Small towns hold the darkest secrets.
Fifteen years after leaving his criminal past and estranged brother behind, widower Dane Carlisle returns to his hometown on the banks of sleepy Eclipse Lake. Now, a successful businessman, he has kept his troubled past a secret from most everyone, including his seventeen-year-old son.
But memories in small towns are bitter and long.
Ellie Sullivan, a nature photographer for a national magazine, has a habit of ping-ponging across the map. Her latest assignment leads her to Eclipse Lake where she becomes caught up in the enmity between Dane, his brother Jonah, and a vengeful town sheriff. When freshly-discovered skeletal remains are linked to an unsolved murder and Dane’s past, Ellie is left questioning her growing attraction for a man who harbors long-buried secrets.
The Name Game by Mae Clair
I collect names. I always have. As far back as I can remember I jotted names I liked in a notebook, squirreling them away for later use. They could be first or last, male or female, or even place names. Sooner or later, I knew something from my list would worm its way into a developing story.
Today, I thought it would be fun to take a look at some of the names (people and places) I used in my latest release, ECLIPSE LAKE, and share how I came up with them.
Dane Carlisle
Dane is my hero, a man attempting to redeem himself for past failures. I fell in love with the name “Dane” as a teenager, and promptly lavished it on the hero of a fantasy novel I was working on at the time. Since THAT Dane is unlikely to have his story shared with a broader audience, I thought it was time to apply it to someone new. I think it made an ideal fit for my conflicted hero. His last name “Carlisle” was pilfered from a town in the area where I live. The two have a nice ring together, don’t you think?
Ellie Sullivan
Ellie, my heroine, is a free-spirited photojournalist. She doesn’t like to be tied down and has a habit of ping-ponging all over the map. When I was scratching out the first draft of this story, a TV show called Glory Days was struggling to make it in the ratings. You’re probably going “Glory days? Huh?” Well, that’s because it failed. Miserably. I don’t think it even lasted a season. But the female lead, portrayed by Poppy Montgomery, was named Ellie and it clicked with me. Hence, Ellie Sullivan was born.
Jonah Carlisle
I have a fondness for Biblical names, especially when applied to modern day hunks. And one of my favorite passages from the Bible is from the book of Jonah (2:2-7), so I grabbed the name of my hero’s estranged brother from there.
Jesse Carlisle
My hero’s outspoken teenaged son had to have a name that fit his personality—highly opinionated, fearless, and somewhat mouthy. I always think of the name Jesse (for a guy) as being a mix of cowboy and rock star. My Jesse definitely owned it.
Onyx
The small rural town where much of the action takes place. I chose the name for my beloved cat, Onyx, who passed away from cancer two years ago. He was my shadow whenever I was writing. Naming the town after him was a small tip of the hat for all the joy he brought me.
Eclipse Lake
The resort lake that borders the town of Onyx and cuts between two mountains. I’m fascinated by constellations and celestial events. I spent many summer nights during my teen years gazing through a telescope and imagining far off worlds. I tapped into my love for the sky when choosing the name of the lake.
Registry and Lazy Bend
Twin mountains that shelter the lake and town. Because the area is a blend of upscale living and rural farmland, I wanted to capture both ideas in naming the mountains. Lazy Bend also speaks to the recreational aspect of the lake while Registry conjures a sense of wealth.
And there you have it—the main characters and settings in my novel and how I chose their names. What about you? Do you have favorite names for a hero or heroine?
Ellie stopped walking and turned to face him. “Why are you here?”
Dane picked up a flat stone. With a flick of his wrist he sent it skimming across the lake. It danced effortlessly across the surface as if he’d done the same thing a thousand times before. “You know that skeleton they found?”
She nodded.
“I’ve got more skeletons than a graveyard. I can’t pick up and go to another place…to the next photo shoot.” He turned to face her. “Half of my life is here and half’s on the west coast. I have to make them fit together.”
The revelation reminded her of the family she’d left behind in Idaho, reawakening a familiar tug of homesickness. In an effort to find more comfortable ground, she changed topics. “You told me you’re from San Diego. I did a photo op there four years ago. What do you do for a living?”
“I get by.” He took her hand and started walking again.
She sent a speculative glance in his direction, recognizing evasiveness when she heard it. He was wearing a Rolex, and though dressed casually, clearly had expensive taste. Yet he’d booked an ordinary cabin rather than one of the exclusive chalets higher up the mountain.
She liked the feel of his fingers around hers, warm and firm. The contact sent a pleasant tingle up her arm. What the hell was wrong with her, getting caught up in his touch as if it were magic? As if she’d waited her whole life for that sensation. He had skeletons in his past, a brother who couldn’t stand the sight of him and a sheriff who wanted to run him out of town. Eccentric, or just plain trouble?
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Mae Clair opened a Pandora’s Box of characters when she was a child and never looked back. Her father, an artist who tinkered with writing, encouraged her to create make-believe worlds by spinning tales of far-off places on summer nights beneath the stars.
Mae loves creating character-driven fiction in settings that vary from contemporary to mythical. Wherever her pen takes her, she flavors her stories with mystery and romance. Married to her high school sweetheart, she lives in Pennsylvania and is passionate about cryptozoology, old photographs, a good Maine lobster tail and cats.
@MaeClair1 @GoddessFish http://goo.gl/zZ441Q pic.twitter.com/nY2o24I157
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