Audiobook Update: It’s DONE!

January 1, 2025 By JPMcLean 2 Comments

Audiobook Update

After fourteen months and countless hours, I’m beyond thrilled to announce that the audiobooks for the Dark Dreams novels are D O N E. Finally! And I’m delighted with how the recordings turned out.

The process has challenged me, tested my patience, and convinced me that I’d rather spend my time writing. And though I may not record another audiobook, I’m proud of the quality of work I was able to achieve with these books.

The next step is a stamp of approval from Audible, Kobo, Spotify, and other retailers. When (hopefully not if) the audiobooks are approved, they’ll show up on the retail sites. I’ll be posting links on my Bookshop page as soon as the audiobooks are available.

Blood Mark Audiobook Sample

Ghost Mark Audiobook Sample

Scorch Mark Audiobook Sample

In-Person Events

My next in-person event will be the 2025 North Island Writers Conference, where I’ll be presenting a workshop on writing deeper dialogue.

Many writers have a love/hate relationship with dialogue. But dialogue is a key element in most fiction writing. It’s a heavy lifter in a writer’s toolbox. When done well, dialogue can reveal character, heighten emotion, define subtext, and advance the plot. If you want to take a deeper dive into writing dialogue, join me. Registration is now open.

Date: January 19, 2025

Time: 9:00 am to 12:00 pm

Location: North Island College Comox Valley Campus

Tyee Hall, Room 204

2300 Ryan Road, Courtenay, BC, V9N 8N6

Witch Book Progress

I’m back in my happy place, writing again. Though the outline is a mess, I couldn’t help myself. I popped the cork on all the creativity that I’d bottled-up while I finished the audiobooks. I’ll indulge in writing a little while longer, then go back and tune up the outline. I won’t even mind if I have to rewrite what I’ve written; it just feels SO good to be back to writing.

That’s all my news this final month of 2024. Have a wonderful New Year. Sending all my best wishes for a healthy, happy, 2025. If you’d like to know more about me, my writing life, and my home on Denman Island, please sign up for my monthly newsletter, where I share photos, updates, FREE short stories, and insider scoop. I never share your email address, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Celebrating a New Release with a Sale!

November 9, 2023 By JPMcLean 14 Comments

My Next In-person Event

Before I mention upcoming events, I want to thank everyone who came out to the Big Island Book Fest in Courtenay. It was a terrific success. I had a great time visiting with readers and writers alike and picked up some marketing tips from the wealth of writers in attendance.

My author’s supply of Scorch Mark has arrived! So I’ll have copies available at two upcoming events:

On Saturday, November 18^th, I’ll be at the Lighthouse Christmas Market from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Lighthouse Community Centre, 240 Lions Way, Qualicum Bay, BC. My table will be in the Le’Hereux room, which is off the main hall.

On Sunday, November 19^th, I’ll be at the Union Bay Christmas Craft Fair from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Union Bay Hall, 5401 South Island Highway in Union Bay. My table will be in the main hall on the top floor.

Scorch Mark Sneak Peek

And speaking of the new release, Scorch Mark, a sneak peek is available as a pdf download. Here’s a snippet to whet your appetite…

Now that Jane Walker knew where her mother had been laid to rest, she felt drawn there. It wasn’t out of respect or duty—she’d never met her mother in the flesh—it was simply the only thing she could do as the daughter she was never allowed to be. The visceral loathing she felt for Rick Kristan, the man who’d taken her mother away from her, grew deeper as the day of his trial approached.

Heat rippled off the asphalt parking lot. It had already been a long, hot ride, and they had two hours yet to go. Jane dismounted her Honda Rebel, glad for the opportunity to stretch her legs. Ethan Bryce pulled in beside her and killed the ignition of his Fat Boy. Across a swath of summer-scorched lawn, Windermere Lake sparkled like a cool oasis. This was their last stop before the final leg to the cemetery on the outskirts of Canmore, Alberta.

She removed her helmet, shook out her dark, cropped hair, and brushed the road dust from her jeans. Ahead, just before the path to Kinsmen Beach, a tailgate party had taken root, spilling onto the lawn behind a row of pickup trucks. The tailgaters, mostly young men flaunting their abs and red Solo cups, had confiscated a collection of the park’s picnic tables. Music pounded out of speakers, and the scent of barbecue made Jane’s mouth water.

After the helmets were locked, Ethan pulled their towel rolls from one of the saddlebags. He stretched his neck and raked his fingers through his comically flattened hair. “Ready?”

Jane let a saucy smile cross her lips.

Jane let a saucy smile cross her lips. She’d happily watch Ethan Bryce’s backside all day long. “Lead the way.”

Ethan came to stand toe-to-toe with her, his light brown eyes sparkling with mischief. He leaned down and kissed her. “I love it when your mind’s in the bedroom.”

He started across the parking lot and Jane held back a moment, admiring his swagger and the broad shoulders under his leather jacket. She quickly caught up and matched his stride, looking ahead to the lake, anticipating the splash of relief from the cool water.

Her focus was on the lake, so she wasn’t paying attention to the tailgaters as she and Ethan passed. But when Ethan took her hand—an unusual gesture for him—she glanced at him, and then at the men who had stopped their partying. One by one, they nudged each other and, in turn, stared at her. Startled, Jane looked away.

