Friday Friends: Mae Clair

I adore this woman. She's the nicest, friendliest, most supportive person in the world. No, make that the universe. She knows EVERYONE on the internet, and she makes every single person feel welcomed and special. I can't remember exactly how our friendship started -- I think she read Lord Midnight after one of my guest blogs a zillion years ago -- but it feels like I've known her forever and I can't imagine what it was like before I did. In addition to her tantalizing books, Mae writes the best reviews, and the best interview questions. . . and well, it's clear that words love her too, because they always line up in the perfect fashion.

Anyway, enough of my gushing. Please welcome Mae Clair to Friday Friends this week!

Of all the characters you've created, which one is your favorite? (We'll make sure your other characters don't see your answers. Hopefully.) Why do you love them best?

Yikes! You would ask that. I fall in love easily with my characters, especially the heroes. Right now I’m enamored of Dr. Elijah Cross, the twenty-five-year-old marine archeologist in my current release, TWELFTH SUN. He’s quirky, a bit of a smart ass, very HOT, and brilliant. Even I couldn’t help falling for him (which is probably why I paired him up with an older woman, LOL).

Excellent choice! I've been in love with him ever since the first excerpt I read. What's your go-to "writing avoidance" technique? (You can never have too many avoidance mechanisms.)

Writing blog posts. Does that count? I know it’s still writing, but I fall back on them whenever I want to avoid a WIP because I got stuck on something. It’s a head game I play with myself to ease the guilt for letting the WIP languish. Sort of like….hey, don’t sweat it--you’re still writing. 

It makes me feel productive even when I’m procrastinating. Unfortunately, it has limited effectiveness and wears off after a while. 

Hmm, I'm convinced by that rationale! If you were able to go on a writing retreat, where would it be? (I've got my bags packed, no matter where you pick.)

I would love a small cottage overlooking a lake or coastal bay. Lots of privacy but with a quaint village nearby where I could stroll to whenever I wanted a break. One of those ridiculously charming towns that makes you feel like you’ve stepped back in time.  

Yes! I love quaint villages and charming towns. What's the word you love to use (and abuse and overuse, so you have to take it out of your book during edits)?

There are two: that and really. I’m always on the lookout for those in editing mode.

Those are good ones -- and I justify them because they are "necessary" for the cadence sometimes. Name the first thing you'll do when you make a million dollars from your books.

Retire! Actually, my day job is one I enjoy, but I think every author dreams of writing full-time. Who wouldn’t want to make a living doing what they love most? 

I’d also treat myself to a Jag and go on an extended romantic vacation with my hubby to someplace warm and exotic.

I would retire too. And if you need me to look after the Jag while you're on that extended vacation with the hubby. . . 

Next is a lightning round we'll call The Tasty Ten, where we get to know you in a speed dating kind of way:

Coffee or tea?  Coffee (Keurig made me a convert. Before that, I was all about tea)

Drafting or revising? Revising

Twitter or Facebook? Twitter, hands down!

Winter or Summer? Summer

Werewolf or vampire? Werewolf, naturally!

Morning or evening? Twilight. It’s magical.

Land or sea? Sea

Early or late? Early

Beer or wine? Wine

Biter or licker? (Hey! I'm talking ice cream cones here!) Uh-huh, I knew that. *snort* Licker. It’s better for savoring. :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Is it weird to have a crush on a book cover? Yeah, I didn't think so either, Elijah.

Excerpt of Twelfth Sun:

 

“My dad’s father was part gypsy. Besides, the sea is in my blood.” Elijah turned onto his side, locking his good leg over hers, holding her in place. Pushing up on one elbow, he stared down at her, abruptly serious. “Did you know a good marine archaeologist could spend his entire life studying a single wreck and never be bored? Never feel the need to move onto something else?” He stroked her cheek, brushing her hair aside. “That’s what I want to do with you, Reagan. I want to spend my days and nights learning about you. Everything about you. What you think. The way you smell…” He leaned forward, inhaling the light scent of the honeysuckle oil she’d used in her bath.

Ping! Warning claxons flared in her head. Elijah, playful and teasing she could control. Elijah, serious and romantic meant trouble.

“The way you feel.” His fingers tracked down her arm and hooked into the flimsy belt holding her robe shut. “The way you taste.” His mouth closed over hers at precisely the moment he tugged open her robe.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Blurb for Twelfth Sun:

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.

