At the #CMCon17 Beach with Jeff and Elaine St. Claire by Dee Davis

ddavis-time-after-time-cmc17

dee-davisAs one of the #CMCon17 featured bloggers, I get to have a little fun with a few of the fabulous authors who will be hitting the beach for Coastal Magic 2017 by showcasing their many stories. We had so much fun with last year’s At the Beach feature, that we’re doing it again.

Today Dee Davis is taking us to the beach with Jeff and Elaine St. Claire from Everything In Its Time ad Cottage in the Mist. If At the Beach with Jeff and Elaine St. Claire gets your interest, make sure you check out the entire Time After Time series.
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At the Beach with Jeff and Elaine St. Claire

ddavis-everything-in-its-time“It’s colder than a witches…” Jeffry St. Claire trailed off looking sheepishly at his wife.

“Well, it was your idea to come to the shore, darling.  The north shore I might add.” Elaine’s smile was wide, her eyes twinkling even as the clouds overhead seemed to grow ominously darker, the waves pounding the shore.

“It was supposed to be mild.”  Jeff shrugged as he dropped down on the blanket beside her, his broad grin matching his wife’s.

Quinn Martin pulled her sweater closer around her, and glanced around the almost deserted beach. “If this is your idea of a sundrenched holiday, it’s just as well you didn’t go into the travel business.”

“We came to see you,” Jeff said.  “The holiday was tangential.”

Quinn felt a wash of guilt.  She should have been the one traveling to see them.  They were the ones who lived in Scotland after all, in the fifteenth century fortress they called home.   She should have made the effort.  But as usual, she’d been too wrapped up in her current project.  An ancient site found buried beneath the remnants of an only somewhat less ancient abbey.

“So how goes the project?” Elaine asked, her gaze correctly following the train of Quinn’s thoughts.

Despite her guilt, Quinn felt excitement rise.  It was always like this when she was on a dig.  The possibilities for discovery seeming endless.  The kiss of the past calling her as strongly as a sailor feels the call of the sea.

“It’s been tremendous so far.  More than even the initial surveys showed.  We started with what we believed was a ninth century foundation and look to have uncovered the remains of an entire village.  And we haven’t unearthed even a quarter of it.  Of course the problem is that the damn abbey is in the way.”

“Yeah, leave it the fifteenth century to stand in the way of discovering the ninth.”  Jeff’s smile took the sting out the rebuke.  A renowned architect, Jeff was not a fan of the destruction of any building.  Even a falling down monstrosity like the old abbey.  Just as Quinn could look at a piece of bone and see a person or a sliver of metal and see a shield, Jeff could see a broken arch or a fallen buttress and immediately imagine the glory of the structure as it had been.

“I don’t want to destroy the abbey, Jeff.  I just need permission to work around it.  If we have to remove something, then we’ll find a way to put it back.  But sometimes in a quest for discovery, something has to be sacrificed.”

“Hey,” he held his hands up in surrender. “You’re preaching to the choir.”

“Enough talk of the past,” Elaine admonished, a hint of something serious beneath her teasing tone.  “Just for the moment, why don’t we try and enjoy the present.”  She opened the basket on the blanket and produced a thermos and cups.  “And what better way to warm up than a spot of Scottish tea.”

“As opposed to English tea?” Quinn queried.

“Yes, well, the Scots have it right,” Jeff said, producing a flask from his jacket pocket.  “Their tea always contains a dram of whisky.  Perfect way to stave off the chill.”

Quinn smiled as she took a cup of tea from Elaine and held it out for Jeff to top off.

“So have you found anything interesting?” he asked, taking another cup from Elaine.

Quinn paused, her hand closing around the carefully wrapped clan crest, the silver pin encased safely in tissue and plastic. It wasn’t old by her standards.  Probably fourteenth or fifteenth century.  She’d found it at the abbey.  And although she’d only touched it the once, she’d never had it out of her possession again.  Her fingers tightened as she smiled at her friends.

“Nothing out of the ordinary,” she lied, knowing she could never tell them the truth—that they’d have her committed if she told them she’d discovered a brooch with the power to transport her through time.

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Meet Dee Davis!

Award winning author Dee Davis worked in association management before turning her had to writing. Her highly acclaimed first novel, Everything In Its Time, was published in July 2000. Since then, among others, she’s won the Booksellers Best, Golden Leaf, Texas Gold and Prism awards, and been nominated for the National Readers Choice Award, the Holt and two RT Reviewers Choice Awards. To date, she is the author of twenty-two books and five novellas, including her current A-Tac series and Chain Reaction. When not sitting at the computer, Dee spends time exploring Connecticut with her husband, daughter, and Cardigan Welsh Corgi.

Contact Info: Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads | Amazon | Pinterest | Newsletter

ddavis-cottage-in-the-mistWant to purchase Dee’s novels?
Time After Time

  1. Everything In Its Time
  2. Cottage in the Mist
  3. Wild Highland Rose
  4. The Promise

Time After Time Collections
After Twilight (Random Heroes Collection #1)
The Last Chance Trilogy
Eye of the Storm (Liar’s Game #1)
Devil May Care Collection
Dark Deceptions (A-Tac #1)
The Matchmaker Chronicles

CMCon17

Don’t miss your chance to meet over 50 fabulous urban fantasy, paranormal, and romance authors at Coastal Magic next February! This super casual book-lover weekend happens on Daytona Beach, and gives everyone the chance to hang out with fellow readers and amazing storytellers.

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About Jackie 3282 Articles
I am a 30-something SAHM with two adorable boys and a supportive husband who is very tolerant of my reading addiction. I love to read and easily go through about a dozen books a month – well I did before I had kids. Now, not so much. After my first son was born, I began to take my hobby of reviewing a little more serious and started Literary Escapism to help with my sanity. I love to discuss the fabulous novels I’ve read and meeting all the wonderful people in the book blogging community has been amazing.