Book Recommendation Archives - Page 3 of 4

Publication Date for Blood Mark

April 29, 2021 By JPMcLean 10 Comments

Blood Mark has a publication date: October 19, 2021!

If that seems like a long way off, I agree. But there’s still a lot of work ahead, e.g. incorporating copy and proofreading edits, finishing the back-of-the-book description, and writing the front and back-end matter. And before a cover can be finished, the interior files need to be formatted and review quotes and endorsements finalized. The good news is that all of this is in the works!

In other writing news

I’ve written a new short story called Scaredy Cat. It was my contribution to the Horror Tree. You can read it on their website.

I also finished the first draft of my Christmas story, Crimson Frost. It’s novella length, sitting at 19,000 words. The next step is to let it steep for a month before revisiting it. It will be out before Christmas.

On a personal note

I’m getting my first jab on Friday, April 30th! Yay. Can’t wait. As the last person in my social bubble to get a shot, I’ve been feeling a bit like Typhoid Mary when I’m around them.

Mickey of Creative Edge Publicity continues to keep me busy. I feel like I’ve turned a corner in terms of VLOGs and Podcasts. Repetition has done wonders to quell my nerves. You can watch my appearances and read my interviews by visiting the Media tab on my website.

What I’m reading

I recently finished Kelley Armstrong’s A Stitch in Time. I love Kelley Armstrong’s stories–even had a fangirl moment when I met her briefly at The Creative Ink Festival a few years ago. A Stitch in Time tells the story of a young woman who inherits her family’s old mansion and rediscovers a time slip through which revisits a lost love.

I haven’t quite finished reading Marie Powell’s Last of the Gifted Spirit Sight, but I’m loving it. Powell set her fantasy in 13th century Wales, when Wales and England were at war. The story is about how two siblings with supernatural abilities aid their country’s war efforts. I love all the historical details Powell infuses in her story, from clothing to food to legends.

What are you reading?

I’m always looking for a good urban fantasy or supernatural thriller.

Speaking of good urban fantasies, Secret Sky is just $2.99. 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).

Book shelf photo credit: Photo by Alexandra Fuller on Unsplash

Blood Mark Update

March 27, 2021 By JPMcLean 8 Comments

Blood Mark News

Have you noticed I haven’t mentioned my new book, Blood Mark, in a while? The crickets are because I’ve been searching for an agent to represent it. I only approached a handful of select agents who had access to the biggest publishers. And though I knew it was a long shot, the last agent who’d shown interest in the manuscript, has turned it down.

The agent wrote that she loved the premise and setting of Blood Mark, the compelling conflict and tension, and added that I am a terrific writer, right down to the sentence level. It’s hard to be upset about getting turned down on top of that praise!

Though I’m disappointed I won’t get to experience life on the traditionally published side of the street, my indie leanings will serve me well going forward. To that end, Rachel Small, editor extraordinaire, is on board and ready to go. I’m exploring book cover ideas and researching launch tactics. I don’t have a release date yet, but I expect it will be sometime this fall.

This Time Around

Happily, I’ll have Mickey in my corner. He’s the publicist I signed with at Creative Edge Publicity. He continues to keep me busy with interviews, guest VLOG appearances, magazine features, and radio shows. I still find the live events nerve-wracking, but I know it’s good for my career, and good for the books. So, I’ll keep stretching, learning, and practicing until my nerves are just a low rumble in the background. I post the events as they go live on social media, but you can check out the full listing under the Featured On page under the Media tab on my website.

On the Home Front

With the weather warming up and the soil drying out, I’ve been getting my hands dirty in the garden beds. Our crocuses and snowdrops are finished, and we’ve moved on to daffodils. The tulips are coming on strong, the clematis and other vines are growing, and the bushes are leafing out. On the ocean, the annual herring spawn has come and gone, but the sea lions, seals, eagles and seagulls are still here livening up the spring orchestra.

What I’m Reading

My latest reads are Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen series about a future world divided by the colour of their blood. Red bloods are the servants to the silver blooded elite who exhibit imaginative supernatural powers. I loved it! Gobbled up the whole series.

I’ve also read two books by other Creative Edge authors, and I’d recommend them both:

The Witching Vault by Kathrin Hutson. Sassy and fun urban fantasy about a witch who takes on an apprenticeship at a magical bank.

