On Writing Archives - Page 16 of 30

Cover Reveal: Penance

March 20, 2015 By JPMcLean 26 Comments

Coming fresh on the heels of Penance‘s sneak peek premiere on The South Branch Scribbler, I am thrilled to present the cover reveal for Penance, the fourth book in The Gift Legacy series.

This is Penance (Now titled Lethal Waters).

It’s been months in the making and once again, graphic artist, Viona Halim, has designed a cover that not only reflects the book’s ominous mood, but she has also captured the setting beautifully with a watercolour scene from beneath the Granville Street Bridge in Vancouver, British Columbia. And if you look carefully, you’ll find Emelynn in her cover debut.

Deadly Games . . .

A body in the water. A vast ocean. A killer on the loose.

In the midst of a bloody rebellion, Emelynn Taylor exposes her gift of flight to save a man’s life. Now International Covert Operations knows her secret. The powerful organization is willing to cover up the carnage and protect her secret—in exchange for her services.

Her first assignment is a drug case in the coastal city of Vancouver. The case soon reveals a grisly murder that implicates one of her own kind.

Stalked by the ancient Tribunal Novem and vilified by a distrustful team of detectives, Emelynn takes on a perilous undercover role embedded in a drug ring where anyone could be the murderer.

Intrigue and danger lurk in the cold Pacific, challenging Emelynn’s unique gift and pitting her loyalties against her honour. And her choice is guaranteed to hurt someone.

The fourth book in The Gift Legacy is a thriller that skirts the edges of reality in a world within our own. Don your life jacket and escape the ordinary: take flight with Emelynn Taylor.

Lethal Waters (formerly Penance) is a dark supernatural thriller, perfect for fans of JR Ward, Deborah Harkness, Jim Butcher, Charlaine Harris, and Keri Arthur.

Download a PDF excerpt here.

Pick up your very own copy of Lethal Waters with one click right here. And if ebooks or Amazon aren’t your preference, other purchase options are available under the Bookstore Tab.

Playing Whack-A-Mole with a Trilogy

February 21, 2015 By JPMcLean 5 Comments

Every time I sit down to write this post, another trilogy mole pops up and I race off in search of my mallet. I’m playing Whack-a-Mole with a trilogy. Those “moles” are hidden in more cubby holes than I’d imagined, though I shouldn’t be surprised, after all, I put them there.

I’m referring to the “trilogy” descriptor I used liberally to describe The Gift books when they were, in fact, a trilogy. Now that the fourth book, The Gift: Penance (now titled Lethal Waters), is approaching the starting blocks, the terminology is decidedly inaccurate. Hence, I’ve started the process of switching out “trilogy” for “legacy.”

I thought about all the places I’d used “trilogy,” and made a list. There were the obvious spots, like this blog, the website and Goodreads. Then I looked at Twitter, Facebook and Google+. Mustn’t forget Wattpad and Library Thing. Oh, and LinkedIn.

Okay, I thought … I can do this.

Oops, forgot about my author page on Amazon, which sent me scurrying back to look at my author page on Goodreads. And wait, I’d made a note to change the wording in Facebook, but what about the header picture—that had to change. Do I even remember how to do that? Then I noticed the tagline in my email signature, which lead to the realization that my business cards are now outdated. Along with the posters I use at book signings. And the back-of-the-book blurbs.

Oh crap! Pretty much all of the promo material I’ve ever prepared has to be changed. This is going to take a lot longer than I thought.

I suppose the silver lining in all of this is that the Gift’s book information has spread as far and wide as it has. The not-so-silver lining is that I’ll be whacking moles for a long time yet.

With that in mind, I’d appreciate it if you’d tell me if you come across any of my “trilogy” lingo on your cyber travels. I just know I’m going to miss something. (Anyone who misses a fourth book sneaking into a trilogy is going to miss something—and it’ll probably be big.)

