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Ghost Mark’s Trailer Debut

October 5, 2022 By JPMcLean 9 Comments

It’s one thing to pick up a book with a compelling cover, turn it over in your hands, and read the description. Maybe you’ll check out the book’s endorsements or editorial reviews, but book trailers offer a unique glimpse inside the story. They capture the mood of a book. Maybe one day I’ll see a movie trailer for Ghost Mark—wouldn’t that be something!

Meantime, Ghost Mark’s pre-release buzz is building, and I’m so pumped about it that I’m spreading the joy. I’ve lowered the price of the pre-order to $2.99. On release day, November first, the price will go back up to its regular price of $4.99. Get the deal here:

Kindle ~ Kobo ~ Apple ~ Nook ~ Elsewhere

Ghost Mark’s Latest Buzz:

A New Editorial Review

A captivating nail-biter that will leave readers thirsting for more!
—InD'tale Magazine

The full review will be out in the November edition of InD'tale Magazine.

A New Endorsement

This mind-bending, supernatural thriller is a riveting romp through the dark streets of obsession and murder. A story that tugs at your heartstrings and lingers in the mind long after The End. Un-putdownable!
—Sue Coletta, award-winning author of the Mayhem Series

Sue Coletta is an author whose writing and research I admire. She takes research to the nth degree. In an effort to make her mysteries as realistic as possible, she visited a body farm. Yup. It’s a real thing. She wrote about it here. I’ve been hooked on her unflinching mysteries ever since reading that article.

I’m on the Cover of Books & Buzz Magazine

September 5, 2022 By JPMcLean 13 Comments

I’m so proud and honoured to be featured on the September cover of Books & Buzz Magazine. Inside is my interview with Editor-in-chief, Timothy Pike. Also in this issue are articles by bestselling author David D. Schein, Nicole Fanning, & USA Today bestselling author Cari Lynn Webb.

I’m also pleased to share some early buzz Ghost Mark is getting. It’s out November 1st and on preorder right now Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Apple

First Editorial Review:

McLean’s writing is as ingenious as her protagonist, ranging from grunge
to repartee to sophistication to laugh-out-loud snarks. Ghost Mark is gripping.
You won’t put it down till it’s done.

—OTTAWA REVIEW OF BOOKS

First Award:

Will keep you on the edge of your seat . . . an intense, riveting, and fast-paced novel.

—LITERARY TITAN ★★★★★

First Endorsement:

JP McLean’s GHOST MARK has it all—kick-ass characters, a thrilling mystery,
and tons of action, all with a supernatural twist!

—Ann Charles, USA Today bestselling author of the Deadwood Mystery series,

I’m a huge fan of Ann Charles’s books and have recommended them before, so having her endorse Ghost Mark with a blurb is an incredible point of pride for me. Ann writes mysteries infused with witty humour and well-drawn, relatable characters. You’ll laugh out loud at the antics her characters get up to. Learn more about Ann here.

Pre-order Ghost Mark right now and it will be on your e-reader when it releases November 1st! It’s available from all the usual retailers:

Kindle ~ Kobo ~ Nook ~ Apple ~ Direct

Download a PDF preview of Ghost Mark here.

McKellar Vacation

After three long years, I finally braved the airport and a plane to visit my family in McKellar. My sister met me in Toronto, and we spent a few nights with my niece and her partner, which is always fun, and then drove up north. First to Parry Sound for groceries, a wine supply, and a mani-pedi, and then on to McKellar. Ahhhh. It’s so relaxing and beautiful here on the Manitouwabing River.

I helped Mom organize her potting shed, putzed with Dad on a few things in the driving shed, and there’ll be more projects this coming week. But mostly it’s just so nice to catch up in person. Yesterday, my cousin arrived from Haliburton, and we all piled into the pontoon boat for a cruise down the river. Along the shores, the shanty shacks of our youth are now jaw-dropping mansions. My grandfather’s old house is one of them, and another stands in his old potato field.

Wherever you find yourself today, I hope you’re able to get outdoors and enjoy this Labour Day. You’ve earned it!

Until next time, XO

Jo-Anne

Blood Mark has a New Award

June 2, 2022 By JPMcLean 10 Comments

Blood Mark has a new award. This one from the Eric Hoffer Awards, and I couldn’t be more proud.

When I submitted Blood Mark to a handful of contests, it was a leap of faith. Seeing how well it’s done, I’m so glad I put the book into the ring. It’s now earned seven awards! And it’s not over yet—Blood Mark is still in the running for a few awards that won’t be decided until later in the year. I’ll keep you posted.

New Book Title

First, thank you for your thoughts on the new book’s title. After much discussion, research, and consideration of your input, I’ve named the new book Ghost Mark. As you know, this has been its working title, but it also came up as one of your favourites in the feedback. And because it’s a good fit with Blood Mark and a good match for the book’s subject, I think we’ve nailed it. So, again, thank you!

