Awards Archives - Page 2 of 6

The First Draft of Scorch Mark is Done!

February 22, 2023 By JPMcLean 12 Comments

First Draft of Scorch Mark

As much as I grumble about winter’s short, soggy days, the cold, damp weather keeps me indoors and focused on writing. My December thru February hibernation has been a productive one. I popped the champagne last Friday to celebrate completing the first draft of Scorch Mark, the next Dark Dreams Novel! You’ll understand the why behind the title when you read it.

A first draft always needs to steep, and then a whole lot of editing to make it suitable for public consumption, but I’ve already contacted the cover designer (JD&J), and the editor to request a place in their queues.

The Gift Legacy E-Books

In the coming weeks, I’ll be enrolling The Gift Legacy e-books into Amazon’s KDP Select program. This is great news for KDP Select subscribers because they will be able to download the books for free. But Amazon requires exclusivity while the e-books are enrolled in the program, which means I’ll be removing those e-books from all other retail sites. If you haven’t downloaded them yet from Kobo, Apple, Nook, or the other e-book retailers, you should do so now.

A New Award

I’m thrilled to announce that Ghost Mark is a Finalist in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. Ghost Mark has now received three awards, the other two being a Gold Literary Titan, and a RONE crowned heart. Seeing it do so well is a welcome boost for my confidence. If you haven’t yet read Ghost Mark, you can pick it up here from your favourite retailer.

In Other News

No one would describe me as an early adopter or as having an Einstein-like grip on technology, but I recently surprised myself! I figured out how to supplement my blog posts with audio. There “should” be a link above the title to listen to this post, but if the recording hasn’t yet materialized, you can check out a sample from my Christmas post. Let me know what you think.

Implementation of anything techy for me usually crashes and burns the moment my computer screen looks different from the step-by-step instructions. But not this time! I followed the directions for BeyondWords. The only glitch I ran into was that BeyondWords provided audio for my entire website, and not just the blog posts. This is the article by David Tvrdon that sparked my interest.

A New Endorsement for Ghost Mark

A sexy noir crime novel starring a bold, intelligent superhero who seeks justice for past transgressions in a gritty Vancouver landscape. McLean’s writing is as ingenious as her protagonist, ranging from grunge to repartee to sophistication to laugh-out-loud snarks. You won’t put it down till it’s done.

—W. L. Hawkin, author of The Hollystone Mysteries

I hope the days are getting longer in your neck of the woods. Can’t wait to get out for a walk today. Take care.

Until next time . . .

I’m on the Cover of Books & Buzz Magazine

September 5, 2022 By JPMcLean 13 Comments

I’m so proud and honoured to be featured on the September cover of Books & Buzz Magazine. Inside is my interview with Editor-in-chief, Timothy Pike. Also in this issue are articles by bestselling author David D. Schein, Nicole Fanning, & USA Today bestselling author Cari Lynn Webb.

I’m also pleased to share some early buzz Ghost Mark is getting. It’s out November 1st and on preorder right now Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Apple

First Editorial Review:

McLean’s writing is as ingenious as her protagonist, ranging from grunge
to repartee to sophistication to laugh-out-loud snarks. Ghost Mark is gripping.
You won’t put it down till it’s done.

—OTTAWA REVIEW OF BOOKS

First Award:

Will keep you on the edge of your seat . . . an intense, riveting, and fast-paced novel.

—LITERARY TITAN ★★★★★

First Endorsement:

JP McLean’s GHOST MARK has it all—kick-ass characters, a thrilling mystery,
and tons of action, all with a supernatural twist!

—Ann Charles, USA Today bestselling author of the Deadwood Mystery series,

I’m a huge fan of Ann Charles’s books and have recommended them before, so having her endorse Ghost Mark with a blurb is an incredible point of pride for me. Ann writes mysteries infused with witty humour and well-drawn, relatable characters. You’ll laugh out loud at the antics her characters get up to. Learn more about Ann here.

Pre-order Ghost Mark right now and it will be on your e-reader when it releases November 1st! It’s available from all the usual retailers:

Kindle ~ Kobo ~ Nook ~ Apple ~ Direct

Download a PDF preview of Ghost Mark here.

McKellar Vacation

After three long years, I finally braved the airport and a plane to visit my family in McKellar. My sister met me in Toronto, and we spent a few nights with my niece and her partner, which is always fun, and then drove up north. First to Parry Sound for groceries, a wine supply, and a mani-pedi, and then on to McKellar. Ahhhh. It’s so relaxing and beautiful here on the Manitouwabing River.

I helped Mom organize her potting shed, putzed with Dad on a few things in the driving shed, and there’ll be more projects this coming week. But mostly it’s just so nice to catch up in person. Yesterday, my cousin arrived from Haliburton, and we all piled into the pontoon boat for a cruise down the river. Along the shores, the shanty shacks of our youth are now jaw-dropping mansions. My grandfather’s old house is one of them, and another stands in his old potato field.

