The Gift Legacy Archives - Page 13 of 27

Battling Weeds and Plot Holes

April 25, 2017 By JPMcLean 18 Comments

Yesterday, I gathered my knee pad, gloves, and garden tools and set out to dig in the dirt. With a mind to battling weeds and plot holes, I crawled under one of the dwarf apple trees. A regiment of weeds had settled in during the winter.

Weeding is one of those chores I do on autopilot, which frees up my mind to wander where it may. Normally, it wanders into the book I’m writing and combs through plot and character tangles.

Yesterday, however, it didn’t wander that far. Across the road I heard the bleat of new lambs, the drone of a neighbour’s lawnmower, the sputter of a chainsaw. Overhead, birdsong competed with the distant clang of metal as someone worked on farm machinery.

These are sounds I hadn’t missed until I heard them again—sounds of spring and the promise of summer. It reminded me how fortunate I am to live in the countryside. I’m grateful I’m able to enjoy it.

After a few hours of weeding, I felt refreshed, recharged. I’m now ready to tackle James, a character who is causing no end of trouble in the next Gift Legacy installment.

Is anyone else hearing the sound of spring?

Now . . . back to writing!

Pick up your weed-free digital copy of the book that started it all: Get Secret Sky from your favourite retailer right here! Or click on the image for more purchase options.

February Has Lost its Mind

February 18, 2017 By JPMcLean 12 Comments

Last month when I wrote An Uncommon Winter, I had no idea that February would charge in and dump a 20-year record snowfall on us. Clearly, February has lost its mind, or at least its bearings.

One of our ornamental trees fell over and couldn’t get up (below is a photo of it in better days, and after the tumble). Many large fir branches waved their final adieu, and at least one of the neighbourhood boathouses is out of business.

On the plus side, the extreme weather gave me all the excuse I needed to stay home and spend some quality time indoors. I’ll happily write by the fire all day. I’m well into the next book in the Gift Legacy series, as yet untitled, which will continue on from Lethal Waters (formerly Penance), and I’m continuing to make notes on the new Dark Dreams project.

Being in creative mode is nirvana for me. I carry a notebook around like a security blanket when I’m away from the laptop. I love the surprise of the story going off script with a new plot twist!

If you had snow this February, I hope you were better equipped for it than we were! Hang in there, spring is just around the corner.

Until next time . . .

And if you find yourself snowbound, curl up with a good book. It takes just a minute to download Secret Sky from your favourite retailer right here! Or click on the image for more purchase options.

An Uncommon Winter

January 29, 2017 By JPMcLean 9 Comments

It’s been an uncommon winter here on Denman Island. The ground froze for 6+ weeks, which is an unusual state of cold we normally count in days, not weeks. (No need to roll your eyeballs—we know we’re spoiled—we barely reach the “damn it’s cold” threshold for Canadians.)

In addition to the frozen ponds and gardens, we woke day and again to find fluffy white stuff, more commonly referred to as snow. Unheard of . . . especially when it sticks around for more than a day. (Your eyeballs are going to stick up there!)

I Can’t Complain

I didn’t get outside much in November. The November 15 release of Betrayal (now Lover Betrayed) kept me busy. As always happens with a new release, I was plagued with promotion should’ve/could’ve/would’ves. Not to mention the inconvenient fact that I also have a life.

That “life” took me back to Ontario to spend a rare and snowy Christmas with my family. Despite my earlier whinging, I love a white Christmas. There’s something magical about crisp, white snow at Christmastime. And it may just be my ego, but I think Ontario went out of its way to emphasize the white this year. It brings me back to my childhood. I can count on one finger how many white Christmases I’ve experienced since moving to the coast (not that finger – gheesh!). The coast has many wonderful attributes, which I tout to no end in the Gift Legacy books, but a white Christmas isn’t one of them.

I’m now back on Denman Island

The snow has melted away and the frost has departed. Spring bulbs are poking through the earth, the honeysuckle bush is blooming, and I find myself in the refreshing position of writing something new. This is one of the sweetest spots for writers. It wakes me in the middle of the night and pulls me out of bed early in the morning. And it doesn’t wait for the coffee to brew or a good internet connection.

It demands my attention, and I’m beyond happy to oblige. In addition to developing my next series (the Dark Dreams novels), I’m writing the next chapter in Emelynn’s story. This is what it looks like when I’m organizing my ideas. Do you have thoughts about characters or storylines you’d like to see on one of those stickies? Now is the perfect time to tell me. Leave a comment, or contact me on any of my social media sites.

You can read Emelynn’s story in Secret Sky from your favourite retailer right here! Or click on the image for more purchase options.

Release day for The Gift: Betrayal

November 15, 2016 By JPMcLean 9 Comments

It’s Release day for The Gift: Betrayal! The latest book in the Gift Legacy leaves home today. It’s interesting how each book crosses that threshold with a personality. The first one, Secret Sky (formerly Awakening), was shy and tentative; Hidden Enemy (formerly Revelation), the second one, sprinted through the gate like a colt on new legs; the third book, Burning Lies (formerly Redemption), pawed the ground then charged off; number four, Lethal Waters (formerly Penance), crept out in the middle of the night. Betrayal swaggers. It’s got attitude.

Chronologically speaking, Betrayal isn’t the “next” book in the Gift Legacy series. It’s more like book 1.5. It’s Awakening Redux—this time told in Jackson Delaney’s voice. This is his story. Jackson was Emelynn Taylor’s love interest in Awakening. He was controversial, his role was pivotal and his story demanded to be told. You may not forgive him, when you turn the last page, but you won’t forget him.

Warning: reading Betrayal will spoil Secret Sky (formerly Awakening) for you. I recommend you read Secret Sky first. Here’s what two of my favourite authors have to say about Betrayal:

JP McLean possesses her own unique gift: the ability to bewitch her readers with her boundless imagination.

– Elinor Florence, Bestselling Author of Bird’s Eye View

Exciting action and conflict of loyalties make this a fantastic page-turner.

– Kristina Stanley, Bestselling Author of the Stone Mountain Mystery Series.

And if you’d like to read Secret Sky first, you can pick it up with one click right here. And if ebooks aren’t your thing, click on the cover for more purchase options.

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