“You know them?” Ethan asked.

“No.” Goosebumps skated across her arms. Jane surreptitiously checked her boots and jacket, smoothed her hair, searching for something—anything—to explain their attention. Anything other than the one thing the goosebumps foretold.

Preorder Scorch Mark from your favourite retailer here.

Ghost Mark Launch Events

November 30, 2022 By JPMcLean 8 Comments

Ghost Mark Book Launch Events

Ghost Mark is out in the world and meeting new readers. I’m thrilled to be doing two book launches for the new release, one at Blue Heron in Comox at 1775 Comox Avenue on Saturday, December 3rd from 10 am to 2 pm, and another at Abraxas Books in downtown Denman Island on Saturday December 10th from 10 am to 2 pm. I hope you can join me at one of them and pick up a signed copy of my new release. I’m happy to inscribe them to a favourite reader on your Christmas list. If you can’t make one of the launches, you can purchase Ghost Mark here from your favourite retailer.

And a shout out to all those who came to visit me at the Campbell River Toy and Craft Sale last weekend. It was fun to chat, whether introducing you to my books for the first time, or hearing how you connected with one of them and had come back for more. I love when my stories resonate with you and never tire of hearing about it!

Ghost Mark’s Reviews

This is what a few reviewers have to say:

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

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

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

The reviews are all very encouraging and they energize me.

Writing News

I’m getting back into the writing groove and enjoying how the next Dark Dreams novel is developing. It’s still very early days, but it feels good, like putty warming in the palm of my hand.

And as exciting as it is to talk about the new book, I have to confess, it’s difficult to extract my thoughts from the next book I’m writing. That’s the writer’s dilemma: by the time the new book is launched, we’re busy writing the next one. As far as problems go, it’s a pretty good one to have.

Christmas is Fast Approaching

It seems unimaginable that Christmas is only a month away. I swear 2022 sprouted rockets and blew by. I’m assured by my elders that it’s a trend that will only speed up with age. I’d curse them, but my wand sputtered and fizzled out. Overuse, I suppose as there’s no shortage of things to curse these days (inflation, Putin, Twitter, I could go on…).

What I’m Reading

But I don’t want to dwell in the murky depths of the glass. A lot of things are going really well. On the reading front, I finished Charissa Weaks’ The Witch Collector. Loved it! I also binged the second in that series, City of Ruin, but I wasn’t as taken with the second novel, mostly because I’m not fond of cliffhangers. (When I buy a book, I want the whole story, not a partial) but I’m curious and may read the next one.

My laugh-out-loud meme this week was “I dusted once. It came back. I’m not falling for that again.”

Until next time, XO

Someone’s Having a Birthday!

October 27, 2022 By JPMcLean 10 Comments

Blood Mark is Turning One!

It seems like it was just yesterday I was sweating over the release of Blood Mark. Hard to believe it’s already been a year. Blood Mark is turning one this month. Blood Mark was the first book in a brand new series, and I worried it would flounder in the shadow of the Gift Legacy books. I shouldn’t have. Blood Mark found its feet and has earned ten awards (TEN!). The cover is now shortlisted in the Page Turner Awards with all the credit going to JD&J Book Cover Design.

To mark the one-year birthday occasion, I’m putting Blood Mark on sale. Until November first, you can pick up the multi-award-winning Blood Mark for just $0.99. (Tell your friends!) It’s available from all your favourite retailers here.

Ghost Mark Launches This Coming Tuesday!

Ghost Mark is also at a special price of just $2.99 during the pre-order period, which ends with its release on November 1st. It will go up to its regular $4.99 price on launch day. You can pre-order from all the usual suspects here.

Watch the book trailer here.

Ghost Mark’s Latest Buzz

A number of retailers don’t allow posting of reviews ahead of the publication date, but Goodreads and BookBub are two happy exceptions. This is the latest review from a BookBub reviewer:

As a paranormal fantasy junkie this book was just my cup of tea. In short it is an intense and emotional paranormal story that will keep you on your toes till the very end. —DiKetcup, Bookbub reviewer

Upcoming In-person Events

I’ll be in Campbell River haunting Coho Books with W.L. Hawkin this Friday, October 28. We’ll be reading from our books and hanging out by the caldron. Come on by for some fun.

Date: October 28, 2022
Time: 6:00-8:00 pm PT
Location: Coho Books, 2092-I South Island Hwy, Campbell River BC

In other news:

The inaugural Big Island Book Fest in Courtenay this past weekend was a wonderful event. Forty authors offered books in a multitude of genres, and throughout the day, a number of us read from our books. The organizer, JP Bailey, left no detail to chance. I doubt she’s slept for the past six months.

A bonus meet and greet at the Courtenay Museum on the evening ahead of the festival was such fun! It provided an opportunity to mingle with the other authors and enjoy some appies and 40 Knots wine. We were allowed to stroll through the museum and JP even organized for a photographer to be there to take headshots for those who wanted them.

It was such a well-organized event! I hope it returns again next year, and if it does, I’ll be there.

As this is the final week leading up to Ghost Mark’s release, I’m unbelievably busy, so I’ll end here.

Until next time . . .

Jo-Anne

JP McLean

Writing addictive fiction