Double Cover Reveal

November 21, 2018 By JPMcLean 7 Comments

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends, and safe travels to all of you making your way to visit loved ones this holiday. I’m so pleased to share a double cover reveal today.

These are the new covers for Hidden Enemy and Burning Lies. These are books 2 & 3 of The Gift Legacy. Covers designed by JD&J Book Cover Design.

And in the spirit of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the first three titles in The Gift Legacy are all available for a short time for just $0.99 each. Click the covers to order. You won’t get a better opportunity to own this series. Start reading Book 1 now, get a new release every two weeks through the holidays, and you’ll be caught up when two brand new books drop in January 2019!

Enjoy Secret Sky today. And mark your calendars: November 27 is the release date for Hidden Enemy and December 11 is the release date for Burning Lies

I’ll see you again on Friday with super exciting news that I can’t wait to share! As always, I’d love to hear your feedback. Just hit reply or contact me via the social media buttons.

Get your copy of Secret Sky from your favourite retailer here. And if ebooks aren’t your preference, click on the cover below for other purchase options.

Secret Sky, Hidden Enemy, and Burning Lies were formerly titled Awakening, Revelation, and Redemption. If you own one of the original titles, congratulations! You now own a collector’s edition.

Secret Sky Cover Reveal

October 30, 2018 By JPMcLean 16 Comments

The first book in The Gift Legacy series is making its debut. This is the Secret Sky Cover Reveal. Next to typing “the end,” revealing a cover is one of the highlights of launching a book, even when it’s a relaunch. Thanks to the designers at JD&J, Secret Sky has come to life.

Everybody wishes they could fly—until it happens. In the heart of the city, a secret society uncovers an interloper: a woman who’s fallen from the sky. But is Emelynn Taylor a friend or a threat to their hidden world? Unbeknownst to Emelynn, whether she lives or dies is now in the hands of the powerful Tribunal Novem. And not everyone is buying her innocent act.

Secret Sky replaces Awakening. If you want the original cover, get it now. I’ll be removing this edition from sales channels in the coming days.

Boo!

Yes, that’s me. I’m going baroque for Halloween. How about you? (Dress meticulously designed and made by Kerri Davis, photo credit Michael Rapati.)

If you’d like a free short story perfect for Halloween, sign up here for my newsletter. Newsletter subscribers get the first look at new covers, deleted scenes and more.

As always, I’d love to hear your feedback. Just hit reply or contact me via the social media buttons.

Pick up your copy of Secret Sky from your favourite retailer right here! Or click on the image for more purchase options.

Out of the Smoke and Into the Steam

August 27, 2018 By JPMcLean 12 Comments

Out of the Smoke

It’s difficult to get away from BC’s wildfire smoke these days. If it’s not blowing in from the east, it’s coming down from the north or up from the States. My annual trip to Ontario promised a reprieve, but from 30,000 feet, the smoke swirled around the Rockies and was thick on the ground in the valleys. Sad to think this might be our new summer norm.

Into the Steam

Landing in Toronto didn’t provide as much relief as I anticipated—it felt like arriving in the tropics—stinking hot with humidity that sent my hair into alpaca territory.

Thankfully, a torrential downpour soon took care of the heat, and the cooler temperatures prompted my sister and me to venture out to the Canadian National Exhibition, fondly known as the CNE. Neither of us had been to the annual fall fair since our public school days when a CNE pass was tucked in with our year-end report cards.

Though much has changed at the CNE, so much remains the same. The Sky Ride chairlift still crosses high above the midway, carnival hawkers still draw in players with promised winnings, shouts still ring out from ride-goers, and the scent of corndogs and candy floss still rises above the masses. We even spotted a flag with the Conklin clown logo.

On to Haliburton

The following day, we drove to our cousin’s beautiful home on Paradise Lake in Haliburton. We enjoyed wine and appies on the dock, went for a swim in the lake, and talked for hours sharing memories of our grandparents, summer swims and marshmallow roasts in years gone by.

Family cottage on the Manitouwabing River in Broadbent, Ontario — Family Cottage

The next day we travelled north to McKellar to visit our parents and brother. Here the reminiscing continued, bringing back more memories that often sent us into fits of tear-inducing laughter.

I’m writing this post on a warm afternoon sitting on my sister’s deck and watching the river flow by. The heat and humidity comes and goes, as does the rain, and though I never know which friends and family I’ll end up seeing when I visit, I’m so glad this trip has turned into an annual event.

I’ll soon be on my way back to BC, but while I’m here, I continue to work with JD&J Design on the new and rebranded book covers. It’s taking longer than I anticipated, but we’re making steady progress.

Meantime, I’ll enjoy the peaches and cream corn which is in season and as sweet as it comes. I’ll swim when it’s hot and enjoy my family’s company. I hope you are able to carve out some quality summer time as well.

Have you done something exciting this carnival season?

If you’d like to spend some quality time on an adventure set on the west coast, pick up Secret Sky from your favourite retailer right here! Or click on the image for more purchase options.

Alpaca photo by Greg Lippert on Unsplash

Conklin clown logo used with permission.

Sharing Cherries

July 3, 2018 By JPMcLean 7 Comments

The birds are sharing cherries this year. It’s a first. Most years the birds get to the red orbs ten minutes before the fruit reaches peak ripeness. But look at this beautiful bowlful we managed to pick before the birds pecked the tree clean.

No matter the fruit, it seems we’re in a race with the critters to get a sample of the crop. I don’t mind sharing the bounty, but it’s annoying to find a single peck out of each pear or apple on a tree (I’m pointing at you, crows!).

I must apologize for neglecting to update you on the new-book front. The structural and copy edits on books 5 and 6 are done. On the rebranding front, I’ve been buried in the picayune details of reformatting the existing books to reflect their new ISBN numbers and titles, and the new font choice (EB Garamond). Tedious work, I’m afraid, but it needed to be done.

The cover designers, JD&J Design are scheduled to start work on the new covers this week. I’m very excited to see what they come up with.

I’ve also had new headshots done as the one I currently use is six years old and its resolution too low. Crystal Chowdhury of Crystal Clear Photography in the Comox Valley pulled a rabbit out of the hat with these shots. If you need a photographer, I highly recommend her services.

On the home front, thanks to Albert, Peter, and John, I’ve got a lovely new bookshelf. Finally, I can unpack some books that have been in boxes for more years than I care to admit.