The Mystique of Old Homes by Mae Clair...

I am so pleased to have Mae Clair, author of  Weathering Rock, here for a visit and talk a little bit about her amazing book and her love for historic homes, (something we share in common).

I’m delighted to be Debbie’s guest today, and hope you’ll indulge me while I take a few moments to share my passion for old homes. I love properties that resonate with the ghosts of yesteryear, awakening memories with every squeaking floorboard and groaning door. That might be because I’ve worked in the real estate industry for the last 20+ years, but I like to think my fascination goes deeper than that.

 White Colonial Home

During my time in real estate, I’ve been through numerous properties, several B&B’s, some commercial buildings, farms reminiscent of a Currier and Ives print, multiple historic homes, and even a fully-equipped equine surgery center. It’s my job to dream up marketing for each of them, taking into account the characteristics of the property. Although I have an appreciation for contemporary style and design, there’s something about a house that has weathered the turn of centuries that speaks to me.

Perhaps that’s why I chose to title my debut novel, WEATHERING ROCK, after the historic home in the book where much of the action takes place. My lead character, Caleb DeCardian, has traveled through time from 1863 to the present where he meets my heroine, Arianna Hart. Caleb fought during the Civil War as a Colonel in the Union Army. Arianna teaches American history. Sounds like a match made in heaven, right?



Oh, but the path of true love is never smooth and these two have multiple complications stacked against them, including a rival who has cursed Caleb with lycanthropy. The only item he finds familiar in this new and confusing century is Weathering Rock, the home his father built in 1832. One hundred, eighty years later, it’s still standing, now owned by Caleb’s descendant, Wyn DeCardian.

Caleb and Arianna eventually come to understand how and why Weathering Rock was named, discovering the home may be key in keeping them together (doesn’t every old home have a bit of legend attached?).

I’ve personally had the pleasure of touring a number of historical properties over the years. It’s amazing the feelings you can conjure from homes like that. Impressions of past lives linger in the air like fingerprints.

No, I don’t mean ghosts. I’m talking about an awareness of lives and decades, almost as if the house has become a keeper for those memories. Maybe that’s why I started to think of the house in WEATHERING ROCK as a character.

My grandfather’s house was a three-story with covered front and rear porches, an upper level balcony, huge attic and a beautiful turned staircase with a landing. As kids, we used to crawl from the attic onto the roof and watch the fireworks launched over a river several miles away. I have such wonderful memories of that home, many of them inspired by the house itself.

EVERY house has a heart, and for every home, it’s different. The heart of my grandfather’s home was the stairwell. The heart of Weathering Rock . . .

Well, that would be giving away the legend I created to bring Caleb and Arianna together. If you’re curious, you can find the answer in my book. :D

For now, I’d like to know if old homes inspire you. I’d love to hear any memories you have to share!

WEATHERING ROCK Blurb:

Drawn together across centuries, will their love be strong enough to defeat an ancient curse?

Colonel Caleb DeCardian was fighting America’s Civil War on the side of the Union when a freak shower of ball lightning transported him to the present, along with rival and former friend, Seth Reilly. Adapting to the 21st century is hard enough for the colonel, but he also has to find Seth, who cursed him to life as a werewolf. The last thing on Caleb’s mind is romance. Then fetching Arianna Hart nearly runs him down with her car. He can’t deny his attraction to the outspoken schoolteacher, but knows he should forget her.

Arianna finds Caleb bewildering, yet intriguing: courtly manners, smoldering sensuality and eyes that glow silver at night? When she sees Civil War photographs featuring a Union officer who looks exactly like Caleb, she begins to understand the man she is falling in love with harbors multiple secrets--some of which threaten the possibility of their happiness.

Finding a decent guy who'll commit is hard enough. How can she expect Caleb to forsake his own century to be with her?

View Book Trailer for WEATHERING ROCK

WEATHERING ROCK EXCERPT: 

“You’re where?” Lauren said into the phone, flabbergasted.

“Weathering Rock,” Arianna repeated. “You mean that big old house off Blackberry Lane? The weird one that’s supposed to attract ball lightning?”

