In Praise of Indie Bookstores

April 24, 2014 By JPMcLean Leave a Comment

Indie bookstores rock! Here’s a sight dear to my heart and one I never imagined I’d see: All three of my books on the shelf at Abraxas Books, an indie bookstore here on Denman Island. I took this photo after the third book came out and must confess to popping into Abraxas Books far too often just to sigh and smile at the sight of them perched there.

I’m fortunate to live in a community so well served by a supportive bookstore and wanted to give them a well-earned shout out. Juan Barker is one of the owners and he has not only provided me with much needed guidance when I was new to the business, but he continues to go out of his way to promote local writers.

Juan Barker

That’s him behind the counter in this photo taken at one of the book signings he organized.

And it’s not just Juan who makes you feel welcome. All of the partners and staff at Abraxas Books are knowledgeable and user-friendly. If you can’t find the book you’re looking for on the shelves at Abraxas, they’ll order it in for you . . . at a competitive price! That’s saying something in these days of mega stores and on-line retailers.

Buy local means something at Abraxas Books

They not only support local and indie authors, they also carry a selection of pottery, paintings and other crafts made by local artists. We really are quite a creative bunch here on Denman Island. (Likely has something to do with the winter rains that keep us indoors and the ferries that stymie our escape!)

So if you find yourself on Denman Island, turn left at the top of the ferry hill. You’ll find Abraxas Books at 1071 Northwest Road. Juan, Leslie, Corinne or Shaun will be happy to serve you.

Abraxas by phone: 250.335.2731 ~ Abraxas by Email: abraxas9@telus.net

Look who else thinks that Abraxas Books rocks! Here’s a five-star review I found on Yelp, written by a customer from Seattle! And if you’d like to support this indie writer, check out the buy direct from author links on her Bookstore tab.

How important are Beta Readers?

January 28, 2014 By JPMcLean 2 Comments

I reblogged this from author Tim Baker’s Blindoggbooks site. He’s written on a topic close to my heart; beta readers. They are an invaluable resource and Tim has summed up their role and their worth beautifully. Read on…

Another First Draft Finished…but it’s not The End

Yesterday, for the seventh time in five years, I typed an authors favorite two words…

I’m speaking symbolically of course…I’ve never actually typed those words at the end of a novel. I don’t think I’ve ever even seen them in a book, but I did finish the first draft of my latest, as of yet untitled, novel.

The irony is that, now that the first draft is finished, it’s not the end at all…it’s really only the beginning.

There’s still a lot of work to do before it is ready for you. In the next few days I will distribute copies to my beta-readers and wait for their feedback.

Beta readers are the unsung heroes of the book-writing world

Beta readers are the unsung heroes of the book-writing world, and I’m lucky to have some really good ones.

None of them worry about hurting my feelings and each of them has contributed something that has improved my work in the past.

Like any author worth their salt, I am extremely grateful for them, and any input they offer is always taken very seriously. That’s not to say I act on all of it, but I definitely pay attention.

A few of my betas have been with me since the beginning, and a couple of them have only done one book. Along the way there have been some people who thought they wanted to be a beta, but unfortunately they didn’t understand the job description, so I had to keep looking until I found suitable replacements.

Didn’t understand the job description? How is that possible? Read the book and tell the author what you think…right?

It doesn’t sound like a complicated task, and in fact it isn’t…once the ground rules are clearly defined and understood.

When an author asks for beta readers, they aren’t asking for somebody to read a draft and tell them it’s the best thing they’ve ever read. We aren’t delusional; we all know what Hemingway said…

No, what we are asking for is someone to read a first draft and punch holes in it.

Big holes.

We don’t want to hear about missing commas or spelling mistakes…that’s part of the editing process.

A beta reader’s primary responsibility is to tell the author what they didn’t like about the book.

Things that didn’t make sense in the story.
Characters that weren’t believable
Dialogue that didn’t ring true
Anything that made them stop and say well that just ain’t right

The author is asking you to rip the story to shreds. Even if it’s just as simple as saying The story just didn’t grab me.

So, for the next two or three weeks my book will be in the hands of people who are tasked with picking it apart, so I can put it back together before I send it to the editor…who will then proceed to pick it apart some more.

All of this is done in hopes that you, the reader, won’t know how bad the first draft really was.

As always – thank you for reading

Great post Tim Baker. Thanks and good luck with that 7th book. Follow Tim Baker on Twitter @blindoggbooks, find him on Facebook and check out his website.

Would you like some Redemption with your Mulled Wine?

January 7, 2014 By JPMcLean 2 Comments

Where else but Denman Island would people gather to sample warm libations and tasty nibbles alongside a touch of Redemption? It happened this past weekend and I’m happy to report that the book release party for The Gift: Redemption was a laughter-filled and resounding success.

My heartfelt thanks go to Elizabeth Chapman and Stephen Malthouse who hosted the event in their beautiful home. They’ve been stalwart supporters of my writing habit from the start and I’m so very grateful to call them friends.

Guests with JP at Redemption Book Release — Capt’n Mike, JP & The Cavemaster

Beyond Redemption

I wish we’d managed to get a photo, but we were having so much fun, the opportunity slipped right by. Therefore, this photo is neither Elizabeth nor Stephen, but two other gents who dropped in to sample a libation or two and are, reportedly, beyond Redemption.

Thanks also to the other wonderful friends and neighbours who joined us to celebrate the release of this third book of The Gift Trilogy. Your support and encouragement mean the world to me.

And speaking of support and encouragement, I’m thrilled to announce that both the Vancouver Island Regional Library and the Vancouver Public Library have purchased The Gift Trilogy for their collections. My thanks and gratitude to their respective acquisitions personnel.

2014 is off to a roaring start!

You can order Book I, Secret Sky 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).

New Year Surprise

January 3, 2014 By JPMcLean 8 Comments

It’s January third already and yet it still doesn’t feel like a brand new year.

Despite the “2013 Year in Review” news clips and the “Predictions for 2014” that are floating around on TV and online, it never really feels like the new year for me until the Christmas decorations are packed away.

Unlike the day the bright ornaments are put up, with an egg nog in hand, carols on the stereo and a crackling fire in the background, the day the decorations come down is without libation, flames or carols. The chore feels more like bidding goodbye to an old friend.

Today was that day. I dragged the bins out of the crawl space, re-packed the decorations, Christmas platters and empty stockings, and then tucked the bins away until next year. The house feels a little empty now and less cheery. It also needs a good cleaning, but I put that off in favour of a late afternoon walk around the yard.

And I’m so glad I took that stroll, because look what I found! The daffodils and sedums are poking their heads out. They won’t venture further until much later in the spring, but just seeing their effort brightened my day.