indie author Archives - Page 14 of 14

Recently, I gave my first author reading of my debut novel, Awakening.

Public Speaking

Do you get nervous when speaking in public? In previous jobs, I’d given a few large-scale presentations. In the beginning my nerves were so bad I’d get sick to my stomach. But with each event, my nervous energy settled down. In time, my nerves levelled out at a manageable buzz.

That manageable buzz is what I expected when I signed up to read from my new book at this year’s Denman Island Readers’ and Writers’ Festival (link).

Turns out my work experiences didn’t prepare me at all. On July 20^th, I got up on stage, spoke into the mic and read from Awakening for the first time. My whole body shook, sweat prickled, my voice cracked. And this despite having read the piece aloud dozens of times.

A Bad Case of Nerves

I’m still trying to figure out why my nerves were so bad. Fear, I suppose. Would the audience like my work? Would they judge me? Would I blow my timing?

As it turned out, the audience didn’t toss rotten veggies on stage. Instead, I heard gasps and laughter (in the right places) and they clapped at the end. And our moderator, Des Kennedy, didn’t have to come out with a hook to yank me off stage.

Whew! Survived the first one.

Update: In 2013 I picked up some valuable tips about reading from my work in public. You can read about it here.

JP (Jo-Anne) McLean’s debut novel, Awakening, is coming soon. JP lives and writes from her home on Denman Island. Her debut novel is an urban fantasy thriller. Awakening* is the first book in The Gift Legacy and it’s coming soon. Look for it in hardcover, paperback and e-book from FriesenPress.

Release Date TBA
353 pages
$19.99 Cdn

Have you ever dreamed you could fly? Emelynn Taylor did.
Except . . . it wasn’t a dream.

*Update! in 2017, The Gift Legacy books underwent a rebranding. Awakening is now titled Secret Sky. You can read about the rebranding here: JP McLean’s debut novel gets a makeover

When Emelynn Taylor wakes up in the emergency room, her injuries present Dr. Avery Coulter with more questions than answers.

Who is this guarded young woman? Why was she found in the middle of Sunset Park? How can she have injuries consistent with falling from above the tree line? Seemingly from nowhere?

And, more importantly: Why is she lying about it?

The truth is stranger than anyone could have imagined – least of all Emelynn herself.

Nine years earlier, during the same summer she’d lost her father, 12-year-old Emelynn accepted a ‘gift’ from a mysterious woman called Jolene.

Now, as she recovers in Dr. Coulter’s emergency room, she’s left wondering if that blessing was really more of a curse.

Jolene’s gift planted the seeds of incredible power within Emelynn – but what’s the point of such abilities if you can’t control them?

Her emerging gift of flight, for example, nearly killed Emelynn when it sent her plummeting to the sidewalk in Sunset Park. Next time, she might not be so lucky.

But Emelynn is determined to master her abilities, and returns to the seaside cottage where Jolene had once granted her this ‘gift.’ There, Dr. Coulter guides Emelynn in uncovering a secret society of others just like her, who inhabit a mysterious world-within-a-world that challenges everything Emelynn thought she’d known.

But the more she uncovers, the murkier the truth becomes. Soon, Emelynn is left questioning the motives of those she’d trusted the most – and is forced to rely on her barely-mastered powers in a desperate fight for survival.

Secret Sky is the first book in the thrilling, otherworldly The Gift Legacy series by JP McLean. Seamlessly blending paranormal mystery, fantasy, and romance, this beautifully written and deeply resonant adventure will swoop you into a vivid, new reality and leave your imagination soaring.