cover art Archives - Page 2 of 2

Christmas and Odds & Sods

December 20, 2014 By JPMcLean 18 Comments

Christmas and Odds & Sods. Miraculously, five days before Christmas, I find myself in the position of having some free time. Not sure how that happened. Somehow the parcels got wrapped, mailed, bagged, and tagged; the vacuum and dust mitt performed a slap and dash; the decorations made it out of the crawl space; and the meals planned themselves.

So I’m sitting here on my duff with a glass of wine in hand and the computer in my lap, and it occurred to me that I probably owe you all an update!

But before I get to that, I’d like to take a moment to say thank you. Your enthusiasm for these characters and this story is heartwarming. Writing is often a solitary venture and every time I hear from one of you, it makes my day. Truly. Thanks for that.

Odds & Sods

And so…Book IV, titled Penance*, has been through the first round of beta readers and is now in the capable hands of intrepid story editor, Nina Munteanu. When she sends it back, I’ll incorporate her comments, and then send it out to the second wave of beta readers. After their comments are folded in, it’ll go to the copy editor. Finally, another beta read and then off to the proof-reader. When those tweaks are done, it’ll be ready to publish. It may seem like an arduous journey but believe me, all those extra eyes will make for a much better story!

Meantime, Viona Halim, has been working on the cover art, which will, once again, originate with a photo. This time the photo was taken on Granville Island, where pivotal scenes in Book IV take place. Viona will edit the photo and then paint it to achieve the same ominous “feel” to it that the others have.

At the same time, I’m working on the back cover blurb, summaries, tag lines, book marks and other promotional material. I’m writing press releases for the spring launch and seeking pre-release reviews (wink, nudge, hint-hint). If you are interested in receiving an e-copy of Penance for review, please let me know. Reviews that are posted to coincide with the book’s release are better than balloon rides, rum in your egg nog and snow on Christmas!

Coming Soon . . . Boxed Sets

Also, I decided to offer the first three books of the Gift Legacy in a “boxed set” format for the eBook market. Viona Halim has prepared a phenomenal cover for the boxed set, which I can’t wait to share with you. For the first time, I’m trying my hand at formatting this edition myself. I’m not the most tech-savvy person, so wish me luck. If the challenge proves too much, I’ll have to hire the expertise.

And then, because apparently I should be offering a nugget to entice readers to sign up for my newsletter (which, sadly, I’ve been neglecting), I’ve been writing a give-away short story.

Of course, I’m still jotting down ideas for the continuation of Emelynn’s story in yet another adventure with Sam Jordan, James Moss and hmm, well…not sure who else might make an appearance in Book V, but it’s sure to be exciting. If you have any ideas, I’d love to hear them.

All the best, from our house to yours, over this holiday season. Cheers!

If you have no idea what I’m going on about, you need to get a copy of Secret Sky right now! You can order the ebook with one click right here. And if ebooks or Amazon aren’t your preference, you can find other options under the Bookstore Tab.

*Penance is now Lethal Waters

Fogged in

October 24, 2013 By JPMcLean 2 Comments

Full moon rise through the fog on Denman Island — Full moon rising through the fog on Denman Island

I’ve been squirreled away again. Fogged in. Granted, it’s easy to hunker down in lousy weather—like this dense fog that’s enveloped our part of the coast for the past ten days—but it’s not good. The burrowing in, that is, especially when I’m so narrowly focused.

Multi-tasking is something I know I can do; I routinely prep carrots for two meals and onions for three; I weed and fertilize while I set aside seedlings for next year’s plant sale; and I’m guilty of putting phone calls on speaker so I can make a bed or iron while catching up.

So, why is it that when the proof for my latest book comes in, my world stops rotating while I attend to it – and pretty much nothing else? Maybe it’s more than the weather that’s fogged in? I barely make time to eat and sleep. It’s a little bit crazy, I have to admit. What is it about me and writing that brings out this single-minded behaviour? No—don’t answer that!

I’d read somewhere that women were excellent multi-taskers. If this conclusion is based on averaging, then I apologize to womankind for lowering the average.

The up-side to the crazy is that book 3 of The Gift Legacy, Redemption (now titled Burning Lies) is back in the hands of the publisher and only weeks away from release. I can’t wait!

And wait until you see the cover. Gifted artist, Viona Halim has, once again, painted a suitably ominous scene for Redemption’s cover. It’s breath-taking…and I’ll reveal it as soon as the fine-tuning on the title lettering is complete. The first people to see it will be my newsletter subscribers, who also receive free short stories. Sign up now if you haven’t already.

Timing Woes

May 31, 2013 By JPMcLean 2 Comments

Timing Woes

This time around, I thought I’d be better at predicting the timing of certain events in the course of publishing a book.

Apparently not.

Today I thought I’d be revealing the cover for Book II, Revelation. And I would have, except I wasn’t happy with the way the title looked on the final proof. So I chose to have it re-done rather than settle, which is the cause of my timing woes and why I’m writing this post instead of the “ta-da” post I’d envisioned.

As disappointed as I am with the delay, I’m keeping it in perspective. The cover will be all the better for it and anticipation is a sweet seduction.

Keep your eyes peeled for that “ta-da” post next week (I think).

Meantime, this is what readers are saying about Book 1, Secret Sky:

Photo by Nathan Shively on Unsplash

Cover Art Quest

April 9, 2013 By JPMcLean 8 Comments

Washington Coast — Washington State Coastline

Cover Art Quest

There’s little slack time in this business. If you’re not writing a book, you’re writing a blog post, tweeting a thank you, or updating your Facebook page. There are publisher’s proofs to review, blog tours to schedule, press releases won’t write themselves, and book covers need to be designed. As much as I would love to spend all my days writing, this business is more complex than that. Many other chores demand a piece of my time.

On the Road Again

Happily, most of those chores can be done from the road, which is where I am. It’s familiar territory for me having spent so many winters “heading south.” This week I’m driving down the Pacific coast with my husband, John, and our sweet Molly to find the perfect photo inspiration for the cover of Book III, Redemption.

Cover art is an important component of any book. It has the potential to either draw people in or send them scurrying. For better or worse*, from the very start, I’ve had a strong opinion of what the visual should be for my books. It’s always been the beach.

The beach plays a critical role in all three books.

In Awakening, the beach is a cruel mistress that serves as the setting for imparting the gift, awakening it, and finally, setting it free. In Revelation, the beach serves as a reminder of where it all began, and then plays hand maiden to the larger story that occurs within metres of that same beach. The beach is also an important element in Redemption.

Viona Halim is the talented graphic artist who painted the first two covers. She did a wonderful job creating not only compelling water colours, but also capturing the ominous mood that prevails in the books.

The book cover for Redemption will be in keeping with the trilogy’s mood, which is still dark and mysterious, but this time it will reflect the very unique cliff face and low vegetation typical to Bodega Bay, California, which is where a pivotal scene takes place. And that’s what brings me here. It’s a cover art quest. I need to get some photos of these beaches for Viona to work with.

Cover Reveal

The cover for Book II is about to be revealed. Keep your eyes peeled because just after the cover reveal, Revelation will be released. I can’t wait.

As an aside, this is our first road trip without Molly’s half-sister, Soozie. They travelled extensively with us since 2000. It seems strange to be making this journey without her – as if a book end is missing.

*Update: in 2018, the heavy hand I had in book cover design proved fatal. Read more about the rebrand here.