Osiyo~

Welcome one and all! Grab a beverage of choice, something sweet and sinful. No-no, not the men. What’s the matter with you? You know the hands-on rules… The guest gets first pick! 😉 Take a comfy seat for another, or a first, spin in the Round Pen.

I’m thrilled to welcome my wonderfully talented guest today, Mae Clair, who is sharing her book, TWELFTH SUN, with us!

Please show ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Mae some real Ranch love! Thank you for visiting again, Mae!

Before I get to the nosy 5-3-4 part of this interview, tell us a bit about you.

Hi, Calisa! Thanks for inviting me to the Ranch today. 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. I’m a cat fanatic, love old photographs and have an avid interest in folklore, cryptozoology and American history.

I almost went into real estate a few years ago. What an exciting occupation. Okay, I’ll begin with five questions, then follow with three more, and end with four final ones.

My writing area at the moment is a corner of the couch in my living room. What does your writing space look like?

LOL! That’s a loaded question as hubby and I are currently in the process of remodeling my den from the floor up. We completely gutted the room and it’s getting a full makeover. I’m even going to add a corner electric fireplace when it’s done (I can’t wait to use it come autumn). In the meantime, I’m wedged into the corner of our spare room with two rooms of furniture piled around me (everything from my den has been moved into the spare room along WITH the spare room furniture). At the moment, the area where I write looks like a cyclone hit it. Stuff everywhere!

I can well imagine! I have a shed we’re working on making into an office and right now it’s a jumbled mess. I can’t wait to get it cleaned and fixed up! 🙂

For a lot of writers it’s a life-altering event coming up with titles and character names. Others it comes as naturally as breathing. Which is it for you?

Most of the time I do great with character names (I always have several percolating, waiting in the wings), but titles are a challenge. I was fortunate with both WEATHERING ROCK and TWELFTH SUN in that I actually had the titles before I started the stories. Probably the only two times it’s ever happened.

So maybe you only need to write those whose titles speak to you since those are the sellers? 😆

What advice would you offer aspiring and new writers?

Be prepared to be exhausted, LOL.

Right? I’ve long learned sleep is way overrated. LOL

Okay, being serious….everyone says not to give up and keep trying, and that’s pretty much what you need to do. Through rejections, impossible deadlines, juggling too much on your plate and yes, exhaustion, because there’s an abundance of that.

You need to be a whack-a-mole. Every time you get knocked down, you have to pop up and dive back into the game. Sooner or later, the powers-that-be with the mallet are going to run out of juice. 😉

Unfortunately, that is so true, Mae. The constant shift of the industry makes me often scratch my head and ask ‘what next?’ So, what do you think it takes to be a successful author at the moment?

I’ll answer that with a quote from Stephen King: “Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.”

It isn’t enough to write a great book and have it accepted, you have to constantly market too, which can take a toll — especially when you’re juggling family commitments and (often times) another job.

When I’m feeling down and have that insane moment of “why-am-I-doing-this?-I-should-toss-in-the-towel,” I remember that quote, dust myself off, and tackle whatever hurdle stands between me and my dream of being a professional writer.

Great quote from SK. Who would you like to meet in the publishing industry- dead or alive- and why?

Mark Twain. A brilliant man and a great humorist. It think it would be a blast as well as a learning experience to spend an afternoon chatting books and writing with him. Imagine how entertaining! Charles Dickens would be a close second.

Those are wonderful choices. It’s time for 3 in 1! I’ll ask the questions and you answer them in one word. 😆

Favorite animal? Cat

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter? Summer

Favorite food? Lobster

Well done! 🙂

Okay, Flash four. Ready?

What are you working on now?

A romantic mystery called ECLIPSE LAKE. It involves two estranged brothers, a free-spirited photojournalist who falls hard for one of them, and an unsolved missing person’s case.

Ooh, I do love a good mystery! I’ll be watching for that one!

What are you sharing today?

My current romantic mystery, TWELFH SUN.

Blurb:

The hunky young PhD knows all about seduction, but what does he know about love?

Reagan Cassidy is settled in her life. She has a thriving interior design firm, an upscale condo, two cats, and a goldfish. As a favor to her uncle, she agrees to team up with his marine archeologist friend to validate and retrieve a nineteenth-century journal, reputedly that of a passenger aboard the doomed schooner Twelfth Sun. Finding a hunky twenty-five-year-old coming out of the shower in her hotel room wasn’t part of the deal, but it’s hard to complain…

Dr. Elijah Cross is cocky and he knows it. He enjoys trading barbs with the lovely Reagan. Barbs, and some innuendo. He can tell she’d rather get back home to her business than stick around for the extended treasure hunt they’ve been talked into, but he’s fine with the situation. At least, until the “clues” start getting personal.

