The Haunting of Autumn Lake (28 page)

Thanks for spending autumn with me!

~Marcia Lynn McClure

The Haunting of Autumn Lake Trivia Snippets

Snippet #1—A few years ago, someone wrote to me and asked, “Do we always have to have the woman’s virtue threatened?” In truth, I let that throw me for a time. But then, I thought,
Yes! Absolutely!
The most heroic thing a man can do is to champion a woman’s virtue. There are so few things these days that actually do honor and respect true virtue, and what I wouldn’t give to be able to see boys and men slug a jerk who has said something vulgar to a girl or woman, or break his jaw for groping her! Yes, to me, one of the most romantic things is to have a man respect a woman and to love her so much that he would punch another guy’s lights out for some of the stuff he pulls. And girls aren’t the only victims. My sons have been literally assaulted by girls and women. Seems to me that if more women valued virtue,
that
certainly wouldn’t be happening! So, yes, I’m an old-fashioned girl. I think men should change the tires on your car for you. I think they should carry in the groceries, climb up on the roof, and staple-gun Christmas lights to the trim—and all other masculine things that true heroes do. And I think that Riley Wimber should’ve had the blanket-blank beat out of him by Gentry for what he did! A man who will fight for a woman’s virtue (which, let’s face it, is always under attack) is truly heroic. Therefore, I’m not doubting myself along those lines any more, and
The Haunting of Autumn Lake
is the first book in a long time where I didn’t.

Snippet #2— Jethro, Abner, Clarence, and Clementine. Yes, these names have meaning. As in all my stories, the names are very important to me—and not just the names of the main characters. I don’t know why the super pumpkin’s name is Jethro—it just is. The moment I first thought of him, his name was Jethro. I can’t claim that it’s not some subliminal reference to
The Beverly Hillbillies
, but I can’t say that it was. He just seemed like a Jethro to me. As for Abner the turkey, it was kind of the same thing, except for the fact that I had been flipping through one of my favorite magazines and saw an old
Li’l Abner
comic strip. But I can’t remember if I named Abner before that or not. As for Clarence and Clementine—well, who doesn’t love Clarence from
It’s a Wonderful Life
? And Clementine—I just always thought that the verse in that old miner’s song about the miner’s daughter wearing boxes for shoes was sad and uncomfortable-sounding. So I wanted Clementine the scarecrow lady to be comfortable and always refreshed out in the open autumn breeze. (And, no, I’m not kidding.) Now, our family does have kind of a thing with old-fashioned names. My youngest son, Trent (age seventeen, at the moment), came in one day and said, “Mom…have you seen Ol’ Jedediah?” Apparently, Ol’ Jedediah was his comb. And we still call Trent’s comb Ol’ Jedediah. So, there you have it—Jethro the pumpkin, Abner the turkey, and Clarence and Clementine the scarecrows.

Snippet #3—
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
, by Washington Irving, is my favorite book. I think it’s truly one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever read. And there’s so much humor in it too! It’s a treasure, and though
The Haunting of Autumn Lake
is just a simple autumnal romance and no great work like Irving’s famous tale, I hope that it swept you away in a similar fashion to what
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
does for me.

Snippet #4—Every year on the first day of school, I bake pumpkin cookies. When my kids were little, they loved to come home from that first stressful day to the warm, comforting aroma of pumpkin cookies. I feel that scent is paramount to creating an atmosphere in our home. And believe me, when autumn rolls around, the atmosphere in our home is one hundred percent autumn! Cozy and warm, with candlelit evenings, specially selected music playing softly in the background—all this combines to soothe the very soul. Although I always want my house to be warm and inviting—a haven for my husband and children, a place of comfort, joy, happiness, laughter, and love—autumn is when I’m really in my element. Although I always have apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg simmering on my stove all year long, in autumn I like to bake more often—apple crisps, apple fruit rolls, pumpkin cookies, and pies. I also burn candles more often—since the sun setting earlier lends to the ability not only to sense the mellow fragrance of a candle but also to sit in quiet repose and simply watch the flame flickering (something I love so much). In truth, I usually play Christmas music in the background during autumn, instrumental and soothing, like
A Charlie Brown Christmas
—though I do have certain what I call “Autumn Soundtracks”—for example, a little compilation I’ve titled “16 Degrees to Autumn Leaves.” (The playlist appears below, if you’d like to compile your own.) In the end, I love autumn—in case you haven’t guessed by now! And I hope
The Haunting of Autumn Lake
allowed you to linger in it a little longer.

