Book Titles Archives - Page 3 of 4

First Draft Done!

September 30, 2017 By JPMcLean 15 Comments

First draft done! It’s celebration time. I finished writing the first draft of the next book in The Gift Legacy this week and toasted the accomplishment with a fine bottle of red. If you’re keeping track, this is the sixth book in the series and follows on from Lethal Waters (formerly Penance). The working title is Deadly Deception. What do you think?

Typing “the end” is a major milestone, but the book is still a long way from done. Next, the editing starts, but before that, I need to let it rest, get some distance from it.

In other words, put my pen down and step away from the computer. Not writing is an adjustment. My daily routine has a huge hole in the middle of it. Suddenly, I have time on my hands.

Now I’m playing catch up. Spring cleaning, which didn’t happen in the spring, comes first. Next is writing a stack of overdue book reviews (apologies included). After that, my website needs an update and I might even tackle the audio recordings for the first chapters of Lethal Waters and Lover Betrayed.

But before I get to all that, I’m taking a wee break. We’re off to Seattle for a few days to celebrate two family birthdays, attend my first ever football game (Seattle Sea Hawks vs Indianapolis Colts) and enjoy the company of our niece and nephew who are visiting from the Cayman Islands.

If you’d like a wee break and haven’t yet read Secret Sky, you can pick it up from your favourite retailer right here! Or click on the image for more purchase options.

Water Babies, Snow Babies, and Bonfire Aficionados

August 31, 2017 By JPMcLean 18 Comments

I almost didn’t make my annual trip to Muskoka this year—didn’t want to wear out my welcome; I’d visited twice last year, once for my parents’ 60^th wedding anniversary, and again at Christmas. Happily, all it took was one phone call from my big sister to change my mind. Guess I was looking for a push. The cottage fills me with childhood memories of when we were water babies, snow babies, and bonfire aficionados.

First stop: Toronto

This year, my vacation didn’t quite sync with my sister’s time off, but it meant I got to spend some time in downtown Toronto, which I haven’t done for years.

Photo of the spire of St. James Church in Toronto Ontario I love the old stone buildings and the towering spires of the Cathedral Church of St. James is a beautiful example.

Photo of a mural painted on the end of the red-brick Flatiron Building in downtown Toronto, Ontario Red brick is a Toronto staple and found everywhere. I snapped a pic of the Flatiron building with the Trompe l’ceil wall on the rear.

Photo of iconic Toronto City Hall building City Hall made me pause. I remembered finishing a ten-kilometre Miles-for-Millions walkathon there when I was a pre-teen (though I can’t remember where the trek began or what we were raising money for).

I stopped to watch dogs and their owners enjoy a whimsical spouting fountain in Berczy Park that made me wish I still had my dogs.

Photo of red-brick facade of Toronto's St. Lawrence Market The St. Lawrence Market hasn’t changed, though the pork chops weren’t piled sky high in the butchers’ cases like they used to be.

Next stop: Cottage Country

At the end of the week, we headed up to my sister’s cottage, which is our grandmother’s former home. It’s next door to our parent’s place on the Manitouwabing River.

Photo of JP's family cottage on the Manitouwabing River in Ontario Photo of the manitouwabing river running in front of JP's family cottage in Ontario View from the porch of JP's family cottage on the Manitouwabing River in Ontario Photo of a waterfall on the Manitouwabing River in Ontario Photo of an ornamental water wheelhouse on Manitouwabing River in Ontario

I had a terrific visit with parents, sisters, a brother, a great aunt, cousins, nieces, and many friends. We spent time reminiscing, as we inevitably do, and adding to each other’s memories.

When I was young, I didn’t appreciate the cottage like I do now. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy being there, but the drive up was torture. I got terribly car sick (still do) and it was a four-hour slog. I hated leaving my friends in the city and missing all the weekend parties (good planning, my folks would say!).

These Muskoka visits take me back in time to magical summers, winters, and weekends. We were water babies, snow babies and bonfire aficionados. I treasure the memories and look forward to going back each year.

