Snow Days and Audio Narration Update

January 19, 2024 By JPMcLean 6 Comments

Snow Days

There’s no better excuse than a snow day to stay indoors by a crackling fire with a great book and big mug of tea. Over the past week, our temperatures here on Denman Island took an unusual deep dive, and Tuesday night we got a dump of snow. It’s quiet and beautiful right now. Blindingly white. But snow rarely lasts long here. It’ll be a memory come the weekend.

New Course Offering

I’ve been invited to lead a workshop on Writing Deeper Dialogue at the North Island Writer’s Conference this weekend. It’s a three-hour workshop from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. on January 21^st at North Island College. Registration is still open if you’re interested. Program details are here.

Audio Narration News

My newest project of narrating the Dark Dreams books is coming along. But to be honest with you, it’s more time consuming than I’d hoped. The early mistakes I made created a ton of extra work. The biggest was being too self-conscious about animating my voice. I figured that out halfway through, so had to go back and re-record the first ten chapters. Fingers crossed, the process will smooth itself out and speed up as I get better at this. Voice actors who do this work all the time have my greatest admiration.

Dark Dreams News

Ghost Mark has received a wonderful review from Scribblesworth Reviews. Julio Carlos is the man behind the reviews, and his sense of humour hits my funny bone.Continue Reading

A Double-header this weekend

November 17, 2023 By JPMcLean 4 Comments

Two Christmas Craft Fairs

I’m excited to be attending a double-header this weekend. On Saturday, November 18, from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm, I’ll be at the Qualicum Bay Christmas Market. Then, on Sunday, November 19, from 10:00 am until 3:00 pm, I’ll be at the Union Bay Christmas Craft Fair. There’s plenty of parking at both venues. I love these Christmas markets. It’s my first real taste of the holidays and for me, there’s no better way to ease into the Christmas season. I hope they’re playing Christmas carols!

And speaking of double-headers!

June Update

June 17, 2023 By JPMcLean 14 Comments

I’ve been splitting my time between the gardens and indulgent reading.

I can’t remember when last it was I’ve spent this much time with soil under my fingernails. It’s incredibly gratifying to see the neat edges and weed-free soil. Though we have had little rain, and the gardens are dry, we’re fortunate to have rainwater stored and have been using that to perk up the plants. It’s mostly flowers and shrubs now, though we still grow garlic and a few other veggies in two raised beds.

Here are some more garden pics:

Reading

And I’ve been devouring books. I finished Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us. Though I’m not a huge romance reader, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I wasn’t expecting to like it, and I LOVED it. I then read Hoover’s follow-up book, It Starts With Us. It wasn’t as urgent or earth shattering, but I’m glad I read it and know the rest of the story.

I’m also doing a beta read of a book that's expected to come out this fall. It’s by W.L. Hawkin and it’s fabulous. I’ll share more about it when I’m able.

When I’m not reading or gardening, I’m preparing for the indie-publishing workshop I’m presenting at this year’s Denman Island Readers and Writers Festival. There’s still room if you want to learn if indie publishing is a good fit for you, and what’s involved in the process. It’s scheduled for July 20th from 10:00-1:00 at the Denman Island Community School.

Kindle Unlimited

You might remember I told you recently I'd put my Gift Legacy books into the Kindle subscription program. Well, I'm happy to report that my first Kindle Countdown Deal was a tremendous success. By the time the dust settled, 2,650 readers had taken advantage of the sale. And two months on, I’m seeing follow-up interest in other books in the series, including read throughs in the Kindle subscription program. This makes me very happy! I'm thrilled to share the books with those of you who subscribe to Kindle Unlimited. But it’s a limited engagement, ending on September 2. Download the books, or the boxed sets while they’re still in the program.

Saturday Markets

And finally, if you’re in the Black Creek neighbourhood on Vancouver Island on June 24th, I’ll be at the McLarey Avenue Spring/Summer Market. Drop by and say hello. I’m happy to inscribe a book to you or a friend.

Can't wait to share Scorch Mark's cover with you. Happy Father's Day to all the father's out there. (I'll chat with you tomorrow, Dad!)

Until next time, XO

A Kindle Unlimited Surprise

April 27, 2023 By JPMcLean 7 Comments

Writing Research

Earlier this month, I travelled to Vancouver for research on the court case that takes place in Scorch Mark. Over the course of two short days, I attended several trials at the Law Courts Building, including a murder, a sexual assault, a major fraud, a contract dispute, and a custody battle.

The most surprising aspect of my visit was the ease with which I could sit in on these trials. Though armed sheriffs are present throughout the building, I was free to walk into any of the open courtrooms. In all the time I lived in Vancouver, I’d never ventured inside the lofty building. I imagined I’d be searched or have to go through metal detectors, maybe even questioned. None of that happened. Though there were metal detectors available, they weren’t in use at the courtrooms I attended.

Another interesting aspect of some courtrooms is the bulletproof glass that protects the defendants. I also peeked in through the windows of Court 20, which is the courtroom in the basement that was built for the Air India bombing trial, and most recently used for the hearings around Huawei’s chief financial officer. It’s the largest courtroom in the building, and the most secure.

Activity Centre Garden Bed update

In my last post, I mentioned that a group of volunteers had dug out the overgrown garden beds at the Activity Centre here on Denman in preparation for a much needed revitalization. I found some photos of what it used to look like, and I’m happy to share the results of our labours to replant the beds. Thanks so much to the Denman Garden Club for their financial help and the slate of volunteers who put in the sweat equity that saw this worthwhile project completed.