I’m excited to have Mae Clair here today to share the news of an upcoming release. I ordered my copy and look forward to what I know will be a great read.
Hi, Denise. Thank you so much for hosting me on your blog today. I’m delighted to be here, sharing my upcoming release The Keeping Place, a dual timeline mystery which is now available for pre-order! Most readers know me as someone who loves weaving urban legends and threads of the supernatural into my stories. The Keeping Place took an entirely different turn.
Well… there is a small thread that involves an old town legend and a ghost. It never takes center stage but plays more like background. This is more of a “quiet” mystery than I usually write.
Today, I want to share the legend of Lettie Boone with your readers.
Lettie was the daughter of Prosper Boone, a prominent railroad tycoon who built the town of Hornwood, PA. Unfortunately, she made the mistake of falling for a man who left her pregnant, then abandoned her. Shamed by her actions, Prosper banished her from his home. With nowhere to go, Lettie took up residence in a tiny rail shack where she lived until her baby was born. When the baby died shortly after birth, Lettie wrapped the child in blankets, then nestled it into a large oak tree on the property. Alone, destitute, and undone by grief, she hanged herself from the tree, now known as the Hornwood Oak. Some say Lettie’s ghost still haunts the rail shack.
Two boys have recently discovered the remains of a girl in the shack who went missing ten years ago. In the excerpt below, Vin McCain, a Detective Sergeant in Hornwood, spies them as he’s leaving the police station. Vin had interviewed both boys the night of the incident, but they neglected to mention something they later revealed to a newspaper reporter. Take a look…
EXCERPT:
Vin was halfway to his car in the back parking lot when he spied two teenagers on the sidewalk. A bright shock of red hair identified Jimmy Lewis, which meant the lanky kid beside him had to be Henry Sharp. Jimmy bounced a basketball with each step they took, neither focused on their surroundings.
“Hey, hold up.” Vin jogged toward them, guessing they’d come from Boone Park, across the street from City Hall. In addition to walking paths, benches, and a fountain, the park had a picnic pavilion and two basketball courts.
“Sergeant McCain.” Jimmy hooked the basketball under his arm, snug to his chest. “Um… something wrong?” He sucked on his bottom lip. Beside him, Henry paused in the middle of scrolling through his cellphone.
“No.” Vin smiled to put them at ease. “Good game?”
“Huh?” The younger of the two, Henry had thick blond hair and deep dimples but wasn’t always quick on the uptake.
“Basketball.” Vin hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “I figured you came from the park.”
“Oh… yeah.” Relaxing, Henry tucked his phone into the pocket of his shorts. He used the bottom of his t-shirt to wipe sweat from his cheeks.
“I used to be pretty good.” Vin extended his hand for the ball. When Jimmy tossed it to him, he did a couple of dribbles, bouncing it back and forth, then mimicked a shot without releasing it. He twirled the ball on his finger. “I guess you guys are glad school’s out.”
“Yeah. We got all summer, and next year we’re kings.” Jimmy grinned at Henry. “Seniors.”
“Must feel pretty good. And you’re kind of minor celebrities now, too.”
“Huh?” This time it was Jimmy who sounded confused.
Vin tossed him the ball. “That write up by Chelsea Reinhold in the Hornwood Herald.”
The two boys exchanged a glance, the murmur of traffic from Main Street filling the sudden silence.
Henry palmed sweat from his forehead. “You saw that, huh?”
“When I interviewed you two, there was no mention of Lettie Boone’s ghost.”
Jimmy shuffled his feet. “We, uh… didn’t think we should say anything. Didn’t want people to think we were whacked.”
Interesting. There hadn’t been alcohol or drugs involved, but both had been scared witless that night. Vin had chalked their nerves up to the discovery of Janie Seabrooke’s remains. He didn’t believe in spirits, but kids could weave shadows, trespassing, and one hell of a fright into something sinister without much effort.
“What changed? Why’d you come clean to Chelsea?”
Henry cleared his throat. “I told my girlfriend what happened… with the ghost.” The words stuck to his tongue. “She thought it was cool, not stupid. Before I knew it, she shared it with some of her friends, then word started to get around.”
“We thought we’d better be upfront about the whole thing.” Jimmy picked up the slack.
“Okay, so let’s hear it.” Vin looked from one to the other. When neither spoke, he arched a brow. “I’m waiting.”
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As in most dual timeline mysteries, The Keeping Place delivers a mystery in the present as well as the past. I hope the blurb will tempt you further:
Even if it means killing again.
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Thanks again for hosting me today, Denise. I appreciate the opportunity to share The Keeping Place with your readers. I’ve held onto this novel for two years, uncertain how I wanted to publish it. As an author, I naturally like every book I’ve written, but The Keeping Place is my personal favorite—perhaps because it’s so different in tone from my other mysteries.
I still utilize dual timelines, but rather than having centuries between them, my timelines are separated by a mere ten years.
It’s my sincere hope readers will enjoy the story.
RELEASE DATE IS MARCH 5TH
PRE-ORDER FROM AMAZON
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