Mae Clair's Blog, page 63

Yesteryears and Yearbook Memories by Mae Clair

If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you know I love folklore and legend. You also know I’ve got a book coming out the end of April that features the Mothman, a famous creature from cryptozoology. That book, A THOUSAND YESTERYEARS, is the first of a three novel series (although each book has a definitive ending).

Recently, while working on book two, A COLD TOMORROW, I had to draft a few messages from a high school yearbook for one of my characters to review. I thought I could do that fairl...

Mae Clair Presents: Bound by Oath and Honour by Debbie Peterson #fantasy #romance

Hey, gang, I’m really excited to be sharing this latest release from you. Written by my dear friend, Debbie Peterson, BOUND BY OATH AND HONOR is an intriguing tale of fantasy, adventure and romance. I just finished anARC of this fabulous book, and am blown away by the author’s talent in weaving such a complex and heartfelt story. Although, I expected no less as I’m a huge fan of everything Debbie writes. Check out this blurb:

Blurb:

Fresh from her photo shoot in Northern England, wildlife pho...

A Bouquet of Flowers in Winter

I miss spring. I miss summer.

The northeast is still in the grip of winter and it’s far from pleasant. This past weekend we had such lovely highs as -5 degrees Fahrenheit (with the wind chill). My husband and I are convinced humans were not meant to live in this type of weather. We are warm weather creatures, especially as we age. The photo below is a view of what I was greeted with when I stepped outside over the weekend. Very pretty, yes, but wretchedly cold. Especially when the wind was wh...

Let’s Talk Bad Reviews by Mae Clair

Psst! I’ll tell you a secret. The first review I ever got was three-stars. Now, I don’t necessarily consider three stars a bad review, but I don’t count it as great either. I’ve given a number of three-star reviews and imagine them somewhere middle of the road.

Naturally, as a newly published author, launching my first book, I had dreamed of five stars. There were plenty that followed, but that first one came as an eye-opener. I even had one of my friends give a four-star review and then send...

Goodreads Book Giveaway: A Thousand Yesteryears by Mae Clair #mystery #suspense #Mothman

Look at me, posting three days in a row!

I have some pretty exciting news to share, so I couldn’t wait another day. Kensington Publishing is doing a Goodreads Giveaway for a paperback copy of my upcoming release, A THOUSAND YESTERYEARS. There will be two—count ‘em two—winners. The giveaway is open now through February 29th (how cool, a leap year). If you’re interested, you can enter here (I’d be jazzed if you did :) ):

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/172145-a-thousand-yesteryears

A TH...

Invasion of the Spam Bots by Mae Clair

If you read my post yesterday about word count and something “weird,” you’ll remember that weirdness had to do with an unusual number of newsletter sign-ups I’ve had over the last few days. As I mentioned in that post, I normally get a handful of sign-ups each month, but I’ve been getting that many each day for approximately three days now. And each new readerprovides only a first name.

I appreciate everyone taking the time yesterday to share their thoughts about whether I should judge these...

WIP Progress, Books, and Something Weird by Mae Clair

It’s the start of a new week, and I’m happy to say I had a productive weekend. Which is a good thing as I’m starting to feel the pressure of a looming deadline. I’ve got two months until the contract deadline for my current WIP, A COLD TOMORROW.

I’ve never written on proposal before. In the past, I always had a complete manuscript which I sent to my publisher for acceptance. When I started my POINT PLEASANT SERIES, I submitted book one, A THOUSAND YESTERYEARS. Books two and three were just va...

Digging Out by Mae Clair

I live in a northeastern state which means we have unpredictable winters. The last few have been cold, but we’ve been spared any major snowfall. Until recently. I’m sure most of you know a storm of historic proportions hammered the east coast over the weekend. It is now officially the Blizzard of 2016. To put that in perspective, our last blizzards occurred in 1996 and 1993.

In my area, Old Man Winter hit us with the largest snowfall on record—30.2 inches in a single day. Ugh!

The snow starte...

My Favorite Tools for Twitter by Mae Clair

When it comes to social media, I’m a big fan of Twitter. It’s quick, allows me to connect with other Tweeps, catch up on events, follow trending topics, and experience news as it happens. All in one neat little social media platform.

As good as Twitter is, it’s even better paired with other applications. Today, I’d like to share a few I’ve found particularly helpful.

One of the things I like best about Twitter is the ability to create lists. As an example, I have a Twitter list for my writer...

That Magical Moment by Mae Clair

Have you ever struggled to understand something, then had a moment when it magically falls into place?

Recently, a couple who needed directions came into the real estate office where I work. They didn’t speak a word of English, only Spanish. Our receptionist, who knows I’ve been trying to teach myself, asked if I could help. *gulp* Learning a few words and phrases in another language hardly prepares you to converse with a native speaker. Even so, I was willing to give it a try.

Once I greeted...