#BadMoonRising Cusp of Night (Hode’s Hill Series #1) by Mae Clair #suspense #supernatural #TuesdayBookBlog

On By Teri PolenIn Bad Moon Rising

Yesterday I mentioned inspiration can be triggered by a variety of things. One of my questions gave this author an idea for a book (yay me!). Having read the series featured today and many of her other books, I have no doubt whatever comes out of that idea will be just as compelling. If supernatural suspense is your drug of choice, I can’t recommend this series enough. Welcome Mae Clair!

Hi, Teri! I’m super excited to be participating in Bad Moon Rising again this year. Thank you for arranging this awesome event, one where I always discover new books and new authors.

I’m bringing along Cusp of Night, a spooky tale that includes a haunted house, a 19th century spiritualist, seances, a mysterious creature, and dual mysteries—one set in the present and one in the 19th century. The book has over 100 reviews on Amazon, so readers can do plenty of poking around to see what others are saying about my supernatural mystery.

As always, you came up with a great assortment of creepy questions and writing-related questions to answer.  I had fun with these!

Has a movie or book scared you so much you couldn’t sleep?  Which one?

When I was a teenager, there were two books that terrified me—The Shining by Stephen King, and The Amityville Horror. When people think of The Shining, most remember the creepy ghost twins or the woman in the bathtub, but the moving topiary bushes were what kept me up at night. I still get goose bumps when I think about them.

Every movie adaptation I’ve seen of The Shining has fallen short of eliciting the fear I felt while reading. Today, the book remains one of my all-time favorites by King.

And then there is <shudder> The Amityville Horror. Knowing it was supposed to be true, pushed the terror element into the stratosphere. I devoured half the book in one afternoon, but was so terrified, I threw it in the trash without finishing it. Bleeding walls, clusters of flies, and a pig with glowing red eyes staring through the window at night—no thanks! I would have nothing to do with the movie either.

Would you rather use a Ouija board or participate in a séance?

This is a tough question because Ouija boards are not something I want to mess with, but going to a séance would be just as bad. Between the two, I’d opt for the séance. At least there, I wouldn’t be the one summoning the spirit. Strangely, while writing my reply for this question, I was hit by a great idea for a book. Thanks, Teri!

If you were in a horror movie, would you rather have a loaded gun or a car that wouldn’t break down?

Definitely the car. Hopefully, it would come with a full tank of gas which would get me far away from the ghouls, zombies, ghosts, and assorted nasties. The gun would only have so many shots, and bullets don’t work on all creatures anyway. The short version—I would rather flee than fight a bunch of supernatural thugs.

Do you write to music?

Only instrumental. I’m one of those authors who can’t abide distractions when I write—no TV or music with lyrics. I have a flatscreen television in my office, but I only use it for listening to a spa-type music channel.

Which comes first for you – plot or characters?

Characters. They randomly pop into my head and demand I find a plot for them. As an example, Lucinda Glass, the spiritualist in Cusp of Night, hung around in one form or another for a few years before I found a story to suit. Then there is Madison Hewitt, who grew from a single line in End of Day. Suddenly, my lead character had a sister in a care facility for the emotionally disturbed. Who knew? Certainly, not the author!

Describe your writing space.

I’m fortunate to have a dedicated office in my house for writing. I have a desk with an iMac computer, two bookcases, and an electric fireplace for ambiance. The smaller of the two bookcases is for craft books and topics I’ve researched; the larger for fiction—including several signed hardbacks from my favorite authors. I had canvas prints made from a few of my book covers for hanging on the walls (Cusp of Night is one), and there are black cat silhouettes above the closet and entrance doors. My own black cat, Raven, usually hangs out with me when I’m working.

This was fun, Teri. Thanks so much for having me on your blog!

The truth hides in dark places . . .

Recently settled in Hode’s Hill, Pennsylvania, Maya Sinclair is enthralled by the town’s folklore, especially the legend about a centuries-old monster. A devil-like creature with uncanny abilities responsible for several horrific murders, the Fiend has evolved into the stuff of urban myth. But the past lives again when Maya witnesses an assault during the annual “Fiend Fest.” The victim is developer Leland Hode, patriarch of the town’s most powerful family, and he was attacked by someone dressed like the Fiend. 

 Compelled to discover who is behind the attack and why, Maya uncovers a shortlist of enemies of the Hode clan. The mystery deepens when she finds the journal of a late nineteenth-century spiritualist who once lived in Maya’s house–a woman whose ghost may still linger.

Known as the Blue Lady of Hode’s Hill due to a genetic condition, Lucinda Glass vanished without a trace and was believed to be one of the Fiend’s tragic victims. The disappearance of a young couple, combined with more sightings of the monster, trigger Maya to join forces with Leland’s son Collin. But the closer she gets to unearthing the truth, the closer she comes to a hidden world of twisted secrets, insanity, and evil that refuses to die . . .

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73 thoughts on “#BadMoonRising Cusp of Night (Hode’s Hill Series #1) by Mae Clair #suspense #supernatural #TuesdayBookBlog”

  1. Pingback: Book Review Tuesday: The Ballad of Mrs. Molony #UrbanFantasy #SuperHeroFantasy @Virgilante | From the Pen of Mae Clair

  2. Cusp of Night is one of my favorite book covers for one of my favorite books in one of my favorite series by one of my favorite authors ever. (Enough “favorites” in that sentence?) Period. Can’t give it or her enough praise. Glad to see Mae here today. And I’m with her on both the car and the Ouija board. Wishing her all the best.

    Thanks, Teri.

