Campbell River Toy & Craft Sale Archives

The Never Witch is on sale for $2.99, until midnight on Halloween. Don't miss out! Get your copy from me or from your favourite retailer today!

In her witch’s blood, a warlock’s power awakens . . . and it could destroy her.

Adeline Thorne is a witch in name only. She has no power, but she’s learned to accept it. The quiet west coast life she’s built as a gifted portrait painter is enough. It has to be.

Until a convicted warlock, in an act of desperation, dumps his magic into her. He doesn’t care that warlock magic is incompatible with her witch’s DNA. He doesn’t care that his power will tear Adeline’s world apart.

The Never Witch now has magic, an irresistible drug. The only problem? The warlock wants it back.

If you can’t get enough of Rachel Griffin, V.E. Schwab, and Alix E. Harrow, then you’ll love The Never Witch.

Murder on the Menu Anthology

A few weeks ago, I was invited to blurb Murder on the Menu, an anthology of tasty mysteries edited by Winona Kent and Joanna Vander Vlugt. Tasty because, as the title suggests, there's a food theme running through each of the short stories. The joy of an anthology such as Murder on the Menu is in the consumption: devour it in one sitting or savour each morsel over time. Murder on the Menu is a perfect sampling of what fine Canadian crime writing has to offer. The authors are Judee Fong, Debra Henry, Winona Kent, C.J. Papoutsis, and Joanna Vander Vlugt.

Supporting a Fellow Author

Gaining visibility in the ebook marketplace is a trial at the best of times, but having one of the world's biggest retailers cancel your account is devastating. Unfortunately, this happened to a friend of mine, Karen J. Mossman. She's a fine writer and a big supporter of other authors. Karen has moved her business to her author-owned online Payhip store. It's a storefront that many authors, including me, are using to give readers another purchasing option. Buying from an author's Payhip store supports authors by ensuring the biggest share of the proceeds goes to the author.

Karen writes in a variety of genres and offers free books as well, which gives readers an opportunity to sample her writing. If you're in the market for a new mystery, romance, sci-fi, or thriller, check out her Payhip store.

Upcoming Events

Lighthouse Community Christmas Market
Date: Saturday and Sunday, November 21 & 22, 2026, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Location: Qualicum Bay, BC
Address: Lighthouse Community Centre, 240 Lions Way, Qualicum Bay, BC

Campbell River Toy & Craft Sale
Date: Saturday and Sunday, November 28 & 29, 2026, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Location: Campbell River Sportsplex
Address: 1800 South Alder St, Campbell River BC V9W 7J1, Canada

A Very Merry Artisan Chistmas Market
Date: Sunday, December 6, 2026, 10:00 am - 3:30 pm
Location: Qualicum Beach Community Hall, 644 Memorial Avenue, Qualicum, BC
A fundraising event for Oceanside Hospice

My schedule, including any last-minute additions, is on my Upcoming Events page. And if you know of an event that you'd like me to attend, please let me know.

That’s all my news for this month. Until next time . . .

Jo-Anne

Ghost Mark Book Launch Events

Ghost Mark is out in the world and meeting new readers. I’m thrilled to be doing two book launches for the new release, one at Blue Heron in Comox at 1775 Comox Avenue on Saturday, December 3rd from 10 am to 2 pm, and another at Abraxas Books in downtown Denman Island on Saturday December 10th from 10 am to 2 pm. I hope you can join me at one of them and pick up a signed copy of my new release. I’m happy to inscribe them to a favourite reader on your Christmas list. If you can’t make one of the launches, you can purchase Ghost Mark here from your favourite retailer.

And a shout out to all those who came to visit me at the Campbell River Toy and Craft Sale last weekend. It was fun to chat, whether introducing you to my books for the first time, or hearing how you connected with one of them and had come back for more. I love when my stories resonate with you and never tire of hearing about it!

Ghost Mark’s Reviews

This is what a few reviewers have to say:

McLean’s writing is as ingenious as her protagonist, ranging from grunge to repartee to sophistication to laugh-out-loud snarks. Ghost Mark is gripping. You won’t put it down till it’s done. —Ottawa Review of Books

A captivating nail-biter that will leave readers thirsting for more! —InD’tale Magazine

Will keep you on the edge of your seat . . . an intense, riveting, and fast-paced novel. —Literary Titan

The reviews are all very encouraging and they energize me.

Writing News

I’m getting back into the writing groove and enjoying how the next Dark Dreams novel is developing. It’s still very early days, but it feels good, like putty warming in the palm of my hand.

And as exciting as it is to talk about the new book, I have to confess, it’s difficult to extract my thoughts from the next book I’m writing. That’s the writer’s dilemma: by the time the new book is launched, we’re busy writing the next one. As far as problems go, it’s a pretty good one to have.

Christmas is Fast Approaching

It seems unimaginable that Christmas is only a month away. I swear 2022 sprouted rockets and blew by. I’m assured by my elders that it’s a trend that will only speed up with age. I’d curse them, but my wand sputtered and fizzled out. Overuse, I suppose as there’s no shortage of things to curse these days (inflation, Putin, Twitter, I could go on…).

What I’m Reading

But I don’t want to dwell in the murky depths of the glass. A lot of things are going really well. On the reading front, I finished Charissa Weaks’ The Witch Collector. Loved it! I also binged the second in that series, City of Ruin, but I wasn’t as taken with the second novel, mostly because I’m not fond of cliffhangers. (When I buy a book, I want the whole story, not a partial) but I’m curious and may read the next one.

My laugh-out-loud meme this week was “I dusted once. It came back. I’m not falling for that again.”

Until next time, XO