Ghost Mark Update

I’m thrilled to tell you that the first draft is finished, the first run-through edit is done, and Ghost Mark is now out for the big-picture edit. Whew! When I get that feedback, I’ll incorporate it, and then it’s off to betas. Next up will be the copy editor.

And now that Ghost Mark is on its way, I’m considering a series title. Originally, I planned to use Blood Mark Series, but I’ve been told that repeating the first book’s title is a wasted opportunity to include additional search words to help readers find the books. My first choice for a series name is one Roxy Boroughs suggested (Thanks Roxy!): Dark Dreams. Each of the books would be A Dark Dreams Novel and/or part of the Dark Dreams Series. What do you think?

I’ve now turned my attention to the other pieces of the writing puzzle that make up a book: writing the acknowledgements, teasing out the back-of-the-book description, working with the cover designer, planning the release with publicist extraordinaire, Mickey Mikkelson of Creative Edge Publicity, etc.

One Last Thing

Today, June 2nd, Hidden Enemy is on sale for 99c. It’s the second standalone book in the Gift Legacy Series. You can get it from Amazon, Kobo, Nook, and everywhere else books are sold. Scribble’s Worth Reviews says: the second book starts off with a thrilling scene and heart-pumping narration! OHHHHH YEEEEEAHHHH! JP McLean knows how to grip us at once and make us curious in the first scenes. Awesome!

Until next time . . .

Introducing Canadian Author, Boshra Rasti

December 21, 2021 By JPMcLean 4 Comments

Q: Talk about yourself. Your books. What you’ve written so far.
BR: I once went on a first date and after exchanging some pleasantries, he asked me “what’s your crazy?” I was taken aback by the question and when my initial discomfort with the question died down, I realized it was a very perceptive thing to ask. Everyone just wants to be normal, but to really know someone, you need to realize their neuroses, or oddities. So, I think the biggest neuroses I have is wanting fairness in a very unfair world. That’s probably the biggest reason I write, to advocate for the odd ones, the down-and-outs, the political outcasts, the underdogs.

Q: What is the inspiration for your main characters
BR: Adriana is an odd one, an underdog, but she’s super smart. She is also persistent and patient. I really admire women who are strong like that. I can definitely resonate with a time in my life where I felt I’d never amount to anything. That I would never fit in, so Adriana is the sort of person I wish I was when I was 18.

Q: What do you hope for readers to be thinking when they read your novel?
BR: I want them to be empowered. The novel’s dedication is: “to every innocent questioner, to every faultless outcast”, so I want people to realize that critical thinking and questioning are a huge part of being homo-sapiens. Don’t let those in charge of the algorithms take that ability from you.

Q: So, what’s next in your writing?
BR: I am really excited about my next novel. It is a YA, dystopian novel called “Pick Your Scar” and it’s about a future world where people live so happily that to come of age, they have to choose a scar that will help them realize pain. They enter an artificial reality where they basically undergo some damage, but the main character actually emerges from the experience with a type of mental illness.

Q: What are some things you like to do to relax when you aren’t writing or working?
BR: I like to run and walk. If running is too painful then I walk. I also really love mindfulness meditation, so I often sit and just breathe. I wish I could say I was into photography or art, or music, but I am terrible at proportions and can’t keep a tune!

Q: Are there any tips you could share with new writers that have worked well for you or was there something difficult you overcame? How?
BR: Goals, Motivations, Conflicts. Every character, every scene, needs to expound on these three things. Otherwise, you have a one-dimensional character going through a story with no backbone.

Q: Where can readers find you?
BR: My readers can find me running in the desert, or the streets of Doha. I am a teacher overseas, so in the summers I come home to Canada and visit friends and family and take in deep breaths of clean air. They can also find me virtually on Goodreads, Instagram, Facebook. I have a website: https://boshrawrites.com/ I really like to interact with my readers, so shoot me a question anytime!

In MicroScrep, a post-pandemic world, one politician, Arthur Mills, brings all scientists and engineers together to create a vaccine and rebuild a world where harmony ensues. What results is a society where algorithms control who you marry, who your child is, and what position you have.

Adriana Buckowski is not normal. Her eyes are two different colors, making her less susceptible to the system’s propaganda, she has a unique connection with a boy named Zach, and she has questions. Weird occurrences happen as she gets closer to her Calling Ceremony, where she’ll be given a position. When she finally starts piecing together the twisted motives at play in MicroScrep, she becomes a cog in the wheel of the state.

Her only option for survival lies with Zach, and the hope that she will be vindicated through a vigilante group off-grid. But with time ticking against her, will she survive long enough to be redeemed?