#BadMoonRising Things Old and Forgotten by Mae Clair #paranormal #supernatural #magic

On By Teri PolenIn Bad Moon Rising

Mention cryptids and I immediately think of this author’s intense and thrilling Point Pleasant series featuring the Mothman (if you haven’t read it, you’re depriving yourself – trust me on this). She’s here today with her new release, and the excerpts I’ve read during her blog tour have me wanting to drop everything, curl up on the couch with it, and dive in. Welcome Mae Clair!

Hi, Teri! I’m delighted to be a guest on Bad Moon Rising yet again. I look forward to this event every year—not only as an author, but also as a reader looking for new and riveting reads. I’ve discovered several, thanks to your yearly Halloween Festival, and have even made a good friend as a result. Thank you for putting this together. I wish you and your readers a happy October and a Happy Halloween. You had some intriguing questions this year, a few that really made me think.

Which urban legend scares you most?

The first one that stuck with/terrified me, I heard when I was six years old. There was an upscale park not far from where I lived, tucked next to a neighborhood of elite homes. In the version of “the hook” I was told, two high school kids were cuddling in a car when they heard a scratching noise on the roof. Of course it was late at night—pitch black, moonless. The guy got out to investigate. Minutes passed, stretching longer and longer. The scratching noise stopped, then after a span, grew louder. Worried, when her boyfriend didn’t return, the girl got out of the car. She found his lifeless body hanging upside down from a tree, his fingernails scratching against the roof as he swayed back and forth. It still gives me shivers when I think of it!

Candy apple or candy corn?

Change “candy” to “caramel” and this is a tough one, because I love both. Candy corn is the ultimate Halloween treat. That said, I don’t have to buy it every year, but I almost always buy caramel apples coated with nuts. I love them! Even more, there is one Halloween treat I absolutely/positively must buy each October – Sweetzels Spiced Wafers. They are the ultimate ginger snap cookie! I’ve been eating them each year since I was a kid.

Do you ever see figures in your peripheral vision?

I have memories from when I was a kid. I was six and terrified of “someone” behind a blind in my bedroom. The room had a row of four windows covered with venetian blinds. I swear I saw “something/someone” behind the last blind. My older sister tried to calm my fears by raising the blind on each window to show me no one was there. She did that to all four windows. But I distinctly remember thinking “why didn’t she raise the blind on the fifth?” There was no fifth window, but I can still see it clearly in my head. Weird, I know. That was just one of my “peripheral encounters.”

How do you celebrate when you finish writing a book?

I treat myself to something fun. That’s usually a shopping spree for clothes, jewelry, shoes, or books, but definitely something that makes me happy. In the past, when sales were good, I’ve also treated myself to a new iPhone, MacBook, and Bulova watch at different times. I miss those fabulous days of sales!

Which book have you read more than once?

There have been so many! When I really love a book, it’s nothing for me to go back and read it again and again. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring is probably the one I’ve read the most. I’ve also reread Black Sun Rising (a fantasy novel) by C.S. Friedman, Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury, and Still Life with Crows and Fever Dream, both by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. These are just a few, but there are many I cherish and have read multiple times.

If you could spend the day with another popular author, who would you choose?

Oh, my! I have so many wonderful writing friends online who I would love to meet. I would choose so many of them. I would so love to sit down in a coffee house to chat writing, books, and reading. We talk online but meeting face-to-face would be phenomenal! One can only hope.

BOOK BLURB:
A man keeping King Arthur’s dream of Camelot alive.
A Robin Hood battling a drastically different Sherwood.
A young man facing eternity in the desert.
A genteel southern lady besting a powerful order of genies.
A woman meeting her father decades after his death.

These are but a few of the intriguing tales waiting to be discovered in Things Old and Forgotten. Prepare to be transported to realms of folklore and legend, where magic and wonder linger around every corner, and fantastic possibilities are limited only by imagination.

Purchase Link

US
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09HP4Q6QC/r 

UK
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09HP4Q6QC/ 

Author Bio and Social Media

Connect with Mae Clair at BOOKBUB and the following haunts:        

Amazon| BookBub| Newsletter Sign-Up
Website | Blog| Twitter| Goodreads| All Social Media

87 thoughts on “#BadMoonRising Things Old and Forgotten by Mae Clair #paranormal #supernatural #magic”

    2. Hi, Darlene! After all the work of a book, I love picking up something nice. It’s a “pick me up” for me, LOL.
      And I still remember my older sisters talking about that urban legend when I was a kid. Scared me silly!
      Thanks for visiting today!