Wherever you find yourself today, I hope you’re able to get outdoors and enjoy this Labour Day. You’ve earned it!

Until next time, XO

Jo-Anne

Ghost Mark Cover Reveal

July 10, 2022 By JPMcLean 12 Comments

Ghost Mark Cover Reveal!

It’s finally here and I’m so pleased to share it with you. Cover Reveals are the icing on the cake in the book world. Ghost Mark’s cake is deadly dark chocolate with two layers, fresh raspberry filling, and a spicy ginger, butter-cream icing. I’m craving a corner piece, the one with the red, devil’s tail flourish.

This is Ghost Mark, the second and newest Dark Dreams novel.

Once again, the folks at JD&J Book Cover Design have created a gorgeous cover. They are a joy to work with and they do a spectacular job. It’s hard to believe they designed this cover based on a scant written summary and a few notes about tone and character.

Ghost Mark will be out on November 1. That may seem like a long ways off, but I’ll need every minute to finish the technical prep, gather endorsements, organize early reviews, and pave the way for a skyrocketing release (at least, that’s my hope!).

Ghost Mark is available right now for pre-order from all the usual retailers:

Amazon ~ Kobo ~ Apple ~ Nook

In other news

Blood Mark has racked up another award, its 7th! This one from the National Indie Excellence Awards (NIEA).

On the Writing front:

A lot of my writing time these days is consumed with Ghost Mark’s release and all the material that must be written to usher it out into the world. But I also continue to work on the third book in the Dark Dreams series, building the outline and sketching out scene and character arcs. It’s very early days but already the story is developing in wonderful and unexpected ways, which is a good sign.

On the Reading front:

Ann Charles’ Deadwood series continues to entertain me. I’m currently reading the fourth book, Better off Dead in Deadwood. These books are such fun reads. I’m so ~~envious~~ impressed that Charles continuously comes up with original, witty material.

On the Home front:

Summer still hasn’t properly arrived on Denman Island. Cooler, wetter weather is hanging on, but occasionally, Mother Nature tosses in a warm, sunny day, which I’m convinced is just to tease us. Urgg.

But the crap weather hasn’t stopped the weeds. Thankfully the flowers don’t seem to mind it either. They’re colourful and fragrant right now, which is lovely. The tomatoes and zucchini continue to grow and we picked a bumper crop of garlic scapes, which I minced and froze to enjoy all winter long.

Review Team:

Another important pre-launch job is putting together an advanced reviewer team for Ghost Mark. If you’ve reviewed another of my books, and you’d be interested in reviewing Ghost Mark, reply to this newsletter or contact me through my website to let me know. ARC reviewers get a free digital copy of the book before it’s released.

Until next time, XO

Jo-Anne

Blood Mark has a New Award

June 2, 2022 By JPMcLean 10 Comments

Blood Mark has a new award. This one from the Eric Hoffer Awards, and I couldn’t be more proud.

When I submitted Blood Mark to a handful of contests, it was a leap of faith. Seeing how well it’s done, I’m so glad I put the book into the ring. It’s now earned seven awards! And it’s not over yet—Blood Mark is still in the running for a few awards that won’t be decided until later in the year. I’ll keep you posted.

New Book Title

First, thank you for your thoughts on the new book’s title. After much discussion, research, and consideration of your input, I’ve named the new book Ghost Mark. As you know, this has been its working title, but it also came up as one of your favourites in the feedback. And because it’s a good fit with Blood Mark and a good match for the book’s subject, I think we’ve nailed it. So, again, thank you!

Ghost Mark Update

I’m thrilled to tell you that the first draft is finished, the first run-through edit is done, and Ghost Mark is now out for the big-picture edit. Whew! When I get that feedback, I’ll incorporate it, and then it’s off to betas. Next up will be the copy editor.

And now that Ghost Mark is on its way, I’m considering a series title. Originally, I planned to use Blood Mark Series, but I’ve been told that repeating the first book’s title is a wasted opportunity to include additional search words to help readers find the books. My first choice for a series name is one Roxy Boroughs suggested (Thanks Roxy!): Dark Dreams. Each of the books would be A Dark Dreams Novel and/or part of the Dark Dreams Series. What do you think?

I’ve now turned my attention to the other pieces of the writing puzzle that make up a book: writing the acknowledgements, teasing out the back-of-the-book description, working with the cover designer, planning the release with publicist extraordinaire, Mickey Mikkelson of Creative Edge Publicity, etc.

One Last Thing

Today, June 2nd, Hidden Enemy is on sale for 99c. It’s the second standalone book in the Gift Legacy Series. You can get it from Amazon, Kobo, Nook, and everywhere else books are sold. Scribble’s Worth Reviews says: the second book starts off with a thrilling scene and heart-pumping narration! OHHHHH YEEEEEAHHHH! JP McLean knows how to grip us at once and make us curious in the first scenes. Awesome!

Until next time . . .