Beautiful, Frightening, and Silent by Jennifer Anne Gordon. This multi-award-winning book is a perfectly creepy horror about a man’s descent into madness after losing his wife and son.

What are you reading? I’m always looking for a good urban fantasy or supernatural thriller.

Empty highway photo by Maksim Shutov on Unsplash

Spring lamb photo by Rod Long on Unsplash

Introducing Debra Purdy Kong

July 16, 2020 By JPMcLean 12 Comments

Introducing Debra Purdy Kong

It is my great pleasure this month to introduce an author I’ve come to know and admire through her books and her blog. Debra Purdy Kong is the award-winning author of the Casey Holland Mystery series. Debra’s newest release, The Blade Man, is the 6th in the series.

Like many authors, Debra wrestles with how to address the societal changes imposed by COVID-19 in her writing. Please welcome Debra!

Writing Before and After the Pandemic

By Debra Purdy Kong

Every day, news broadcasts update us on the COVID-19 crisis. As I write this, some countries are still enduring first wave struggles while others are faring better. Things are so uncertain that we don’t know how our cities, or the world, will be coping six months, let alone a year from now.

Many writers of contemporary fiction, regardless of genre, find themselves grappling with the question, how do we reflect the changes in the way society shops, learns, and works in our fiction? Each writer’s approach will depend on several factors. If your fiction is set during the pandemic, for instance, do your characters work at jobs that require them to leave home? Whether outside or inside the home, what challenges will your characters face, and how will they respond?

Personal Experience and Observations

Obviously, authors can draw on personal experience and from observations among friends, family, and colleagues. Those who write stories set in a remote area might not have to make huge changes in their characters’ lives, but what about those who set stories in New York?

My Casey Holland mysteries are set in Vancouver, British Columbia. They’re contemporary, but I don’t refer to specific years in the books. The specifics come from street names or landmarks, and other nuances. Casey is a security officer who rides buses all over the city and into the suburbs, dealing with issues that either evolve into or merge with more serious crimes in Vancouver.

The Blade Man

My latest installment, The Blade Man, was released a month before self-isolation began. In that story, as in real life, buses could be filled to standing room capacity and Casey wouldn’t think twice about being close to people. If the book had been set during the pandemic, plexi glass shields would have been in place to protect bus drivers. My fictional drivers would also be wearing masks and gloves. Passengers would have to exit via the back entrance so they wouldn’t be too close to the driver.

The main crime would not have changed, though. The book opens with Casey on a bus that’s trapped in the middle of a riot, where thugs are throwing Molotov cocktails. Days after the riot, a driver is stabbed. In a COVID world, plexi glass and personal protection equipment wouldn’t be enough to protect a driver from that level of violence.

Setting a Book in a Post-Pandemic World

If I set a book in a post-pandemic world, will rules and procedures be permanently changed? Will plexi glass shields come down? Will hand sanitizing dispensers be available on buses? As you can imagine, the pandemic could provide many new plot points. For example, the financial losses to my fictional bus company could become a key issue if Casey’s coworkers are laid off. Perhaps a coworker or friend will have been hospitalized with the disease and is still suffering from the effects. Casey might have to deal with social distancing issues from uncooperative riders and the increased threat of violent outbursts.

For writers in the mystery and urban fantasy genres, incorporating pandemic challenges and worries could add more depth to their characters. How are their emotional lives impacted by loss of income, self-isolation, and uncertainty? The emphasis placed on these issues will be up to each author. Will they be a major aspect of the book or minimized, which leads to another challenge for authors. Some readers will choose to read books incorporating the pandemic into stories, while others won’t want to read anything to do with COVID-19 or any virus outbreak.

What’s Next?

My next Casey Holland mystery is in the final editing stage, but the publishing process takes time and the book probably won’t be released until 2021. Because it offers a lighthearted look at the more humorous aspects of Casey’s job, I will not be adding COVID references in the story. Instead, I’ll state in the Author’s Notes that the book was written prior to the pandemic.

As for writing Vancouver-based mysteries in the future, I’ll wait and see how real life unfolds. My fictional characters could find themselves struggling with PTSD and other issues. Maybe they’ll be getting a vaccine, should one become available in real life. Either way, I can still start plotting and creating new characters. Many writers plan months in advance. We pivot and adapt, and pivot some more, while we wait to see what happens next.