On the writing front

Not many words made it to the page during my time in Ontario, but Emelynn’s next book sits at 65K. It’s coming along and I’m looking forward to getting back to it this week.

Another note on the rebranding front: at the August long weekend’s Denman’s Saturday market, after his wife bought Awakening, her husband, Frank, told me he’d avoided my table because he thought I was peddling religious material. That’s yet another vote for rebranding!

You can pick up your copy of Secret Sky from your favourite retailer right here! Or click on the cover image below for more purchase options.

The Gift: Awakening has a new cover

November 21, 2015 By JPMcLean 4 Comments

Awakening’s new cover is here! We’ve not strayed far from Viona Halim’s gorgeous design, just a little tweak here and there.

(Update: Awakening is now titled Secret Sky.)

Everybody wishes they could fly—until it happens. When Emelynn Taylor wakes up in the emergency room, her injuries present Dr. Avery Coulter with more questions than answers. Who is this guarded young woman? Why was she found in the middle of Sunset Park? How can she have injuries consistent with falling from above the tree line? Seemingly from nowhere? And, more importantly: Why is she lying about it?

The truth is stranger than anyone could have imagined – least of all Emelynn herself.

Nine Years earlier . . .

Nine years earlier, during the same summer she’d lost her father, 12-year-old Emelynn accepted a ‘gift’ from a mysterious woman called Jolene. Now, as she recovers in Dr. Coulter’s emergency room, she’s left wondering if that blessing was really more of a curse. Jolene’s gift planted the seeds of incredible power within Emelynn – but what’s the point of such abilities if you can’t control them? Her emerging gift of flight, for example, nearly killed Emelynn when it sent her plummeting to the sidewalk in Sunset Park. Next time, she might not be so lucky.

But Emelynn is determined to master her abilities, and returns to the seaside cottage where Jolene had once granted her this ‘gift.’ There, Dr. Coulter guides Emelynn in uncovering a secret society of others just like her, who inhabit a mysterious world-within-a-world that challenges everything Emelynn thought she’d known. But the more she uncovers, the murkier the truth becomes. Soon, Emelynn is left questioning the motives of those she’d trusted the most – and is forced to rely on her barely mastered powers in a desperate fight for survival.

Secret Sky is the first book in the thrilling, otherworldly The Gift Legacy series by JP McLean. Seamlessly blending paranormal mystery, fantasy, and romance, this beautifully written and deeply resonant adventure will swoop you into a vivid, new reality and leave your imagination soaring.

For those who prefer the older design (see below), which is no longer in print, I do have a limited number of first edition copies available. While supplies last, I’m happy to sign and personally inscribe a book, and ship it. Please contact me here for details.

You can pick up a copy of Awakening, now titled Secret Sky, with one click right here. And if ebooks or Amazon aren’t your preference, other options are available under the Bookstore Tab.

New Publisher for The Gift Legacy

October 6, 2015 By JPMcLean 8 Comments

In my last post I referenced some exciting news that I am now able to share. It gives me great pleasure to announce that I have a new publisher. The first three books of The Gift Legacy will soon be re-released by WindStorm Press.

In the coming days, Awakening, Revelation and Redemption will be temporarily pulled from the market. It’s a necessary step as the books change hands from one publisher to the next.

When the books are re-released, they will have updated covers. So if you’re looking for first editions, get them while you can. Awakening’s first edition is on its way to the vault. Editorial review on Revelation and Redemption is still incomplete, but I expect they will also undergo a nip and tuck.

Revisiting these books has been an interesting experience. It reminds me that every writer is a work in progress. Each offering improves our craft, and The Gift Legacy will sparkle with the effort of the editorial review.

I can’t wait to share them with you!

Update: A work in progress indeed. The books underwent a major rebranding in 2018/2019 to better position them in the market. You can read about the series of events as they unfolded under the Media>Fast Facts Tab.

And here are the latest covers: