On First Drafts, New Awards, and a Special Anniversary

March 18, 2026 By JPMcLean 6 Comments

The Never Witch is now a Finalist in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards. The winners will be announced at the beginning of April, so keep your fingers crossed. Three of my other books have reached the Finalist stage, but none have gone on to win. At least I'm consistant. Maybe the fourth time’s a charm??

I’m also thrilled to announce that my narration for Blood Mark (book one of the Dark Dreams Novels) is likewise a Wishing Shelf Finalist! Submitting for the audiobook was a leap of faith, as I truly didn’t know if my performance reached the calibre expected by listeners. I'm pleased to say it has surpassed my expectations.

Next In-person Events

My first market of 2026 will be at the Union Bay Community Hall. Normally, I’d also attend the Union Bay Fall and Christmas events, but I’m double-booked on both occasions. Darn! If you’re a Union Bay reader looking for an inscribed book, check my events schedule here, or catch me in Union Bay:

Date: Sunday, March 29, 2026, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Location: Union Bay Community Club
Address: 5401 South Island Highway, Union Bay, BC

I’m excited to say I’ve been invited back to Coles and Chapters for encore book signing events. I’d be delighted to inscribe a book for you at either location:

COLES in Courtenay
Date: Saturday, May 9, 2026, 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Location: Driftwood Mall, Courtenay
Address: 2751 Cliffe Avenue

CHAPTERS in Nanaimo
Date: Saturday, July 18, 2026, Noon - 3:00 pm
Location: Woodgrove Centre, Nanaimo
Address: 6670 Mary Ellen Drive

What I’m Reading/Listening to

Queen of Air and Darkness (The Dark Artifices, Book Three) by Cassandra Clare. This is the third tome/brick in the series. Though I've thoroughly enjoyed Clare's imagination and the characters, I’m ready for something new.

Chatterley (A Corrupted Classics Novel) by Cara Clare. I listen to a weekly podcast about indie publishing, and she was one of the hosts for a time, so I was curious about her work. This book isn’t for everyone, but if you’ve ever imagined Lady Chatterley’s Lover, but with vampires, chains, and risque lust, you might enjoy it.

The Black Wolf by Louise Penny, the latest in her mystery series set in fictional Three Pines and centred around Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec. Her characters have found a home in my heart. Books in this series will always be on the top of my TBR list.

In Other News

The switch of host for my website went smoothly thanks to Shawn Wernig of Eggplant Studios. Can’t say enough good things about how on top of everything he was during the transition. The few glitches I had were minor and ironed out quickly. Whew!

On the Home Front

My parents were married on a Friday the 13^th in April, way back in 1956. This April is their 70^th wedding anniversary, and my husband and I will be travelling to Ontario to help them celebrate.

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Until next time…

Jo-Anne

A New Title in The Thorne Witch Series

January 22, 2026 By JPMcLean 2 Comments

A New Title in The Thorne Witch Series

January has blasted out of the starting gate. I hit the keyboard running at the start of the year and I’m making great headway with the second Thorne Witch novel. I’ll update this blog as I hit new milestones. But in the meantime, I can already tell you the title:

HEXBORN

The Hexborn are children born under a curse. The storyline continues where The Never Witch left off. Adeline Thorne is back in the main character role, and the warlock, Luke Churchwell returns as well.

Upcoming Events

I’m excited to bring The Never Witch to Nanaimo on Friday the 13^th of February. Not only is Friday the thirteenth a perfectly witchy day for a book signing, but it’s just in time for Valentine’s.

I’ll be signing books at the Chapters store in Nanaimo, at the north end of the Woodgrove Centre, 6670 Mary Ellen Drive, Nanaimo, BC (250)390-0380. I’ll be set up by noon and stay until three p.m. I’d be delighted to inscribe a book for your valentine.

1.1 Million Words in Print

When The Never Witch came out, it pushed me over the 1.1-million-words-in-print mark. It’s a shocking reminder of how far I’ve come. When I wrote my first novel, Secret Sky, I never imagined this would become my full-time gig. I also never imagined I’d still love the craft of writing, the actual putting together of these books that are akin to word puzzles. And I’m blessed and lucky to have the time and space to do it.

In Other News

I’m making a big change with my website. I’m moving to a new hosting platform. There will be kinks to work out, I’m sure, but I have confidence in the experts who are doing the transfer. The moving pieces include my email addresses, blog, and this newsletter, so keep you fingers crossed for a smooth transition.

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Until next time…

Jo-Anne

A Book Award for The Never Witch

December 18, 2025 By JPMcLean Leave a Comment

A Book Award for The Never Witch!

The Never Witch is perfect for readers who like their fantasy grounded in emotion and their magic served with a side of grit.

—Literary Titan

The Never Witch is now a Literary Titan Award Winner. At the end of October, the judges notified me that it had earned a 5-star review, and early this month, I learned that it had won a gold Literary Titan medal.

What also helps new readers find the books are reviews. Here are two I’m very proud of:

McLean’s writing has never been more stylish and powerful—this book raises the bar on craft.

