Good Morning, Folks! Today, I’d like to welcome Mae Clair to The Write Stuff. Mae has a brand new book out called In Search of McDoogal, and she’d like to tell you more about it. So, without further ado, take it away, Mae!
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Hi, Marcia. I’m excited to be here today! Many thanks for hosting me with the release of my Amazon 90-minute short read, In Search of McDoogal. This is a light-hearted story, themed around the hunt for a missing painting. My two main characters—Brady Conrad and Declan Fitzgerald—take a day trip to a neighboring town to track down the buyer of a painting Brady mistakenly sold. They’re on the clock because the artist is Brady’s girlfriend, and she’s returning to her gallery that evening after several days away.
As with most of my stories, my setting is fictional. When it came time to develop the small town where I set Brady and Declan loose, I wanted something that carried a coastal connotation. I chose the name Breaker’s Bay, and from there a trend was born. I decided to play with alliteration for most place names in the town. I don’t draw attention to the fact, but readers will encounter Puddlehopper’s Park, Courtney’s Corner, and the Bountiful Baker to name a few—just an extra bit of silliness to add to the predicaments Brady and Declan stumble over while trying to retrieve Vanessa’s painting.
If you enjoy a comedy of errors, set in a quirky town with oddball characters, In Search of McDoogal is right up your reading alley!
BLURB:
In search of something ugly…
All Brady Conrad wants to do is earn a few merit points with his artist girlfriend, so he volunteers to cover her gallery when she leaves town. What should be an easy day of sales goes belly up when he mistakenly sells a cherished painting.
With the clock ticking toward Vanessa’s return, Brady has less than a day to track McDoogal down. He coerces his friend Declan to tag along for moral support. How difficult can it be for an investigator and the director of a renowned institute to find a single painting in a town the size of a postage stamp?
Neither Brady nor Declan counted on a suspicious sheriff, rival baseball teams with a longstanding grudge, or a clueless kid trying to win his girlfriend with all the wrong gifts.
McDoogal is smack in the middle. But Brady’s biggest dilemma isn’t the disastrous hunt. It’s confessing to Vanessa her painting is the ugliest thing he’s ever seen.
I hope you’ll join in the fun of this road-trip-buddy-fic-comedy-of-errors. In Search of McDoogal falls into Amazon’s 90-minute short read category—perfect for an extended lunch break or quick read any time of the day or evening.
Thanks for helping me celebrate the release!
Connect with Mae Clair at BOOKBUB and the following haunts:
Amazon| BookBub| Newsletter Sign-Up
Website | Blog| Twitter| Goodreads| All Social Media
Great to see Mae here with her new book, Marcia.
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It was absolutely my pleasure to help Mae get the word out about this book. I read it, loved it, and hope to feel well enough today to get a review written. McDoogal is a LOT of fun! Thanks for stopping by, Robbie! 🙂 ❤
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Aww, thanks for those nice words, Marcia. Put take care and don’t push yourself!
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Thanks for visiting, Robbie. It’s been fun to take McDoogal on the road!
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I just read this book and loved it! Just what we all need right now.
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I agree, Darlene, on both counts. And it was very cool to see how beautifully Mae’s story-telling skill moved from spooky shivers to something so much fun! Thanks for stopping by today! 🙂 ❤
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I love hearing that, Darlene. I am so thrilled you enjoyed my silly little story. I saw your review on Amazon and Goodreads. Thank you so much! 🙂
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It sounds adorable, and Mae is such a talented author!
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You won’t believe how easily she changes “voice” for this one, Priscilla. She went from the lovely, shivery Mae who penned the Hode’s Hill series, to light-hearted, funny Mae, writing a most entertaining little Buddy Story. I loved it! Thanks for stopping by today! 🙂 ❤
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Heeeheeehee! 🙂
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Thanks so much, Priscilla. I appreciate the compliment! 🙂
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I’m looking forward to feasting my eyes on this one.
Lovely to see Mae visiting your place today, Marcia 🙂
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Thanks, Harmony! I was very happy to have her here, and I loved McDoogal. The dialogue between Brady and Declan was perfect!! I think you’re gonna really enjoy it! Thanks so much for stopping by today. 😀 ❤
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Awesome to hear, Harmony! It’s a huge change up for me, so I hope you enjoy it. I had a lot of fun writing it and playing with the dialogue 🙂
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This one is coming up on my TBR list soon! Looking forward to it.
