyrical will become the digital imprint of Kensington. While this opens new opportunities and potential for Lyrical authors, it’s also created some unavoidable issues.

For the present, until contracts can be signed between Kensington and its new roster of authors, Lyrical has pulled their books from online retailers. As I had just kicked off a blog tour for TWELFTH SUN, I’ve had to cancel that tour. I’m grateful to Literary Nook, my touring company, for their understanding of the situation. The book tour wouldn’t have made much sense without the ability for readers to purchase my titles. Even though they already had bloggers and reviews lined up, Literary Nook willingly cancelled the tour and invited me to contact them again whenever I am ready.

If you had planned to visit me during any of my stops, that tour is now in a holding pattern. It may be thirty to sixty days before my titles are available again. Hopefully, sooner than later. The good news is that if I sign with Kensington, WEATHERING ROCK and TWELFTH SUN will be available through POD as well as digital format. As soon as I know more, I’ll share the news. None of this however, changes what I had previously planned for indie pubbing SOLISTICE ISLAND and ECLIPSE LAKE.

It feels extremely odd not to have my titles available for purchase right now, almost as if a safety net is missing. When the dust settles, whatever the outcome, I believe it will be for the better. Apparently, 2014 threw me a curve ball right out of the box. An exhilarating one, but a challenge nonetheless as I work to get everything back in order. That pesky New Year, LOL!

So, although I’ve had to cancel my tour temporarily, new adventures await on the horizon!

Best to all of you,
Mae