First In-Person Event of the Year

March 22, 2024 By JPMcLean 8 Comments

My first in-person event of the year happens this Sunday, March 24. I’ll be signing books at the Union Bay Spring Craft Fair, Luncheon, and Plant Sale, which takes place from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm at the Union Bay Community Club, 5401 South Island Highway, Union Bay, BC. If you’re in the neighbourhood, stop by and say hello. It’s always a lively event with quality vendors and yummy food. It looks like it might be a sunny day! And if you ever want to check my schedule, you can do so here.

Denman News

The herring are back! When the herring spawn, it turns the waters a milky turquoise colour. The annual event attracts massive numbers of seagulls, eagles, herons, sea lions, seals, and orcas. It’s quite the rambunctious show. This is a drone shot, and two other photos taken from the deck.Continue Reading

The End of my Experiment

February 10, 2024 By JPMcLean 8 Comments

Ending my Sales Experiment

Since last November, I’ve been experimenting with 99c sales on select books in The Gift Legacy and The Dark Dreams series. That experiment is coming to a close this weekend with the final 99c sale on Blood Mark. Going forward, I’ll still have sales, but much less frequently. So, if you still haven’t treated yourself to the multi-award winning Blood Mark, or if you haven’t yet gifted it to a friend, now’s the time.

And speaking of the Dark Dreams novels . . .

There’s a New Review for Scorch Mark!

I’m over the moon that the Ottawa Review of Books has reviewed Scorch Mark! A pull quote is now proudly displayed on the cover.

Wickedly clever, original, suspenseful, and action-packed, McLean’s impeccable writing and razor-sharp plotting will draw you in and keep you rivetted.—Ottawa Review of Books Read the full review here.Continue Reading

Snow Days and Audio Narration Update

January 19, 2024 By JPMcLean 6 Comments

Snow Days

There’s no better excuse than a snow day to stay indoors by a crackling fire with a great book and big mug of tea. Over the past week, our temperatures here on Denman Island took an unusual deep dive, and Tuesday night we got a dump of snow. It’s quiet and beautiful right now. Blindingly white. But snow rarely lasts long here. It’ll be a memory come the weekend.

New Course Offering

I’ve been invited to lead a workshop on Writing Deeper Dialogue at the North Island Writer’s Conference this weekend. It’s a three-hour workshop from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. on January 21^st at North Island College. Registration is still open if you’re interested. Program details are here.

Audio Narration News

My newest project of narrating the Dark Dreams books is coming along. But to be honest with you, it’s more time consuming than I’d hoped. The early mistakes I made created a ton of extra work. The biggest was being too self-conscious about animating my voice. I figured that out halfway through, so had to go back and re-record the first ten chapters. Fingers crossed, the process will smooth itself out and speed up as I get better at this. Voice actors who do this work all the time have my greatest admiration.

Dark Dreams News

Ghost Mark has received a wonderful review from Scribblesworth Reviews. Julio Carlos is the man behind the reviews, and his sense of humour hits my funny bone.Continue Reading

Holiday News

December 16, 2023 By JPMcLean 10 Comments

It seems impossible that Scorch Mark has been out for a month already, but it has. Among the flurry of release events, one of the most entertaining was my interview with Al Warren for NBC’s House of Mystery Radio show. Also high on the entertaining release events list was hearing my words read by Joanna Vandervlugt on SAM Magazine’s Podcast. She reads a teaser from Scorch Mark, in addition to a short story I wrote titled Scaredy Cat. (I keep a full listing of all the publicity on my website https://jpmcleanauthor.com/media/jpmclean-featured-on/)

Other exciting news

Ghost Mark has been long listed for the 2023 Paranormal Awards for Supernatural Fiction, a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).

To celebrate, I’m offering Ghost Mark for 99 cents this weekend. You can get it from your favourite retailer here. And because I don’t want to leave out the Gift Legacy from all the fun, I’m also offering Secret Sky for 99 cents.

And here’s a thought . . . if you need a hostess gift this holiday season, why not take advantage of the sales and give them something unique and unexpected: the gift of an ebook?