Reagan finds Dr. Gorgeous is as skilled in matters of the heart as he is behind the lectern. Throw in a series of clues which mean more to Elijah than he’ll explain, several odd-ball competitors out to win the journal, a saboteur, and a lavish seaside mansion, and Reagan has enough trouble keeping her head straight, let alone her heart.

 WARNING: Younger man, older woman, nautical riddles and romance.

EXCERPT:

Reagan glanced at her watch. She’d dragged herself from bed hours before any civilized person should be up, for the sole purpose of meeting Elijah Cross. The marine archeologist was already ten minutes late–not a brilliant way to begin a working relationship. She’d learned through firsthand experience many of her uncle’s friends were as unreliable as they were eccentric. Foolishly, she had hoped Dr. Cross wouldn’t fall into the same category.

Resigned to passing the time, she added hot water to her tea. From the corner of her eye she spied movement at the door of the cafe. A man stepped inside, shaking rain from his jacket. The door banged shut behind him, ensnaring her full attention. He wore a battered black fedora and worn jeans with scuffed dock shoes. There was something oddly familiar about him. He turned slightly and she caught his profile, realizing he was the man from room ten. Self-conscious, she looked away, hoping to sink through the floor. He spoke briefly with the hostess and then headed in her direction.

She tensed. What were the odds of encountering him now when she was scheduled to meet Dr. Cross, a highly-respected and, no doubt critical, academic? How would it look to her uncle’s friend if he walked in on a conversation revolving around naked men and the color of her undergarments?

Chagrined, she bowed her head over her teacup. Her hair spilled forward, concealing her face behind curtains of red-gold. With any luck he’d go away. With any luck, he’d leave her alone.

“Hi.”

Reagan raised her head fully convinced mischievous imps had tracked her to Shipwright Landing and were even now performing rituals of bad luck. “Hi.” She pressed her lips together. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m expecting someone.”

“Yeah, I know.” He grinned. “You’re Reagan Cassidy.”

She blinked. She’d given the hostess her name only because she was expecting Dr. Cross and neither had any idea what the other looked like. She certainly hadn’t expected the woman to share her name with any longhaired Lothario who asked for it. “The hostess told you.”

He nodded. Removing his hat by the crown, he dropped it on the table. “Some storm.” He shrugged out of his jacket and hooked it over the back of the nearest chair. “Good thing it’ll be over soon.”

Reagan watched flabbergasted as he sat across from her and picked up a menu. “Excuse me.” Her voice rose sharply, edged like a knife. “I didn’t invite you to sit. I told you I’m expecting someone.”

“Yeah, I know.” He flashed that same irritating grin. “I’m Elijah Cross.”

 ***

Where can we find you and your books?

You can find Mae Clair at:

Website

Blog

Twitter (@MaeClair1)
Facebook Author Page

TWELFTH SUN is available from:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

iBooks

Where will you be next?

Tomorrow, I’ll be visiting Jennifer Lowery’s blog for character interviews with Elijah and Reagan from TWELFTH SUN. It should be a lot of fun. Who knows what they’ll say – especially Elijah 🙂

Do you have a question for your visitors?

I’ll be giving away a Kindle or Nook copy (winner’s choice) of TWELFTH SUN to one commenter. Just answer the following question and be sure to leave your email address:

I love books with a beach or coastal setting, which is why I chose to set TWELFTH SUN there. What are some of your favorite settings for a novel?

Thank you so much for playing along, Mae! That cover is both mysterious and sexy. I’ve always been a sucker for men with longer hair! 😉 Love it! Wishing you much luck with your book and writing. I hope you’ll come visit again one day. I’ll be reading readers’ responses to this question. 🙂

Thanks for having me, Calisa. It was a blast!

Bio: Mae Clair

Mae Clair opened a Pandora’s Box of characters when she was a child and never looked back.  Her father, an artist who tinkered with writing, encouraged her to create make-believe worlds by spinning tales of far-off places on summer nights beneath the stars. She snagged the tail of a comet, hitched a ride, and discovered her writer’s Muse on the journey.

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 elements of mystery. Married to her high school sweetheart, she lives in Pennsylvania and is passionate about writing, old photographs, a good Maine lobster tail and cats.

Discover more about Mae on her website and blog at www.MaeClair.com

As usual, you’ve been a fun and super guest, Mae!

Dodadagohvi~