Book Series Archives - Page 6 of 9

A New Cover for Redemption

January 5, 2016 By JPMcLean 15 Comments

It gives me tremendous pleasure, on behalf of WindStorm Press, to reveal the new cover for The Gift: Redemption. The Gift Legacy covers are now complete, and I couldn’t be happier with the results.

A big thank you goes to Viona Halim, the digital artist who created the original covers, then patiently tweaked the artwork and re-designed the title treatments, spines, and back covers to produce this new cover. Viona has been part of The Gift Legacy project from the start.

Early on, she captured the dramatic coastal setting and the ominous mood of the books, and she’s been a joy to work with through all the back and forth that such a detailed project entails.

Redemption will return to print and ebook formats in mid-January.

With the editorial review behind me, and The Gift Legacy fresh in my mind, I thought I’d rummage through my notes and start dreaming up story ideas for the next book in the series. This part of the writing process is such fun! Feel free to add your two cents in the comments below. I have a feeling Sebastian will continue to be a thorn in Em’s side, the Tribunal will face new challenges under Mason’s leadership. And I believe Emelynn had some critical decisions to make.

(*Update: Redemption is now Burning Lies)

A dishonourable legacy. A powerful enemy. A future threatened.

While recovering from a psychopath’s savage attack, Emelynn Taylor learns the ugly truth: deceit spawned her gift of flight, and ruthless brutality safeguards it.

But knowing the truth doesn’t prepare Emelynn for the terrorist who rips her world apart. And when the escalating violence spreads to the inner circle of her covert community, Emelynn uncovers a conspiracy that threatens to expose the gift and all those who share it.

Emelynn joins forces with a man she doesn’t trust and a family she doesn’t know to fight a menace that cloaks itself in lies. And when she lands at the feet of a dangerous enemy, Emelynn must face her worst fears to save the people she loves—and she must do it alone.

The third book in The Gift Legacy series, Burning Lies is a thriller that skirts the edges of reality in a world within our own. Step inside and escape the ordinary: take flight with Emelynn Taylor.

Get your own copy of Burning Lies with one click right here. And if ebooks or Amazon aren’t your preference, other options are available under the Bookstore tab.

Revelation’s New Cover

December 18, 2015 By JPMcLean 8 Comments

The house is a mess, laundry is piled up, the Christmas wreath is still not hung, but Revelation has a new cover! Viona Halim’s artwork remains front and centre. The new title font for all of The Gift Legacy books is Cinzel.

WindStorm Press reports that Revelation with its new cover will be back in print and e-book on Christmas Eve! (Maybe even sooner?)

(*Update: Revelation is now Hidden Enemy)

A forbidden book. A dangerous secret. A life in the balance.

In the wake of a bullet and a broken heart, Emelynn Taylor learns the true portent of a gift she can barely control. Her discovery of a forbidden book unlocks explosive secrets that connect her to a past she never imagined.

Now someone is threatening to expose those secrets, and an unknown assailant is hunting her. With everyone hiding something, whom can she trust? Emelynn is thrust into the eye of a storm as two powerful factions clash: one ancient, one evil. And both of them want a piece of her.

Knowing that not even her gift of flight will save her, Emelynn forms an uneasy partnership with a dangerous man she must learn to trust—and then she must risk her gift and her future to protect her friends’ lives.

The second book in The Gift Legacy series, Hidden Enemy is a thriller that skirts the edges of reality in a world within our own. Climb aboard and escape the ordinary: take flight with Emelynn Taylor.

Get your copy of Hidden Enemy with one click right here. And if ebooks or Amazon aren’t your preference, other options are available under the Bookstore tab.

On Festivals and Readings

August 19, 2015 By JPMcLean 5 Comments

On Festivals and Readings . . . When you don’t hear from me for ages, you can assume the writing is going well, but even so, where did August go?

JP's luggage inside the Vancouver airport I’m at the Vancouver airport on an extremely long **yawn** layover to Toronto, and thought I’d take the opportunity to catch up with you.

In July, at the Denman Island Reader and Writer Festival (DIRWF) I had the great pleasure of introducing award-winning author, Eliza Robertson. She read three short stories from her book, Wallflowers. I also had the opportunity to introduce eight of Denman Island’s local writers to the stage, and I then shared a reading from Penance (now titled Lethal Waters).

I also attended the DIRWF writer-in-residence program with Steven Price. You might remember that I’ve got a few writing projects on the go. One of them is a companion piece to Secret Sky. It’s the story told from Jackson’s perspective with the working title Sins of the Father. I took Sins to Steven Price’s workshop and the participants’ feedback improved and inspired the story. Can’t wait to finish it.

A New Story is in the works

Dinosaur hanging inside the Comox airport I also have a new work in progress tentatively titled Witness. I’ve worked out most of the outline and even written a number of chapters. Interestingly, because I’m writing Witness from the third person point of view and Sins from the first person point of view, I’m finding it a challenge to work on both at the same time.

Last week I attended When Words Collide in Calgary and had the opportunity to meet the extremely personable Diana Gabaldon and hear her read from the as yet unpublished ninth book in her Outlander series. What a treat.

Which brings me to now . . . waiting to board a plane to Toronto and from there, points north. In addition to visiting family, I’ll be doing a reading at McKellar Public Library on Monday, August 24^th at 1:30. If you’re in the neighbourhood, please stop by (701 Highway 124, McKellar, Ontario). I’ll be reading from Lethal Waters and offering a few other surprises. Come and check it out, and then check out a fishing rod and head down to the river to catch your dinner.

See you there.

The Gift Legacy books are available to borrow from the McKellar library, but if you’d like your own copy, you can pick up Lethal Waters for Kindle with one click right here. And if ebooks or Amazon aren’t your preference, other purchase options are available under the Bookstore tab.

What’s Next?

June 30, 2015 By JPMcLean 6 Comments

Since finishing the fourth book in The Gift Legacy Series, I’ve given a lot of thought to what’s next. Which trail should I traipse down? There are a number of tantalizing story lines in the gift series I could follow up on, and a number of dormant ones that would roar to life with a poke in the right place. But is this the right time to tread that path?

After all, I’ve been on that merry-go-round for a while now. The Gift has been a great ride, but perhaps it’s time to develop the other story ideas that vie for the limited space available in my head? After all, the new characters look interesting—the story lines are suitably dark and mysterious. The promises they whisper are compelling. Maybe it’s time for a change?

I’m sure I’m not the first series writer who has wondered if readers, who enjoyed the initial series, would be interested in a new, unrelated story. Are the new protagonist and story line suitably distinct and interesting enough to hold their attention?

Sometimes I even fantasize that what’s next involves writing both stories simultaneously. But then I trip on my exuberance and remember that for me, multitasking only extends itself to autonomous functions like breathing while pumping blood. Interfering in those processes inevitably leads to capsized canoes, broken unicorn horns and soggy underwear.

If you have an opinion on the subject, I’d love to hear it. Otherwise, I’ll just stand here awhile and savour the crossroads like an early riser at the bakery counter contemplating the tasty options.