“That’s the one.”

Too keyed up to sit, Arianna paced the guestroom. “I had a small accident on the way home.” And met an incredibly sexy man with silver eyes and an old-fashioned personality. That part would keep until tomorrow. 

Lauren drew a sharp breath. “Ari, you’re scaring me. Are you all right? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine.” Walking to the window, she pushed the drapes aside and stared into the darkness. Her reflection leaped back like a disembodied ghost--raven hair, dark green eyes, her skin pale as milk in the night-blackened glass. The rain had arrived, pushed by a fury of wind and thunder. It pelted the windows, making her feel safe indoors.

I won’t hurt you, Caleb had promised. Why was it so important to him she stay?

She told her friend what happened, skipping her conflicting emotions about her blond-haired host.

“And you’re actually staying?” Lauren gave a cluck of disbelief. “I don’t care if it is raining, I’ll come get you. For all we know, one of them could have punctured your tire so you’d be stuck there.”

“You’ve seen too many slasher movies, Lauren. I’ll be fine.” She couldn’t explain why, but felt secure in the house, as if something sinister lurked outside. As long as she remained within the walls of Weathering Rock, she was protected from that unnamed threat.

By Caleb.

The thought shocked her. She eased to a seat on the bed, absently fingering the white eyelet cover. The furnishings looked plucked from a storybook, the bed dressed in a pale blue canopy and flirty skirted ruffle. The matching bureau was squat and old-fashioned with a standing mirror and gold-veined marble top. A walnut washstand with a pitcher and bowl was tucked into the corner.

“I’ll call you in the morning when I get home.”

 “You’re sure about this?”

 “Positive.” Arianna smiled, appreciating her friend’s concern. Lauren had been through a divorce eight months ago, the experience leaving her jaded when it came to trusting men.

"All right.” Lauren exhaled into the phone. “But I expect a call in the morning, followed by details in the afternoon. How about dropping by my shop after you finish your errands?”

 “Deal.” Running Saturday errands was a regular routine for Arianna and she most always ended at Lauren’s boutique for a visit afterward. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

 She said goodbye and set the cell within reach on the nightstand. Rain continued to batter the windows in fierce bursts, backlit by strobes of lightning. The intermittent flash made her think of the ball lightning she’d seen earlier, an occurrence Caleb had been reluctant to acknowledge. Yet another oddity from a man who excelled at them.

Yawning, she glanced at her watch. It was after one in the morning and the events of the night had finally caught up with her. She switched off the light and opened the drapes, inviting the frenzied dance of the storm indoors. She shimmied from her jeans and top and crawled into bed, the cotton sheets blessedly cool against her bare skin. Moments later, as she was drifting toward sleep, a rattling crack of thunder drew her upright. 
Outside, lightning transformed the night into surreal-whitened day, silhouetting the bulk of a large animal against the window. Arianna recoiled from the touch of its eyes, yellow in the flash-fire burst of the storm. The image lasted only a pulse-beat before it was swallowed by darkness.

She shoved from the bed, hastily pulling on her blouse to cover herself, and threw open the window. The night had bled into a cauldron of shadow and patchy fog, making it impossible to see more than a few feet. The air was redolent with wet grass and worm-rich soil, an odor that made her think of swollen riverbeds and bogs. Rain pelted her face and left her shivering in her skimpy bra and panties. The animal--if animal it had been--had been swallowed by the storm. She closed the window, careful to secure the lock.

It’s not safe tonight, Caleb had said.

She shook away a chill, convinced she’d been dreaming. The animal must have been a figment of her sleep-hazed mind. The events of the night, Caleb’s mysterious warning, and the legends surrounding Weathering Rock had taken a toll of her nerves.

Yet as she crawled into bed, she couldn’t help thinking the animal had looked very much like a wolf.

Buy WEATHERING ROCK at:

Amazon
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Kobo
Lyrical Press
iBooks

Mae Clair 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.

You can find Mae Clair at the following haunts:
Website
Blog
Twitter (@MaeClair1)
Goodreads
Facebook Author Page

Comments?  Mae would love to hear from you!