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I was in the mood for a break from longer books, so I bumped it right to the top. Finished it between dinner and bedtime, and laughed all the way through it. I predict you’ll love it, Joan! Thanks for stopping by today. 🙂 ❤
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Yay! I’m thrilled to hear that, Joan. It’s a light bit of fluff, but I enjoyed the diversion and leaving the heavier stuff behind for a while 🙂
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Pingback: In Search of McDoogal…Settings and Place Names | From the Pen of Mae Clair
I adored this story. Glad to see it highlighted here.
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It was such a great change of pace for Mae, wasn’t it? I loved it, too! Hoping to be able to sit at the computer long enough today to write a review or two, but we’ll see. (Not going to push it.) Thanks for stopping by, Staci! 🙂 ❤
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Be well, Marcia. Everything else can wait.
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That’s what I told her too. Rest and health take priority, especially in our current environment!
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Not to worry, Ladies. I’m taking every precaution I can think of, and I’m resting, and drinking gallons of water, and doing everything I can to shake this bug and to NOT catch another one. I fully understand the risk, and while I’m not stocking up on toilet paper, I am listening to updates in order to learn anything new about the risk levels, and to be sure I’m taking every preventive caution I can. (If I wash my hands any more frequently, there will be NO SKIN left on them at all! 😯 ) Seriously, my plan is not to leave the house at all until I’m over Mark’s Bug (which is how I think of it). I don’t have the energy right now, anyway. And even after I’m better, I’m staying away from groups of people, in general. Thanks for your concern, though. I’m taking it all to heart! ❤
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Thanks, Staci. It was fun to do a buddy fic. I’m so glad you enjoyed my little diversion from my longer, and heavier books! 🙂
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Very much so.
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Puddlehopper’s Park – love that name, Mae. Just started Eventide yesterday and enjoying all the eerie goings-on!
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I absolutely loved the entire Hode’s Hill series, Teri, and hope you enjoy Eventide. When you get to McDoogal, you’ll likely be amazed at the difference in Mae’s writerly voice. 😀 I was, and I loved it! Hope you do, too. Thanks for stopping by today! 🙂 ❤
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Oooh, so cool to hear about Eventide, Teri. I hope you enjoy the way I wrapped things up in Hode’s Hill.
And yeah, I had fun coming up with silly place names to match a silly story, LOL!
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Reblogged this on Author Don Massenzio and commented:
Check out this post from Marcia Meara’s blog with a guest post by Mae Clair announcing her short read, In Search Of McDoogal
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Thanks so much for helping Mae get the word out about this one, Don. It’s a very different style for her, and very well done. I loved it! Reblogging is greatly appreciated! 🙂
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You’re welcome.
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Hi, Don. Thank you so much for helping me spread the word about McDoogal. I really appreciate it!
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You’re welcome.
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I can’t wait to dig into this one myself. I love shorter projects, and this seems to fit the bill.
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Sometimes we need a break between “weightier” tomes. That’s when I turn to anthologies of short stories, or–tada–a tale like McDoogal. It was a perfect change of pace for me, and I think you’ll thoroughly enjoy it. BTW, I finished Grinders and loved it, too, and hope to get caught up on some reviews soon. It will be one of the first! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by this morning, Craig! 🙂
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Thank you, Marcia. The fact that you enjoyed it means a lot to me. The review is just the cherry on top.
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Yep, it’s a quick read, Craig, ideal for between longer novels. I enjoyed experimenting with this form (both length and voice), and hope to do it again in the near future. I hope you enjoy!
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I’ve dabbled in short form, and love it. I think there is a real market for it. Even some of my novels have become short-novels. (But not the Lanternfish ones, it seems.)
