 The House on Slocum Road By D. H. Clair $17.95
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Part One They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night. –Edgar Allan Poe As through the lens of a camera, she saw him at the edge of the driveway, his basket laden with newspapers. He’d stopped to resettle them. Then, satisfied, he’d stepped on the pedal of his bike and pushed off into the road. A red sports car rounded the corner, careering down the empty street. Lottie tried to scream a warning, but her throat constricted, no sound came forth. The horrifying squeal of brakes shattered the silence. The car skidded crazily, like a slow motion movie, finally slamming into the bicycle with a sickening thud. She’d watched, numb with fright, as the impact catapulted the boy’s small body into the air. He floated down like feathers carried on a breeze, coming to rest on the hard pavement. His mangled bike lay on the ground, a grotesque sculpture of metal and rubber. A crowd of onlookers appeared from nowhere, gawking at the body. It had faded then like the dream that it was. Lottie shook her head and thrust it from her mind, willing away the fact she’d seen it and the possibility that the scene would come true. |
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About the author. Dahris Clair was born in Gloversville, New York, but spent her early childhood on a farm in Sacandage, the setting for her novel. Dahris attended schools in NY, NJ and Colorado. She majored in journalism and creative writing. The idea for the novel was outlined in a steno pad for more than twenty years as she feared it was too far out. While serving as editor/writer of a South Florida publication, she experimented with it as a serial. The positive feedback encouraged her to write the novel. Dahris holds memberships in The Florida Writers Association, Wizards of Words, and Gulf Coast Writers Association. She leads a writers group, and is the creator of an E-zine, The Infinite Writer. She is married to Carl Aden,. They have a blended family of eight children, eleven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Her words to live by, It’s Never Too Late. Dahris and Carl live on the Gulf Coast of Florida with their Basenji, Annie, and two cats, Ginger and Baxter. A sequel is in the works. |
Reviews: In The House on Slocum Road, author Dahris Clair offers a spooky little story about a woman who finds herself by searching in the past. As a little girl, Lottie lost herself and her unique gift. When it comes back to her, she must learn to accept herself, as she really is, not as the person others—including her well-meaning husband—want her to be.
Clair's style is reminiscent of Barbara Michaels' in her paranormal
romantic suspense novels. Clair is wonderfully attuned to the
details of daily life that bestow a feeling of place--the rose and
gold glow of a fire kindling, church bells pealing over a snowy
field. This is a cozy sort of ghost story, perfect for a winter
night in front of a fire. ------------------------------------------------- D.H. Clair's The House on Slocum Road has so many twists and turns you won't want to put it down for a moment in fear of losing track of the story. The author has successfully created a labyrinth of characters and a storyline that are strung together and wrapped around the novel's heroine - Lottie Winslow. You will fall in love with Lottie at the get-go, and at first you'll be impatient when the story veers away from her temporarily, but never fear, when it comes back, you're in for a ride. Ms. Clair's clever weave begins to strengthen about a fourth of the way into the book and doesn't let go of the reader till the end.
The story is jam-packed with scenes of the personal effects of the
civil war between the North and South: of Lottie's family then, and
of Lottie's family in the present. At first it feels as if two
stories are running parallel, but in a different manner than what
you would expect. Ms. Clair has written a drama, a tragedy, a
romance, a para-normal - all rolled into one, and her comedic sense
shines through in Lottie's dialogue in Part Two. You will be
intrigued, surprised, and will experience a satisfying read in "The
House on Slocum Road." I certainly did.
I recommend it highly. June 13, 2007 - From the Amazon site |