Bio: 

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.

You can find Mae Clair at the following haunts:

Website

Blog

Twitter (@MaeClair1)

Facebook Author Page

Lyrical Press Author Page

Amazon Author Page

Goodreads

 

Buy TWELFTH SUN at:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

iBooks

 

Comments

[Mae Clair]

Hi, Donna! Many thanks for having me as your Friday Friend today. I had so much fun answering your questions! :)

[Lorraine Paton]

What a tantalizing excerpt! *fans self*

I'll join in and say I also adore Mae! :) I have Twelfth Sun on my eReader...beckoning to me...but I'm *trying* to save it for my upcoming holiday. Can't wait to read it!

[Donna Cummings]

Mae, it's always a blast to hang out with you, so thanks for being here!

Lorraine, I'm excited to read this one too! I keep using it as a bribe, er, I mean MOTIVATION for that pesky muse Endora. Once we get done with this WIP. . . *fans self*

[Mae Clair]

Lorraine, you are so sweet! :) And I'm thrilled to hear I'm on your eReader...even more that I'm a "save" for a holiday. woo-hoo! Thanks, friend! :)

[Mae Clair]

Donna, Donna, Donna! You are a gem! I don't know how I missed that intro you wrote. *blushes* I had an early morning appointment followed by a trip to the courthouse a town away to renew my notary commission for the day job. Road detour on the way back (can we say chaotic morning?). Then when I returned to my office I must have only loaded a partial screen. Now I'm reading that lovely intro and feeling so...special. You are a sweetheart and I AM SO GLAD we "met" (and yes, it was when I read LORD MIDNIGHT). Thanks for making my day and I hope you enjoy TWELFTH SUN! *hugs*

[Jennifer Lowery Kamptner]

I have to agree-Mae is wonderful! And so are her books! Can't wait to read this one! Enjoyed the interview too, ladies :)

[Mae Clair]

Thanks, Jennifer! You have me grinning ear-to-ear. :)

[Donna Cummings]

LOL, Mae -- you can do no wrong. No worries! Your day sounds hectic. Yikes! Hope the rest of it was less eventful. And I'm so glad we "met" too -- it's been a lot of fun, with more to come, I'm sure. :)

[Donna Cummings]

Jennifer, I'm glad you enjoyed the interview! If I recall, you have a book with a cover that I've been lusting after. . . I better go check my Goodreads list now. :)

[Sheri de Grom]

Great questions and wonderful interview.

[Donna Cummings]

Sheri, thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[Tera Shanley]

great interview! and i agree with that fabulous introduction for Mae. She's so nice and her support for other authors is inspirational.

[Donna Cummings]

Thanks, Tera! Mae really is supportive and inspirational, and I'm thrilled to know her. :)

[Mae Clair]

Hi, Sheri! It's wonderful to see you here. Thanks so much for dropping by and visiting with Donna and me! :)

[Mae Clair]

Tera, it's wonderful to see you here and I so appreciate your nice comments. It's been a wonderful day on Donna's blog with such lovely support. Thank you so much for dropping in and commenting! :)

[Calisa Rhose]

Hi Mae! Great interview hon. I love your answers, especially the Jag and the seaside cottage! Oh yummy excerpt, by the way. ;)

Nice to meet you, Donna!

[Donna Cummings]

Calisa, that Jag and seaside cottage sound great, don't they? LOL Thanks for stopping by!

[Mae Clair]

Hi, Calisa. Great to see you here! Yep, I would love a Jag (a nice white one) and of course, that lovely seaside cottage (with a lighthouse nearby). I can dream, can't I? LOL!

[Kourtney Heintz]

Great interview Donna! Mae I love the idea of a cottage on a lake near a quaint town. Perfect for getting writing done! And I love coffee too. ;)

[Mae Clair]

Another Keurig fan! YAY! Although I'd trade all of it for that cottage on the lake or coast line of quaint town. Gotta dream big! :)

Thanks for checking out the interview, Kourtney!

[Donna Cummings]

Thanks, Kourtney! I'll keep the coffee brewing, so if we don't make it to the cottage or quaint town, at least we'll have a beverage in which to drown our sorrows. LOL

Mae, you almost have ME convinced to trade coffee for that cottage! But since I don't see a cottage on the horizon, I'll just grab another iced coffee. :)