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. LOL! I REALLY loved that comment, Staci. Thanks for making my day with all of those “favorites.” 🙂
      And, yeah, Ouija boards totally creep me out. Although I’m sure I’d be terrified in the seance, too. For someone who writes about spirits and creatures, I’m a wuss in real life 🙂

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        2. D.L. Finn, Author

          The Shinning will always be a favorite of mine. I forgot about Amityville Horror, that was pretty terrifying I agree! I usually like silence when writing but instrumental music works too. Great interview 🙂

          Liked by 2 people

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          1. Glad you enjoyed the interview, Denise.
            The Shining is at the top of my favorite King reads (after Salem’s Lot), but I want nothing to do with Amityville. That one totally freaked me out, LOL.
            And silence works best for me when I write, but sometimes I like to wallow in Celtic harp and dulcimer 🙂

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    1. Hi, Jay! I’m so glad you enjoyed Hode’s Hill. I loved doing the research that went into Cusp of Night. Like my Mothman books, I could spend hours talking about the “behind the scenes stuff,” LOL!
      So glad we connected!

      Liked by 2 people

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  8. Loved Cusp of Night, Mae. Amityville Horror scared the pants off me. Quick story. When I signed my first publishing contract, the phone rang and when I checked the caller ID it read: AMITYVILLE. Nothing but static on the line.

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  9. I loved the entire Hode’s Hill series. Great supernatural suspense. And I really enjoyed the question and answer. I wasn’t brave enough to try either the book or the movie for Amityville. Too much for me! Summoning spirits gave you an idea for a new book, hmm? You’d be in your element. You’re good at giving me chills:)

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    1. LOL! I’m glad those chills come across in my work, Judi, even if I avoid them in real life. I’m with you on Amityville. I regret even trying to read it, since those memories still stick with me.

      So glad you enjoyed Cusp and all of Hode’s Hill!

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  10. What a wonderful interview, Mae! I had to smile when you said you got an idea for a story as you answered the question about the Ouija Board or Seance. 🙂 I have participated with both and have to say the seance is a pretty amazing experience. Love the answer about the gun or car too. I’m no good with a gun, so a car would be my choice. Run, Forest, Run! 🙂 I loved the entire Hode’s Hill series. Thank you for sharing, ladies!

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. Hi, Jan! You’re far braver than me with the seance. The only ones I ever participated in was as a kid when friends and I were playing around. Even those were creepy, LOL.
      So glad you enjoyed Hode’s Hill. I loved writing the dual story lines in those books.

      And yeah, gun or car—I’ll take car any day. The faster to get away 🙂

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  14. What a great interview, Mae! I can see you working away in your writing room even as I type! 😀 Love this post, Teri, and love the entire Hode’s Hill series, Mae. And I think having canvas prints made of your covers is such a good idea, I’m going to do it with one or two of mine!

    Thanks so much for having Mae here, Teri, and once again Bad Moon Rising has been a highlight in my day! Sharing this!! 🙂 ❤

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. So glad you’re enjoying Bad Moon, Marcia! Speaking of prints – my sons had the cover of Sarah enlarged into a print for me at Christmas one year. It hangs at the top of the stairs in my house – totally freaks out visitors, lol.

      Thanks for sharing Mae’s post!

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      1. Great Goobley-Oobley! That’s such a cool idea, Teri, but that cover is pretty darn scary! 😲 Still. You wrote it. I’m assuming you can handle it! 😀 And it was my pleasure to share. I’m loving the series! 🙂

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    2. I’m glad you enjoyed the interview, Marcia. Teri asked such great questions. I had so much fun answering them.
      My office is a wonderful place to work, and I so enjoy creating my stories there. Having the canvas prints in a nice addition for inspiration. I loved having them done and highly recommend them!

      Liked by 1 person

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  15. Reblogged this on The Write Stuff and commented:
    Time for my Bad Moon Rising reblog, and today, one of my best online friends is Teri Polen’s special guest! Author and fellow Dresdenphile Mae Clair is visiting, with an interview that’s loads of fun. And her featured Hode’s Hill series is fantastic! Hope you’ll head on over to check out the post, and will then share it with the Immediate World, so others can enjoy it too. Thanks, and thanks so much to Teri. This series is great fun! 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

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  22. Haha, I love how you got hit by the inspiration wand while writing to Teri’s questions. So, characters come and tippy tappy dance in your brain first too? Aren’t they insistent when they do that? Lovely to learn a little more about you, Mae – love the idea of canvas prints of your books covers!!

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. Yep, characters are always nosing in my head and making their presence known. They have a lounge there where where they hang out until I find a place for them in a story. They’re so insistent.
      And the canvas covers are really cool. I use Groupon. Guns of Perdition would make an awesome canvas print, Jess. Just saying 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

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  23. Wonderful to see Mae featured here with the Hode’s Hill series. I have read and enjoyed them all, Teri. The Shining is a book which I also rate as one of the creepiest I’ve ever read. Everything about that hotel was scary. I was also scared by Salem’s Lot.

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    2. I’m so glad you enjoyed my Hode’s Hill series, Robbie. Thank you!
      Mr. King did a great job with The Shining and Salem’s Lot. Both were so creepy, but also sucked you in so that you couldn’t stop reading. At least I know I couldn’t, as spooked as I was, LOL!

      Liked by 1 person

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  24. alexcraigie

    I’m far too much of a coward to even start reading Amityville and didn’t watch The Shining until two years ago – decades after my children had enjoyed it. I have Cusp of Night and it strikes me that it’ll make excellent Halloween reading.

    Liked by 2 people

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    2. Oooh, I’m excited to think that Cusp of Night might be part of your Halloween reading. Thank you so much!
      And I have no idea why I ever started to read The Amityiville Horror. I must have had a moment of insanity to think I could deal with it. These days, I wouldn’t even have that book in my house!

      Liked by 2 people

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