Monday, June 18, 2018

New Release, Cusp of Night, and the Birth of the Spiritualist Movement By Mae Clair


I am so excited to have talented author Mae Clair return as we celebrate the release of her fabulous new novel, which, by the way, I absolutely loved! (See my review here). She is about to share some of her inspiration behind the story. I'm sure it will intrigue you every bit as much as it did me! 

Welcome Mae!

Thanks for having me as your guest today, Debbie!  I’m excited to be able to share my new mystery/suspense novel, Cusp of Night. The story features two timelines—one in the present and one in the past. For the past timeline, I delved into the era of Spiritualism, a religion/pseudo-science that experienced its birth in the mid-1800's. Founded on the principle that life existed after death, and that the dead could communicate with the living, most consider the Fox Sisters responsible for setting Spiritualism in motion.

In 1848, John Fox, his wife, and two daughters—Margaret and Kate—moved to a cottage in Hydesville, New York, temporary lodging while their house was being built nearby. Previously owned by a family named Bell, locals referred to the cottage as the “spook house.” A peddler, rumored to have had an affair with Mrs. Bell, vanished after visiting and was never seen again.

Within days of arriving, unexplained noises began to plague the Fox family. Rattling sounds, tappings, and loud bangs were heard each night. John thought nothing of it at first, but the incidents increased in frequency. His wife and daughters were so disturbed, he took to making nightly rounds, searching for the source of the mysterious noises.

After a time, Kate realized that whenever her father knocked on a wall or a doorframe, the same number of knocks would come in reply as if something was trying to communicate. She and her sister named this unseen entity Mr. Splitfoot. In no time they were communicating through an intricate series of knocks.