I’ve got a spare mallet. If you’d like to take a whack, and want to know what started this whole trilogy mess, you can get Secret Sky with one click right here. And if ebooks or Amazon aren’t your preference, other options are available under the Bookstore Tab.

Hammer Photo by Adam Sherez on Unsplash

Sitting Yourself To Death

January 22, 2015 By JPMcLean 28 Comments

Sitting yourself to death. Is it just me, or have you noticed an increasing number of blog posts about the dangers of prolonged sitting? The warnings would be easier to ignore if I wasn’t guilty of getting so caught up in my writing that sometimes I don’t even notice how long I’ve been sitting until I lose daylight. Even then, I’ve been known to carry on and type by the light of the laptop. When I finally cave in and stand up, my back cracks, my hips creak and I pinch a nerve in my neck reaching for the light switch.

That’s not good.

I need to be more mindful of my health if I want to keep it, so I’m making some changes.

One of the things I’m doing to get moving is to write standing up. Lucky for me, we have a bar between our kitchen and dining room that’s at the perfect height. It’s a remarkably comfortable writing position.

I’m also spending more time at our local gym, though I must say, motivating myself to get there is an issue, and I’ve learned that dressing for the gym doesn’t necessarily equate to making it to the gym.

Something that doesn’t require much motivation, is taking long walks. We have a number of great trails on the island and Molly is only too happy to accompany me as long as the rain isn’t torrential and the winds aren’t howling (okay, so it’s me who doesn’t like being out in the rain and wind. Those are gym days . . . sometimes).

Walking has the added bonus of loosening stubborn writing knots. On today’s walk, for example, I was mulling over of a new story idea I’ve been teasing out. I’d been having trouble with the motivation for one of the characters. Their motivation is pivotal and without it, the story falls apart. By the time I got back to the trailhead, the motivation I’d been seeking, along with a cascading shower of supporting ideas, dropped out of the ether.

The moment I got home, I drafted a synopsis for a completely new book idea. Of course, I was sitting on my butt while I typed it, but at least I’d been out for a walk.

How do you get your butt out of your chair?

When you’re back from your walk, reward your good behaviour by curling up with a book. You can get Secret Sky with one click right here. And if ebooks or Amazon aren’t your preference, other options are available under the Bookstore Tab.

On Sideways Rain and Writing

January 6, 2015 By JPMcLean 16 Comments

On sideways rain and writing: The winds are howling again today, which means our Internet is out, the power is threatening to call it quits, and the rain is coming at us sideways. I’m not complaining; stormy days without the Internet are perfect for distraction-free writing. Well…if you don’t count fir cones pelting down on the steel roof as distractions.

I’m re-visiting Awakening (now titled Secret Sky). This time I’m writing from Jackson Delaney’s perspective. He was Emelynn Taylor’s love interest in the first book. Looking at the same story from another character’s perspective is an interesting exercise. The treatment is referred to as Rashomon, named after a film by the same name directed by Akira Kurosawa.

The Rashomon effect refers to contradictory versions of the same event. I’m taking some liberties with my Rashomon treatment. Jackson’s perspective is not contradictory, and the time frame is not identical, but his version will reveal information neither the reader nor Emelynn would have been privy to when Awakening/Secret Sky unfolded. It’s giving me an opportunity to fill out Jackson’s world with the characters and circumstances that motivated his actions in Awakening/Secret Sky.

It’s been fun to write from the male perspective for a change, but its a challenge. I’m constantly weighing Jackson’s observations and thoughts for believability. In my experience, men use different and fewer words to describe objects, scents and sounds. Their frame of reference is different. I need those differences to colour Jackson’s voice so that he springs off the page.

Speaking of which, Jackson’s calling, so I must go before we really do lose power. The storm outside isn’t letting up. Each time I look up from the keyboard, another seagull soars past. It looks like they’re playing in the wind, riding it like a roller coaster. At times they hang mid-air as they spread their wings into the force of it. Wish I could fly like that.