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    2. Both my sisters were wonderful like that, Priscilla. They were both a good deal older than me (11 years and 7 years) so they really looked after me when I was a kid. My brother was the one who would try to spook me LOL!

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  4. Wow, that is creepy about the fifth window, Mae! Sounds like the title of a good book. (Hint, hint.)

    Love your idea of meeting online author friends. There are lots I’d like to meet in person. Thanks again, Teri, for hosting.

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      1. Please do, Mae! Oh, you could bring on the shivers with a tale based on that 5th window. It could go SO many directions. In fact … what if that’s what it does? Takes different people different places? Think about the possibilities that lie before you! And then write! Write like the WIND!!!
        😄😄😄

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        1. I’m inspired! I’m going to have to add it to my collection of “to write” stories, Marcia. You are right…there are so many different possibilities, all of them intriguing. If I didn’t already have a NaNoWriMo project I’d tackle it now! 🙂

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            1. It was actually here in Bowling Green downtown at the baseball stadium. We went with friends and had a fantastic time. Angel’s Envy is one of my favs. We were at a store in TN when we had our first sample and were immediately hooked.

              Liked by 1 person

  6. Teri, thanks so much for having me as. guest on Bad Moon Rising. This is always such a fun event. I know it must be a ton of a lot of work for you, but I’m so thankful for your dedication to it. I’ve picked up good reads, made good friends, and one really exceptional friend thanks to BMR. May the Bad Moon continue to Rise!

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  7. Gwen M. Plano

    Wonderful spotlight, Teri. I loved the exchanges in the interview. Mae is not only an incredible writer, she’s a beautiful person. You both have me thinking of Halloween – the treats and my childhood experiences. Have a fantastic day! 🎃

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    1. Hi, Gwen. You are so kind with your comments. Thank you so much for the lovely compliment and for visiting me today. I have such fun memories of childhood Halloweens. This time of year always brings them back!

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  9. So happy to see Mae here today, Teri! She’s my good Penderpal and a fellow Dresdenphile, and I’m more than halfway through with Things Old and Forgotten, and loving it! It might be my favorite of all her books, just because it showcases her fantastic imagination and elegant writing in so many different ways.

    I also have Mae to thank for introducing me to the legend of Mothman. Even though there was apparently a movie (starring Richard Gere) about this cryptid, I had never heard of him (it?) before, and truly enjoyed reading her books.

    This was another great BMR post, you two, and Mae, do think about the possibilities of that Fifth Window! *shiver* Meanwhile, here’s hoping you get the kind of sales this latest book deserves! Off to share over at my place! 🤗💖

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    1. Wow! I’m so glad this one is resonating with you so strongly, Marcia. Your comment made my day! I’m also glad I got to introduce you to the Mothman in my Point Pleasant series. Of everything I’ve written, those books are still my personal favorites.

      And, of course, I’m going to have to add “The Fifth Window” to my list of tales to be written. Now I just have to carve out the time, LOL.

      Many thanks for visiting and for sharing the post, my PenderPal. Happy Halloween!

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  10. Pingback: #BadMoonRising – Post 23 Featuring Mae Clair | The Write Stuff

  12. Such a wonderful interview with Mae! The supernatural occurrences from such a young age just shows how open Mae is. I loved her Point Pleasant series AND Hodes Hill! She is such a talented writer! Thank you for showcasing her today, Teri!

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    2. Thanks so much for the lovely comment, Jan. And you’re right—I do remember imagining all kinds of things and being interested in the unknown even as a child. I have such fun memories of looking for UFOs through a telescope and hanging about the neighborhood “haunted house.” I guess that interest in most things odd is one I never lost!

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  13. Pingback: Book Tour Day 10: Things Old and Forgotten by Mae Clair #speculativefiction #magicalrealism #fantasy #newrelease | From the Pen of Mae Clair

  14. Hi Mae, the myth you mentioned would scare me too. I can hear those nails scratching. What you said about sales was also very interesting. Do you think the reduction in books sales is because the market is so flooded? Sometimes I think Amazon should do some sort of checks on books before they are published. I’ve ended up with a few really awful books that are completely unedited. Thanks for hosting Mae, Teri.

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    1. The thing about that myth that made it so scary, Robbie, is because it was told as happening in Bellevue Park, which wasn’t far from where I lived at the time. When you add a place name to an urban legend it feels a lot more real!

