JP McLean

New Year Surprise

January 3, 2014 By JPMcLean 8 Comments

It’s January third already and yet it still doesn’t feel like a brand new year.

Despite the “2013 Year in Review” news clips and the “Predictions for 2014” that are floating around on TV and online, it never really feels like the new year for me until the Christmas decorations are packed away.

Unlike the day the bright ornaments are put up, with an egg nog in hand, carols on the stereo and a crackling fire in the background, the day the decorations come down is without libation, flames or carols. The chore feels more like bidding goodbye to an old friend.

Today was that day. I dragged the bins out of the crawl space, re-packed the decorations, Christmas platters and empty stockings, and then tucked the bins away until next year. The house feels a little empty now and less cheery. It also needs a good cleaning, but I put that off in favour of a late afternoon walk around the yard.

And I’m so glad I took that stroll, because look what I found! The daffodils and sedums are poking their heads out. They won’t venture further until much later in the spring, but just seeing their effort brightened my day.

I hope it brightens yours too. Happy New Year everyone. Spring is just around the corner.

You can order Secret Sky (formerly titled Awakening) from Kindle with one click right here. And if kindle or ebooks aren’t your preference, click on the bookstore tab for other purchase options. Your adventure awaits . . . buckle up.

Christmas Eve Day

December 24, 2013 By JPMcLean Leave a Comment

Christmas Eve Day

This is my favourite day of the season. As a child it was a day stretched full with anticipation and too many treats. It was the day my grandmother arrived with her neatly packed suitcase. It was the day I tried to be on my very best behaviour and everyone in the family had an extra bounce in their step.

Now, Christmas Eve day is a grown-up day of last-minute wrapping and tidying. It’s the day I prepare the dressing for tomorrow’s turkey and make the cranberry sauce. Then, after the bustling about is done and our family guests are settled in, we’ll drink a nog and share a laugh in the glow of the Christmas tree.

The best part

And the very best part of this day, for me, is remembering all the wonderful Christmases past and the kind people who made them happen. This calm before the storm is my very favourite moment and I savour it slowly, like fine wine.

It is with a heart full of gratitude that I say thanks to family and friends, near and far, old a new, who have left their mark on warm holiday memories. Thank you for caring and sharing; for cooking and cleaning; for baking and wrapping; for being here, even if just in spirit, to make even more memories to treasure.

Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy 2014 to all of you.

(And if you want something to read while you relax, start with Secret Sky)

Musical Serenade

December 13, 2013 By JPMcLean 9 Comments

Do you listen to music when you write? Do you sing a musical serenade? I’ve read about authors who have favourite bands they listen to while they’re writing and I’ve seen writing music playlists on YouTube.

I was thinking about that yesterday while I prepared dinner. I’d put on Some Nights by Fun. and was cheerily mangling the lyrics as I sang along with Nate Ruess. Sadly, I didn’t inherit a single musical gene, and apologies to Nate aside, I couldn’t possibly listen to that CD and write. It’s simply too distracting. My favourite music charges me up, inspires me, sparks my imagination – but I can’t write while it’s playing. In fact, I stop what I’m doing to listen (maybe bop or even sing if no one’s around).

I remember when I wrote the first book, before I’d set up my writing corner, I managed to tune out an entire season of NHL while I wrote. I even managed to tune out F1 racing, house-cleaning guilt and, apparently, a number of conversations with my better half.

I suppose, being able to tune out and write is a blessing, but it doesn’t always work. Some things, like a ringing phone, I’m never able to tune out. Other days, my mood, the subject of my writing or sleep deprivation dictates my distraction threshold. I don’t know about you, but when I’m on a roll, like I was yesterday, even the most pleasant of distractions pulls me out of my writing cocoon, leaving me feeling like someone’s yanked the warm blankets off.

How about you? Do you listen to music while you write?

You can order The Gift: Awakening* with one simple click here. Your adventure awaits…buckle up.

Image courtesy of coward_lion/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

*Awakening is now Secret Sky.

Out of Sync

December 4, 2013 By JPMcLean Leave a Comment

Out of sync

Recently, I paid a visit to the dental hygienist, a lovely woman named Tracy. I’ve been her patient for more years than I care to remember. We chat during those short spurts of time between her scraping my teeth and her sighing with exasperation as she goes in search of more menacing tools.

During one of these short respites, I tell her, “The third book of my series is coming out this week.” I then take the opportunity to lick my lips and soften the stinging cracks that tend to develop when fingers and tools are crammed into my mouth.

That was fast

“Already,” she said. “That was fast.” And then she dove back in with both hands to the musical accompaniment of a Dremel, leaving me to my thoughts.

Already? I wondered. Fast? Those words didn’t fit. It feels like a lifetime ago that I typed The End. I remember how good it felt to finish writing that first draft of the third book. In fact, I wrote a blog post about it, though the memory is fuzzy…possibly because a delicious bottle of Amarone was involved.

And now that I’m into a new writing project, “The End” seems even further back there, so “already” and “fast” are a little disorienting. I’m reminded of the first time you see the spring fashions in the shop windows on store mannequins. You shake your head and shiver thinking of the frost you just stamped off your boots.

I feel like one of those mannequins. I’m out of sync.

If only I could have said “already,” and “that was fast,” when she finally holstered her scary hygienist’s tools. Are you out of sync? Tell me all about it while I go grab some lip balm.

You can order The Gift: Awakening* with one simple click here. Your adventure awaits…buckle up.

*Awakening is now titled Secret Sky

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash