Summer Settings by Mae Clair

I’m thrilled to have my friend Mae Clair back again! I’ll just let her take it away.

Hello, it’s great to be back at the ranch once again. Thanks for your awesome hospitality, Calisa! Today, I’d like to ask your readers a question about book settings.

Are you a seasonal reader? Do you enjoy a book set at a particular time of year?

As a reader, I’m pretty much all over the board. I love autumn, can cozy up with a story that unfolds over Christmas or winter, and easily get swept away by the newness of spring and the breezy trappings of summer.

My reading is different than watching movies. I’m loving Christmas in July on the Hallmark channel this month! But my books usually stay with the season when it comes to winter wonderland settings or extreme holiday settings for some unplanned reason. I guess living in Oklahoma where we typically get 100*+ in summer, it’s hard to conjure snow scenes with my face dripping like hot wax in our heavy humidity. LOL

With the release of my fourth novel—Eclipse Lake—a romantic mystery set at a sleepy lake resort in June, something dawned on me. I looked back over my three previous novels and realized they were all set during summer. Not only that, the stories took place from late May into late June.

Hmm. Pattern here?

What is it about June that attracts me? In the case of Eclipse Lake, I was able to draw upon the vibrancy and indulgent impressions of the surroundings—the raucous chorus of tree frogs and the whispering symphony of crickets. The dance of fireflies, the setting sun sinking like cooling lava into a glass-smooth lake, the heady scent of wild honeysuckle and sun-sweetened strawberries.

There’s something about June that whispers of freedom. Maybe it goes back to childhood when June signaled the end of the school year and three months of uninhibited fun. I’m not sure what attracts me about this month, but it obviously works well for my writing style. Interestingly, my next novel (already under contract) is set in October and leads into Halloween. An interesting change of pace given my penchant for wild clover, night blooming jasmine and roadside ice cream stands.

Whatever your favorite season, I think you’ll find the setting of ECLIPSE LAKE able to transport you into early summer. Join me in a tale that is equal parts mystery and romance. A tale of family relationships, past mistakes, forgiveness, and redemption . . .

BLURB

Small towns hold the darkest secrets.

Fifteen years after leaving his criminal past and estranged brother behind, widower Dane Carlisle returns to his hometown on the banks of sleepy Eclipse Lake. Now, a successful businessman, he has kept his troubled past a secret from most everyone, including his seventeen-year-old son.

But memories in small towns are bitter and long.

Ellie Sullivan, a nature photographer for a national magazine, has a habit of ping-ponging across the map. Her latest assignment leads her to Eclipse Lake where she becomes caught up in the enmity between Dane, his brother Jonah, and a vengeful town sheriff. When freshly-discovered skeletal remains are linked to an unsolved murder and Dane’s past, Ellie is left questioning her growing attraction for a man who harbors long-buried secrets.

About Mae Clair:

Mae Clair opened a Pandora’s Box of characters when she was a child and never looked back. Her father, anartist who tinkered with writing, encouraged her to create make-believe worlds by spinning tales of far-off places on summer nights beneath the stars.

Mae loves creating character-driven fiction in settings that vary from contemporary to mythical. Wherever her pen takes her, she flavors her stories with mystery and romance. Married to her high school sweetheart, she lives in Pennsylvania and is passionate about cryptozoology, old photographs, a good Maine lobster tail and cats.

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

You can find Mae Clair at the following haunts:

Website and Blog

Twitter (@MaeClair1)
Google+

Facebook Author Page

Amazon Author Page

Goodreads  

Purchase ECLIPSE LAKE from:
Amazon

Add ECLIPSE LAKE to your Goodreads List

What is your favorite part of a summer setting?

Definitely the fireflies! While living in California for nearly twenty years while raising our three daughters, I missed those mysterious flying bugs and the wonderment of watching my own girls chase them. Now, back in Oklahoma, I delight in being able to see my grandchildren chase and catch them these days.

Thanks Mae! What about all of you, what’s your answer to Mae’s question?

Dodadagohvi~