      I’m not sure exactly what has contributed to a reduction in book sales. It could be a lack of promotion on my part, or the fact I haven’t released a title in over a year (not counting being included in an anthology). I think the amount of books certainly contributes, but in the long run I think it does down to money spent is money earned and I haven’t been spending on promo. Something to consider when I release my next book!

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      1. I live in a house that is supposed to be haunted. I’ve not seen anything of the gang of desperadoes who died here though. Slightly disappointing really. I think you are right about promotion, but even those authors who do promote a lot seem to be suffering lower sales. I read the same comments from person after person. Mine have increased over this period and I do put it down to getting my books in front of a few more people. I couldn’t write full time though. I’d be starving in a garret.

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        1. It’s good your sales are increasing, Robbie. Whatever you’re doing you’re doing right.
          I’m like you–no way could I make a full-time giving off my writing. I keep hoping, one day.

          And shivers on living a haunted house–even if you haven’t seen any ghosts!

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  15. I listened to radio ghost stories when I was very young, but your stories are scarier, Mae! I could hear the fingernails scratching against the roof and see the blind in front of the fifth window. This is a fun interview, Mae and Teri! 🙂

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    1. I’m so glad you enjoyed the interview, Miriam. Teri always asks great questions and I had a fun time answering these, especially digging back into my childhood to recall those spooky events!
      Thanks for visiting!

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  16. Lovely seeing Mae here. I’m a caramel (not candy) apple fan, too. And the hook legend is horrifying!

    You need to write a story about the fifth blind. I know I’d add that to my list of favorites of your works. Then again, everything you write is on that list. Best wishes on your new release.

    Thanks, Teri.

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    1. Aww, thanks for such a lovely comment, Staci. And why does it not surprise me that we both like caramel apples? I definitely don’t care for the candy coated kind, but dribble caramel and nuts, and I’m there!

      I’m definitely going to have to add the fifth blind/window to my list of potential stories. I think I could really run with that idea. Now to find the time!

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  18. D.L. Finn, Author

    I enjoyed the interview. The hook was one that terrified me too. I’ve been thinking it about carmel apples, it’s been a few years since I’ve had one 🙂

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  19. alexcraigie

    I’m looking forward to The Fifth Blind, too! Great answers from Mae and her Things Old and Forgotten is a sparkling 5* read.
    The two nations divided by a common language reared its head with the candy corn/apple debate. I’d assumed candy corn was sweet popcorn. I now know better!

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    1. Alex, it’s amazing how differently things can be interrupted across the pond on both sides, LOL!
      Thanks so much for adding your recommendation for Things Old and Forgotten here. I’m positively delighted you enjoyed it so much. And now I’m going to have to get busy writing about the fifth blind! 🙂

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  20. Those stories (like in the first response) are so scary and every town has them, I think. Reading it at this age, I find myself wondering if they are started and perpetuated by parents to try and stop teens from having “cuddle time” in cars and such. Lol. Wonderful answers and I look forward to reading your book very soon ☺️

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    1. Tessa, that’s an interesting thought about parents. Back in that day that just may have been the case. It always seemed it was teens who got the bad end of urban legends.
      I’m glad you enjoyed my answers, and I’m happy you’re looking forward to reading Things Old and Forgotten. I enjoyed experimenting with the various genres and story lengths. 🙂

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  23. hopsfiction

    Love your urban legend, Mae. Back in my day, to avoid this kind of mayhem, we parked next to the San Francisco Bay. That way, the monsters had to come out of the water to get us, and we could see and hear them splashing around before they could get to the shore. Of course, we’d be long gone by then.

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  26. Victoria Zigler

    Excellent interview. I brought this book the other day, and have all your books on my to-read list, Mae. The window memory would make a great story, or addition to a story…

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  27. Eeek. I remember that ghost story/urban legend of the “the hook.” I think I was a little older than Mae when I heard it (probably around the “necking in a parked car” age, and it freaked me out. And weird story about the fifth window that wasn’t there. Another fun one, Teri, and a great book of short stories!

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  29. The urban legend is terrifying, Mae. To think that the scratching noise was already happening when the guy was in the car.

    And your story about the fifth window is intriguing. I bet you were terrified of going back into the bathroom in case that fifth window reappeared. I know I would have been, but I may have just been tempted to go back and have a look behind the blind too.

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