16 Degrees to Autumn Leaves
(A favorite autumn compilation)

Track 1 “Autumn Leaves” Stéphane Grappelli

Track 2 “Autumn Leaves” Bing Crosby

Track 3 “Autumn Leaves” Newell Oler

Track 4 “Autumn Leaves” Eva Cassidy

Track 5 “Autumn Leaves” 101 Strings Orchestra

Track 6 “Autumn Leaves” Jo Stafford

Track 7 “Autumn Leaves” Paul Desmond

Track 8 “Autumn Leaves” Nat “King” Cole

Track 9 “Autumn Leaves” Simply Clarinet

Track 10 “Autumn Leaves” Frank Sinatra

Track 11 “Autumn Leaves” Vince Guaraldi

Track 12 “Autumn Leaves” Matt Monro

Track 13 “Autumn Leaves” Johnny Mercer

Track 14 “Autumn Leaves” Roger Williams

Track 15 “Autumn Leaves” Chet Atkins

Track 16 “Autumn Leaves” Richard Hayman

Snippet #5—And last but not least, to answer your question, of
course
I’ll include my pumpkin cookies recipe! After all, what is autumn without them, right?

Pumpkin Cookies
(From my mother—Patsy Christine States Reed)

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups shortening (I use 1
¹
/
3
cups butter instead.)

4 cups sugar

3 eggs

2 teaspoons salt

3 teaspoons nutmeg

3 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon cloves

1 large can (29 oz.) of Libby’s pumpkin

½ teaspoon baking soda

3 teaspoons baking powder

7 cups flour

2–3 cups of milk chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar together, and then add eggs. Add salt, spices, baking soda, and baking powder, and mix well. Gradually add and mix in flour. Finally, stir in chocolate chips.

Drop dough in 1-inch “globs” onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F for 13 to 16 minutes.

(P.S. You can halve this recipe using a 15-oz. can of Libby’s pumpkin and halving all other ingredients, of course.)

My everlasting admiration, gratitude, and love…

To my husband, Kevin…

My inspiration…

My heart’s desire…

The man of my every dream!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

M
arcia Lynn McClure’s intoxicating succession of novels, novellas, and e-books—including
The Visions of Ransom Lake
,
A Crimson Frost
,
The Rogue Knight
, and most recently
The Pirate Ruse
—has established her as one of the most favored and engaging authors of true romance. Her unprecedented forte in weaving captivating stories of western, medieval, regency, and contemporary amour void of brusque intimacy has earned her the title “The Queen of Kissing.”

Marcia, who was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has spent her life intrigued with people, history, love, and romance. A wife, mother, grandmother, family historian, poet, and author, Marcia Lynn McClure spins her tales of splendor for the sake of offering respite through the beauty, mirth, and delight of a worthwhile and wonderful story.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Take a Walk With Me

The Heavenly Surrender 10
^th
Anniversary Special Edition

A Better Reason to Fall in Love

Contemporary Romance

“Boom chicka wow wow!” Emmy whispered.

“Absolutely!” Tabby breathed as she watched Jagger Brodie saunter past.

She envied Jocelyn for a moment, knowing he was most likely on his way to drop something off on Jocelyn’s desk—or to speak with her. Jocelyn got to talk with Jagger almost every day, whereas Tabby was lucky if he dropped graphics changes off to her once a week.

“Ba boom chicka wow wow!” Emmy whispered again. “He’s sporting a red tie today! Ooo! The power tie! He must be feeling confident.”

Tabby smiled, amused and yet simultaneously amazed at Emmy’s observation. She’d noticed the red tie too. “There’s a big marketing meeting this afternoon,” she told Emmy. “I heard he’s presenting some hard-nose material.”