Awards Archives - Page 5 of 7

A Look Back

June 25, 2021 By JPMcLean 16 Comments

Finding this old photo of me signing my first novel reminded me how far my writing career has come.

This photo was taken at Abraxas Books on Denman Island in October 2012. I was signing copies of Secret Sky with its original cover and title. Abraxas has sold more Gift Legacy trade paperbacks than any other indie bookstore! (Thanks, Abraxas!)

Since then, there have been a few big milestones . . .

1. I’ve completed SEVEN books in the Gift Legacy, an urban fantasy series about Emelynn Taylor and a secret society of Fliers who live among us and have the gift of flight.

2. The books have received over 225 reviews like this recent one from Midwest Book Review:

“A deftly crafted, impressively original and inherently compelling read from first page to last, Secret Sky launches a new The Gift Legacy series by J. P. McLean. A fully entertaining, plot twisting novel that will leave its readers looking eagerly toward the next thrilling installment, Secret Sky is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library action/adventure, romance, and metaphysical fiction collections.”

Honourable Mention for Boone Park

September 30, 2020 By JPMcLean 14 Comments

Boone Park receives Honourable Mention

Boone Park is a short story I wrote a few years ago. I’m thrilled to announce that it recently won Honourable Mention in the fiction category from the Victoria Writers Society. It will be published in the Victoria Writers’ Magazine this December.

I wrote Boone Park on the heels of visiting elderly relatives as they lived out their final years in residential care homes. It’s a powerful story because it reflects some of our fears about aging and the institutions we’ll count on when our inevitable turn comes.

**Get Boone Park for free**

You can read Boone Park for free when you sign up for my newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time. In fact, if you want to sign up, download, and unsubscribe, that’s perfectly fine. But I hope you stick around. VIP Readers get a short monthly update on what’s happening in my writing world including new-release news, insider scoop, and free short stories.

Speaking of updates, the latest news on my Christmas short-story project isn’t award-winning. Quite the opposite. I’m afraid neither of the two stories I’ve started writing will be complete this year. I guess that means two lumps of coal in my stocking.

But if you’d like to treat yourself to a decidedly not-short, not-Christmas story, Secret Sky is just a click away. Get your copy 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 (or just click on the covers below).

A Heartfelt Thank You

December 21, 2018 By JPMcLean 4 Comments

Your cover love has been a very special Christmas gift, for which I am grateful. Please accept a heartfelt thank you to everyone who voted for Secret Sky in Kobo’s Cover Contest 2018.

Hearty congratulations to international best-selling author Adam Croft whose book cover for The Indie Author Mindset came out on top. Adam Croft writes thrillers, mysteries and self-help books. He’s sold more than a million books to date.

Given the competition, I’m pretty happy to report that Secret Sky’s cover came in second overall, and it placed first in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy category. Congratulations and a special thank you to the design team at JD&J Book Cover Design.

On Christmas day, the fourth book in The Gift Legacy series, Lethal Waters, will be released. This fourth cover is another fine example of JD&J’s design work.

For a limited time, Lethal Waters will be available on pre-order for the special launch price of $0.99.

Click here to pre-order Lethal Waters.

Lethal Waters was formerly titled The Gift: Penance. If you own one of the originals, congratulations! You now have a collector’s edition. The fifth and never-before released book in the series, Deadly Deception will drop on January 8. As always, I’d love to hear your feedback. Just hit reply or contact me via the social media buttons.

Get your copy of Book 1, Secret Sky from Kindle with one click right here. And if ebooks aren’t your preference, click on the bookstore tab for other purchase options, or just click on the covers below.

Here we go again!

December 17, 2018 By JPMcLean Leave a Comment

As you know—and thanks again to everyone who voted for it—Secret Sky won best 2018 cover in the sci-fi/fantasy category at Kobo Writing Life. Kudos to the talented folks at JD&J Book Cover Design! And because Secret Sky was a category winner (woo hoo!) it’s now in the running for best cover overall. So, here we go again!

Secret Sky is now competing against the other category winners and runners-up for Best Overall Cover 2018. I’d appreciate your support again. It takes but a moment to vote. Just click on the contest link, wait for the page to load and then scroll down to Secret Sky and click on its cover to cast your vote. After you vote, the current tally will be revealed.

At this level, it’s the best of the best. Competition is fierce and I’ll need all the votes I can get. Voting closes at midnight EST on Thursday, December 20th, so don’t delay. Please share the contest link with anyone who has a laptop, tablet or smart phone who might cast a vote for Secret Sky. Thanks in advance.