—Ottawa Review of Books

Original, unique, clever, deftly crafted, and a simply riveting and fun read from start to finish.

—Midwest Book Review

Last In-person Event of 2025

My last in-person event of the year is at the Queneesh Holiday Market this Sunday, December 21, at the Florence Filberg Centre in Courtenay. I’ll be manning a table of books written by local authors . Stop by and peruse the wide assortment of books available.

Saturday, December 20, 10 am – 5 pm
Sunday, December 21, 10 am – 5 pm
411 Anderton Avenue, Courtenay, BC.

On the Home Front

For the past couple of years my husband and I have enjoyed prime rib, beef Wellington, and even chicken for the main event, but this year we’re going traditional with turkey, stuffing, mashed spuds, and all the fixings. Except dessert. I don’t know about you, but when my plate’s empty, I’m always too full to stuff in another bite, even if it’s a whipped light-as-a-feather slice of pumpkin pie, a sticky Christmas pudding, or a spicy yule log. Nope. Can’t do it. (But that’s not to say those desserts won’t be welcome after leftovers in the coming days.)

What I’m Reading

I’m currently reading Aeterna by Kim Bannerman. Kim and I often bump into one another at local author events. Her covers, which her husband designs, are beautiful, and Aeterna’s storyline intrigued me. It’s a dystopian story of vampires that live in a luxurious underground world they’ve created for their kind after they wiped out humans. But an opportunity to return to the old human cities during the vampires’ Bloodlet Right threatens to unravel their utopia.

I’m also listening to Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros. It’s the third book in her Empyrean series. The first book was Fourth Wing, followed by Iron Flame. They’re lengthy books, and though I’m into the third in the series, I still haven’t figured out the landscape. What I love about the books is the flying and the relationships between the riders and the riders and their dragons. And because they’re audiobooks, they’re keeping me company while I prep meals, wrap gifts, and get ready for company.

And just in case you think my head’s always in the clouds, I’m also reading War Resisters by Joline Martin, which tells the story of Vietnam war resisters who settled in Canada, including some who settled right here on Denman Island.

Happy Christmas

And finally, from my home to yours this festive season, may your celebrations be filled with love and all your favourite things, and your New Year be happy, healthy, and peaceful.

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Until next time…

Jo-Anne

Witches and Warlocks and Magic, Oh My!

October 24, 2025 By JPMcLean 2 Comments

Happy Halloween

Are you stocked up for the trick or treaters? I wonder what the most popular costume will be this year? When I heard on the news that the cost of costumes has increased by a shocking amount, it got me reminiscing about the years before costumes were bought, to a time in my childhood when costumes were cobbled together.

I don’t think buying costumes was even an option when I was young. But if it were, with four of us kids in the family, I imagine forking out money for costumes would have been out of the question. But we had a secret weapon: our mom could sew. I remember a devil’s costume and an iridescent black and purple satin witch’s skirt. There was also a memorable paper horse’s head attached to a fabric costume body made for two. I seem to recall my older sister was the head and I was the horse’s behind. Haha! A classic. I’ll have to look for photos of those costumes next time I visit my folks.

This year, Halloween holds a special place for me with The Never Witch out and about in the local shops. The launch events have been hauntingly good and I’ve enjoyed meeting readers and lovers of witches and warlocks and magic, oh my!

My next in-person events are:

Saturday, October 25, 4-9 pm, Witchy Market at the Crow’s Nest Artists’ Collective, Campbell River
Saturday, November 15, 10 am – 4 pm & Sunday, November 16, 10 am – 3 pm, Lighthouse Christmas Market, Qualicum Bay
Sunday, November 23, Union Bay Christmas Craft Fair, 10 am – 3 pm

Editorial Reviews

I’m thrilled to share three BIG editorial reviews that have come in for The Never Witch:

McLean’s writing has never been more stylish and powerful—this book raises the bar on craft.

—Ottawa Review of Books

Original, unique, clever, deftly crafted, and a simply riveting and fun read from start to finish.

—Midwest Book Review

Action-packed, thrilling, and entertaining, author JP McLean’s “The Never Witch” is a must-read occult suspense and urban fantasy.

—Anthony Avina, Book Blogger and Reviewer

My interview with Peter McCully

As promised, here is a link to my interview with Peter McCully on The PULSE Community Podcast in Parksville. Peter and I had an interesting chat about my writing process and the inspiration behind my books. Peter is personable and curious, which makes for an entertaining conversation. I really enjoyed speaking with him and had the pleasure of meeting him in person at The Never Witch book launch at Fireside Books in Parksville.

Retailer News

I’m also pleased to announce that Laughing Oyster Bookshop and Coles in the Driftwood Mall in Courtenay are now carrying The Never Witch. It is also available from my website and at these independent bookshops:

Elsewhere, you can order The Never Witch by title or its ISBN number (978-1-988125-72-5) from your favourite bookshop.

And finally, I wanted to share this stunning video sunrise with you. Enjoy!