Debra’s Bio:

Debra Purdy Kong’s volunteer experiences, criminology diploma, and various jobs, inspired her to write mysteries set in BC’s Lower Mainland. Her employment as a campus security patrol and communications officer provide the background for her Casey Holland transit security novels.

Debra has published short stories in a variety of genres as well as personal essays, and articles for publications such as Chicken Soup for the Bride’s Soul, B.C. Parent Magazine, and The Vancouver Sun. She is a facilitator for the Creative Writing Program through Port Moody Recreation, and a long-time member of Crime Writers of Canada. More information about Debra and her books, can be found at www.debrapurdykong.com or contact her at debra_kong@telus.net

Book Blurb for The Blade Man:

Who is the Blade Man and why has this mysterious loner been attacking Mainland Public Transport bus drivers? And who is trying to burn MPT down? The company’s president suspects an inside job and orders security officer Casey Holland to launch an internal investigation or face termination.

Convinced that she’s being set up to fail, Casey feels the pressure. With her and Lou’s wedding only weeks away, Casey desperately needs answers, but anger at work and on the streets thwart her efforts. Nor do the police welcome her help.

More employees are attacked, and the president forces Casey to take deeper risks. But how much is too much? How far must she go before facing off with him and MPT’s enemies? Find out in this explosive sixth installment of Casey Holland transit mysteries.

Links to Debra’s Books:

Amazon: mybook.to/TheBladeMan

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/the-blade-man

Apple books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1495092401

Find Debra at:

Website www.debrapurdykong.com

WordPress blog: https://debrapurdykong.wordpress.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DebraPurdyKong

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Casey-Holland-Transit-Security-Mysteries/139005706175139

On a personal note . . .

On a personal note, we’re still social distancing here on Denman Island. Our community centres remain closed and we’re getting used to greeting friends with nods and bumping elbows. Not much has changed since my April post on COVID-19. Sending you my best wishes in these challenging times.

Cleaver Photo by SHOT on Unsplash

Your Internet Connection is Unstable

June 29, 2020 By JPMcLean 9 Comments

Yesterday I heard someone say “I was having internet connection issues,” is the new “I got stuck in traffic.” It’s the kind of line that gets a chuckle, unless it’s true. All the time.

Living on a small, ferry-dependent island has its advantages, but fast, dependable internet isn’t one of them.

Like everyone else out there, I’m doing a lot of Zooming these days. Board meetings and writers’ groups, webinars and on-line master classes. Even family gatherings. But unlike most of my fellow Zoomers, I’m rarely able to turn on the video and still hear the audio. Voices echo in a weird boomerang effect and faces freeze on the screen.

“Your internet connection is unstable” flashes on and off, reminding me that MY INTERNET CONNECTION IS UNSTABLE. As if the flickering feed wasn’t clue enough that we have internet connection issues. The final slap in the face is losing the connection altogether. The abrupt drop is like having the welcome mat yanked out from underfoot.

Urggg. The CRTC’s target for Internet speed is 50 Mbps download. On a good day, we’re lucky to get 20 Mbps.

Want to watch Netflix?

Occasionally we get through a Netflix program without the little wheel of frustration spinning in the centre of the screen.

I know companies are working on solutions for rural customers, I just hope one of them finds a solution soon because I’m pretty sure this “online” thing isn’t going away.

All right. Rant over. I think I got that out of my system. And now I have a thrilling offer!

Dark Addictive Summer Thrillers

A few times a year I rake through the author offerings on Bookfunnel and pick one I think you’ll enjoy. This time around it’s dark, addictive summer thrillers.

Take advantage of the deals and load your ereader for summer. But you’ll have to act fast because the offer ends tomorrow, June 30. Read about the books on offer with a click on the promo image, or click this link: https://books.bookfunnel.com/darkthrillers/6sg5ef4u8k.

I’ve downloaded a couple of the books already and may go back for another. If you find one you enjoy, please tell me about it. I’m always looking for a new book. Just drop it in the comments below.

And if nothing in the bundle interests you, why not give Secret Sky a try? 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).