Lover Betrayed Archives

And Now Comes Disquiet

February 25, 2019 By JPMcLean 12 Comments

And now comes disquiet.

It’s an odd feeling putting a series to bed. The long build of excitement reaches a peak then fades leaving disquiet in its wake.

The excitement of the launch lifts you up: holding the physical copy of the final book, smelling the pages as if they were a new puppy, reading the early reviews, attending book signings, planning the big farewell party.

But after the final book’s release, disquiet sucks you under: bidding farewell to characters you know better than your family leaves you hollow, your next book’s characters are still strangers who can’t begin to fill the gap; not knowing if your readers will give a hoot about your next distant book provokes loneliness.

Thankfully, time doesn’t let you linger in either state for long. It ticks away, oblivious to the petty fears of mere writers, nudging you along on your way.

And so it goes

The $0.99 launch price for Lover Betrayed, a Gift Legacy Companion book, ends tomorrow. If you’re missing this book in the series, now’s your chance to get it for launch pricing. After tomorrow, it returns to its regular price of $5.99. You can read an excerpt here.

Every day, the disquiet lifts a bit. Yesterday, I broke 32K words in my new book. It’s about a young woman who was born with an unfortunate birthmark. The woman believes her birthmark is a disfiguring curse. She doesn’t know the real curse is that her birthmark is disappearing.

Next month

Next month, I’m excited to be participating in a new adventure with writers who may be new to you, but who are far from unknown. I’m teaming up with a dozen fabulous writers, many of them A-list best sellers, to bring you new books at terrific prices along with bonus prizes. I’ll provide details shortly.

As always, I’d love to hear your feedback. Just hit reply or contact me via the social media buttons.

Secret Sky is the book that started it all. Get your copy of Secret Sky from Kindle with one click right here. And if ebooks aren’t your preference, click on the bookstore tab for other purchase options, or just click on the covers below.

Secret Sky was formerly titled The Gift: Awakening
Hidden Enemy was formerly titled The Gift: Revelation
Burning Lies was formerly titled The Gift: Redemption
Lethal Waters was formerly titled The Gift: Penance
Lover Betrayed was formerly titled The Gift: Betrayal

Opening Photo by pawel szvmanski on Unsplash

Wrapping up The Gift Legacy Launch

February 6, 2019 By JPMcLean 9 Comments

Wrapping up The Gift Legacy launch.

Today marks the end of The Gift Legacy’s launch campaign. Thank you for riding this exciting release wave with me. Sharing new covers is a thrill, more so because of your support and encouraging comments.

Books 1 through 6 tell the story of Emelynn Taylor, the unwitting recipient of a remarkable gift that strips her of gravity and sends her airborne, unchecked. Today, the first book in The Gift Legacy Companion series is being released. Lover Betrayed tells the story of Secret Sky from Jackson Delaney’s perspective. Jackson’s role in Secret Sky was controversial, pivotal and demanded to be told. Love him or hate him, you won’t forget him. Lover Betrayed is Secret Sky Redux.

Rashomon treatment

Examining an event from different characters’ viewpoints is referred to as a Rashomon treatment, named after the 1950 film of the same name directed by Akira Kurosawa. Kurosawa was the first to present this unique way of exploring the nature of truth by telling the same story as witnessed and interpreted by different people.

When Jackson Delaney’s wife disappears, Jackson flies into high gear to find her. But has she been abducted, or has she left him for his half-brother? With fear and retribution fueling his quest, he recklessly engages the feared Tribunal and unscrupulous thugs from his past. And when his quest for justice at any cost leads him to a mysterious young Flier with no knowledge of her arcane gift, Jackson’s vengeance gets the better of him and may cost him something more precious than his life.

Testimonials

JP McLean possesses her own unique gift: the ability to bewitch her readers with her boundless imagination.
—Elinor Florence, Globe and Mail best-selling author of Bird’s Eye View and Wildwood

Exciting action and conflict of loyalties make this a fantastic page-turner.
—Kristina Stanley, author of the Stone Mountain Mystery Series

Click here to buy your copy of Lover Betrayed from your favourite retailer.

CLICK HERE TO READ AN EXCERPT

As always, I’d love to hear your feedback. Just hit reply or contact me via the social media buttons.

Teasing Out the Weeds

April 29, 2018 By JPMcLean 15 Comments

We’ve had a little taste of summer here on Denman Island with a stretch of warm, sunny days. What a treat! The first of our asparagus has been picked (it was delicious), and the rhubarb is perfectly crisp and a brilliant red. I even got out in the garden in my shirtsleeves and tidied up a few neglected corners. My achy back aside, it felt good to get outdoors, teasing out the weeds and planting a few cheery annuals.

I’ll soon be doing the same with the next book in the Gift Legacy series—tentatively titled Deadly Deception. The editor has just returned her notes and I can hardly wait to dig into them.

The New Titles

But first, I wanted to share with you the new titles I’m considering for the rebranding of the Gift Legacy series. If you haven’t been following this blog, the new titles and covers will better position the books in the contemporary fantasy/thriller genre, and clear up any confusion about whether or not they’re religious. Elinor Florence has been instrumental in this effort and I can’t thank her enough for her enthusiasm and imaginative title suggestions. I’d love your feedback, your critique or your two cents. Leave me a comment below and let me know what you think.

Book 1 The Gift: Awakening becomes Secret Sky

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Book 2 The Gift: Revelation becomes Hidden Enemy

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Book 3 The Gift: Redemption becomes Burning Lies

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Book 4 The Gift: Penance becomes Lethal Waters

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Jackson Delaney’s story The Gift: Betrayal becomes Lover Betrayed

What I’m Reading

Check out Elinor Florence’s latest book, Wildwood. It’s the story of one woman’s incredible resolve to make a better life for herself and her emotionally challenged daughter in the backwoods of northern Alberta. I loved it and gave it 5 out of 5 stars.

Author Update: In 2019, the rebranding was completed. The original covers and titles are no longer available. But you can read the same magical story in Secret Sky from your favourite retailer right here! Or click on the image for more purchase options.

Cherry blossoms photo by Roman Kraft on Unsplash

First Draft Done!

September 30, 2017 By JPMcLean 15 Comments

First draft done! It’s celebration time. I finished writing the first draft of the next book in The Gift Legacy this week and toasted the accomplishment with a fine bottle of red. If you’re keeping track, this is the sixth book in the series and follows on from Lethal Waters (formerly Penance). The working title is Deadly Deception. What do you think?

Typing “the end” is a major milestone, but the book is still a long way from done. Next, the editing starts, but before that, I need to let it rest, get some distance from it.

In other words, put my pen down and step away from the computer. Not writing is an adjustment. My daily routine has a huge hole in the middle of it. Suddenly, I have time on my hands.

Now I’m playing catch up. Spring cleaning, which didn’t happen in the spring, comes first. Next is writing a stack of overdue book reviews (apologies included). After that, my website needs an update and I might even tackle the audio recordings for the first chapters of Lethal Waters and Lover Betrayed.

But before I get to all that, I’m taking a wee break. We’re off to Seattle for a few days to celebrate two family birthdays, attend my first ever football game (Seattle Sea Hawks vs Indianapolis Colts) and enjoy the company of our niece and nephew who are visiting from the Cayman Islands.