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I absolutely love short stories and novellas, but it’s a whole ‘nuther ballgame from writing full length books, and I think it takes a different skill set. Some of my favorite authors are not very good at it, I’ve found. And I know I couldn’t do it. Heck, I can’t even write short responses to comments! 😯 😀 But if you can master the art, it’s great for busy readers. Perfect for lunch hours, a quick read before bedtime, or a break from the longer stuff. I have entire shelves full of anthologies that include works by some of my most beloved writers, many of whom do seem to have mastered both full-length novels and short stories. I did tackle novellas with my Emissary series, though, and found that length (about 100 pages) to be fairly easy to work with. I definitely plan to do more of those.
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I have faith in you.
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Good to know! 😀 Thanks!
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You even do micro fiction which is a skill I have yet to attempt!
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It’s all fun, and some ideas won’t carry a novel, let alone a series.
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I read this last night after a super busy week, and it was the perfect ending for a Sunday night. The humor was light and quirky and the characters were SO likeable. I went to bed smiling. It was DELIGHTFUL! How many times can you say that?
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😀 As many times as it takes for folks to realize we’re serious, Judi! Serious about fun, that is! And this little story is super fun!! 😀 So glad you liked it, too. Thanks for stopping by today. 🙂 ❤
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Oh, what a nice comment to find! I’m glad I was able to contribute a smile to your Sunday evening, Judi. I had fun with the dialogue in this one, and getting to know the characters as they told their stories. I can’t wait to bring several of them back again. I’m so glad you found McDoogal “delightful!” 🙂
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Congrats on another release, Mae! Sounds like a great read!
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Thanks so much. I’m pretty jazzed about this one in that it’s so different for me. Thanks for stopping by to join in the launch fun!
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It really IS a great read! Thanks for stopping by today, and I hope you’ll check this one out! You’ll be glad you did! 🙂
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Wonderful to see Mae here, Marcia! Cheers to you both. 🙂
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Thanks for visiting, Natalie. Hope you have a great day!
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It’s always a treat to have her, Natalie! And I loved this book, so this is a double treat! Thanks for stopping by today! 🙂 ❤
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Can’t wait! Sharing and heading over to Amazon to grab a copy right now. I’m a Mae Clair fan and this one’s sure to be another page turner! ~Bette
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Oh, thank you, Bette. I so appreciate the support. This one is very different for me, but it was such a pleasure to write. It’s a fun, quirky bit of silliness, and I do hope you enjoy it. Many thanks, again!
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I predict you’ll enjoy this one a lot, Bette. Very different for Mae, in the BEST of ways. So funny! 😀 Thanks for stopping by. 🙂 ❤
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I’m reading it now and getting a kick out of the characters 🙂
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YAY! I love hearing that, Jacquie. I had such fun with them. I’m delighted you’re reading it and enjoying it! Many thanks!
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Great to hear, Jacquie! The banter between Brady and Declan was a hoot! I really loved it. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by today! Now, read on!! 😀
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It sounds entertaining. Congrats, Mae, on the new release. Hoping much success.
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Hi, Jina! Thanks for joining the party. I’m having a lot of fun with this release!
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It was super entertaining, indeed, Jina! Hope you’ll check it out! Thanks for stopping by today. 🙂
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Got it on my Kindle, Mae. Can’t wait to read it!
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Woohoo! thanks, Jacqui. It’s a completely different genre for me but I had so much fun with it. I hope you get a few chuckles from the silliness!
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This one really shows what a versatile writer Mae is. I laughed all the way through it, and predict you will, too. Thanks for stopping by today! 🙂 ❤
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It’s so wonderful to see this book showcased here, Mae! I have it on my Kindle. I am knee-deep in Even Tide as we speak. 🙂 Thanks for hosting, Marcia!
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Hi, Jan! I’m doing a Snoopy dance over your comments. I hope you’re enjoying Eventide and will like the way I wrap thing sup in Hode’s Hill.
McDoogal is DEFINITELY in a different vein, and I’m thrilled you have it on your Kindle. Thanks for your awesome support!
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It sounds like a fun read!
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It is absolutely delightful, Rachel. A fun romp with entertaining and believable characters, and just the right length to read between dinner and bedtime. 🙂 I loved it! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂 ❤
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Loved this book! A super fun read and an enjoyable afternoon adventure! Great job, Mae!
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I agree on both counts! Thanks for stopping by, Julie! 🙂 ❤
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