Posted on by Jacquie Biggar

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 . . . Cusp of Night by @MaeClair1 #NewRelease #Suspense


I’m super excited to have Mae Clair on the blog today celebrating the release of her new novel, Cusp of Night!

Thanks for hosting me on your blog today, Jacquie! I’ve been making the rounds with my newest release, Cusp of Night, a mystery / suspense novel with paranormal elements. Cusp of Night features two timelines—one set at the end of the 19th Century, with another in present day.

My main character in the past is a Spiritualist who becomes the toast of Philadelphia society. Her séances are well attended and she’s lauded in the newspapers as being genuine. “Sitters” who attend her sessions are treated to ghostly music, rapping sounds, table tilting, “spirit hands,” ectoplasm, and more. These were all typical elements of mediumistic practices at the time. While researching these and more, I found “automatic writings” to be particularly interesting.

 

Hand writing a letter with a goose feather

 

A medium performs automatic writing—without conscious thought—when under the control of a spirit or guide. Rather than speaking, the medium would convey messages from a sitter’s departed loved one by writing longhand. This could be a few short sentences or pages upon pages of discourse. During the period of writing, the medium is usually unaware of what is happening, his or her hand flying rapidly across the page as the spirit takes control. Occasionally, the words produced might be in another language, or crammed so minute in scale, a magnifying glass would be needed to read them.

In Cusp of Night, Lucinda Glass, performs automatic writings for one of her regular customers—the same way Arthur Conan Doyle’s wife, Lady Jean, would perform an automatic writing for Harry Houdini (said to be from his mother) twenty-odd years later. And like the magicians and showmen of Houdini’s day, mediums of the nineteenth century were not above a bit of flim-flam. Just how much, comes to light in my novel when Lucinda’s world blends with that of Maya Sinclair.

 

Here’s the blurb:

Banner ad for cusp of Night, a mystery/suspense novel by author, Mae Cllair

 

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 . . .

PURCHASE HERE

You can find Mae Clair at the following haunts:
Website | Blog | Twitter | Newsletter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Other Social Links

bio box for author, Mae Clair

 

51 Replies to “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 . . . Cusp of Night by @MaeClair1 #NewRelease #Suspense”

  5. Reblogged this on From the Pen of Mae Clair and commented:
    The lovely Jacquie Biggar has opened her blog to me today to share Cusp of Night. Jacquie has an extremely active blog and is a wonderful friend. Please pop over and take a look at her wide collection of books. While you’re there, you may want to check out my post about “automatic writing,” a skill mediums used in the days of the Spiritualism movement. I found it fascinating!

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Great to see Mae Clair on your blog today, Jacquie! I am so eager to read this one, I’ve already pre-ordered. It’s right up my alley, and this post on automatic writing is one reason why. The entire subject fascinates me. Thanks for a great post, Jacquie and Mae! 😀 ❤

    Liked by 2 people

    2. Thank you so much for the pre-order, Marcia, and I hope you enjoy the story. When I was researching Cusp of Night, I found the concept of automatic writing thoroughly intriguing. Do you know that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s wife produced pages upon pages of messages for Harry Houdini from his mother? Houdini’s response to that was the start of the riff in his relationship with Sir Arthur. Mesmerizing stuff!

      Liked by 2 people

  7. I love the research you’ve put into this book. I knew Arthur Conan Doyle was a fan of spiritualism but didn’t know Lady Jean practiced automatic writing. I’d be too intimidated to ever perform it for Houdini. Did you see the TV series–it was on a while ago–with Doyle and Houdini solving myseries together? It was pretty fun.

    Liked by 2 people

      1. Houdini knew all the tricks of fake spiritualism because he used to do his own fake show way back in his early days. That man was amazing! The book about him and Mina Crandon (The Witch of Lime Street) is a fascinating read. It was what gave me the idea of having a fraud medium as a chracter.

        And I so loved that TV series. It only last one season 😦 which made me sad. I kept looking for it to come back but it never did. I did see it available through Amazon, so I may have to add it to my collection. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Yep. Mediums of that day were performers every bit as much as magicians. Once I started reading about the “behind the scenes” stuff, it was amazing what I discovered!

        Liked by 1 person

    2. I actually did know a tiny bit about Houdini’s quest to contact his mother from a movie I remember from years ago, but certainly not in great detail. I’m looking forward to learning more about the era while being VASTLY entertained by your spooky story! What fun!! 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    2. Thanks for visiting me here, Jacquie. I ADORE this time period. Anything from 1880 to 1930, will suck me in easily, LOL. Thanks for the congrats and checking out my post!

      Liked by 1 person

  9. Thanks Jacquie and Mae. I really enjoyed this interview.
    It’s been a long time since I read up on spiritualism of that era. It really is fascinating, so I was delighted to refresh my memory courtesy of Mae and learn more about her book.
    I can’t wait to have time to read it.
    TGIF hugs to you both.

    Liked by 2 people

    2. Aww, that’s fab to hear, Teagan! I honestly could go back and spend hours upon upon hours researching this stuff–just devour it, LOL! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the tour and the posts. Happy Friday! {{hugs}}

      Liked by 2 people

    1. With all your new releases I feel like I’m falling behind on my own work, lol. I better get writing and quit procrastinating! Thanks for stopping by to wish Mae well, John. Have a wonderful weekend!

      Liked by 2 people

  12. The research you did for this book, Mae, is so intriguing. When I took a class on dream interpretation, my professor had us do a version of “trancelike” automatic writing. It was kind of cool, but didn’t say anything about others, only about ourselves. Cool post. And thanks, Jacquie for hosting! ❤

    Liked by 3 people

    2. Dreams have always intrigued me too, Diana. Sounds like a cool class. I’ve hard it said that Lady Jean Doyle produced over a dozen pages of writing for Houdini from his mother. I can’t imagine what she could have written for that length of time. I’ve also heard it said the mediums were exhausted after doing this kind of delivery. Then again, there was a ton of showmanship in those days!

      Liked by 3 people

  14. Mae, congratulations on the release of your book! I love how you have brought automatic writing into the book and it’s a subject that has always intrigued me! Just the thought if it gives me shivers! An excellent and enthralling post! Good luck with your book. Xx

    Liked by 3 people

    2. I’m with you on the shivers, Annika. Although I love reading about this stuff, I’m a wuss when it comes down to anything supernatural. I took great comfort in the fact that the bulk of this stuff was faked, LOL!

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