Silver Medal Winners, Hexborn Update & a 70th Anniversary

May 8, 2026 By JPMcLean 2 Comments

Silver Medal Winners

I’m thrilled to announce that The Never Witch and the audio edition of Blood Mark have each won silver medals from the Wishing Shelf Book Awards. It’s gratifying to see these books doing so well, and to know that the writing and packaging are resonating with readers and judges alike! The medals are en route from Britain and haven’t arrived yet. I’ll include a photo next month.

Hexborn Progress

The second book in The Thorne Witch Novels, Hexborn, will be released on August 4, 2026. It has now completed the editing process and I’ll soon be handing it off to my intrepid team of beta readers. You can already pre-order it here from your favourite retailer.

Next up … the cover. This time, the folks at 100 Covers are handling the design. I can’t wait to see what they come up with.

A Special Anniversary

My husband and I travelled to Ontario’s cottage country in April to celebrate my dad’s ninetieth birthday and my parents’ seventieth wedding anniversary. They married on a Friday the 13^th —brave of them, I thought. I wrote about it ten years ago on their 60^th. You can find that post here: https://jpmcleanauthor.com/would-you-get-married-on-friday-the-13th/ This is a photo from this year.

April weather in Ontario is unpredictable—sometimes warm and dry, other times wet and windy. This year was wet and wet. Here is a photo of the flooding of the Manitouwabing River at my sister’s place. Happily, the water didn’t cause any major damage.

Next In-Person Events

On May 9^th from 11 am to 4 pm, I’ve been invited back to Coles in the Driftwood Mall on Cliff Avenue for an encore book signing of The Never Witch. That’s the Saturday before Mother’s Day, so if your mom prefers books over flowers, swing by and get a signed copy. Better still, get her a book AND flowers.

What I’m Reading/Listening To

I’m listening to the audiobook of Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister—a paranormal mystery about a woman stuck in a time loop trying to prevent a murder. I’m finding it quite interesting, especially the mechanics of waking up one day earlier each morning. My novel Blood Mark has some time slip in it, so I know firsthand how tricky that can be to write.

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Until next time…

Jo-Anne

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.

Sign up for my VIP newsletter

If you’d like to know more about me, my writing life, and my home on Denman Island, sign up for my monthly newsletter, where I share photos, updates, FREE short stories, and insider scoop. I never share your email address, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Until next time…

Jo-Anne

The First Draft of Scorch Mark is Done!

February 22, 2023 By JPMcLean 12 Comments

First Draft of Scorch Mark

As much as I grumble about winter’s short, soggy days, the cold, damp weather keeps me indoors and focused on writing. My December thru February hibernation has been a productive one. I popped the champagne last Friday to celebrate completing the first draft of Scorch Mark, the next Dark Dreams Novel! You’ll understand the why behind the title when you read it.

A first draft always needs to steep, and then a whole lot of editing to make it suitable for public consumption, but I’ve already contacted the cover designer (JD&J), and the editor to request a place in their queues.

The Gift Legacy E-Books

In the coming weeks, I’ll be enrolling The Gift Legacy e-books into Amazon’s KDP Select program. This is great news for KDP Select subscribers because they will be able to download the books for free. But Amazon requires exclusivity while the e-books are enrolled in the program, which means I’ll be removing those e-books from all other retail sites. If you haven’t downloaded them yet from Kobo, Apple, Nook, or the other e-book retailers, you should do so now.

A New Award

I’m thrilled to announce that Ghost Mark is a Finalist in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. Ghost Mark has now received three awards, the other two being a Gold Literary Titan, and a RONE crowned heart. Seeing it do so well is a welcome boost for my confidence. If you haven’t yet read Ghost Mark, you can pick it up here from your favourite retailer.

In Other News

No one would describe me as an early adopter or as having an Einstein-like grip on technology, but I recently surprised myself! I figured out how to supplement my blog posts with audio. There “should” be a link above the title to listen to this post, but if the recording hasn’t yet materialized, you can check out a sample from my Christmas post. Let me know what you think.

Implementation of anything techy for me usually crashes and burns the moment my computer screen looks different from the step-by-step instructions. But not this time! I followed the directions for BeyondWords. The only glitch I ran into was that BeyondWords provided audio for my entire website, and not just the blog posts. This is the article by David Tvrdon that sparked my interest.

A New Endorsement for Ghost Mark

A sexy noir crime novel starring a bold, intelligent superhero who seeks justice for past transgressions in a gritty Vancouver landscape. McLean’s writing is as ingenious as her protagonist, ranging from grunge to repartee to sophistication to laugh-out-loud snarks. You won’t put it down till it’s done.

—W. L. Hawkin, author of The Hollystone Mysteries

I hope the days are getting longer in your neck of the woods. Can’t wait to get out for a walk today. Take care.

Until next time . . .

Celebrations Amid the Chaos

March 20, 2022 By JPMcLean 16 Comments

Some days it’s difficult to celebrate the wins, especially under the black cloud of chaos caused by a madman in Russia and the ongoing pandemic. Still, there are celebrations amid the chaos, nuggets that shine despite the gloom around us.

What I’m celebrating:

Bood Mark is now a finalist (FINALIST) for two (TWO) international book awards!

The Chanticleer Paranormal Award for Supernatural Fiction. The winner of this US book award will be announced in June.

The Wishing Shelf Book Award for Adult Fiction. The winner of this British book award will be announced in April.

I am so proud to add these new nominations to Blood Mark’s cover.

I’m also celebrating:

Mandatory mask mandates lifted in BC.

Although the pandemic is not yet over, it’s a relief to see the mask mandate lifted. A small, but hopeful celebration. Though I hate the damn things, I’m still wearing one in crowded situations. I’m not alone. In my outings since the lifting, I’d guestimate 2/3 of shoppers continue to wear masks. It’ll take time for people to get comfortable re-entering this new normal.

As much as I’d rather be celebrating Russia’s defeat at the hands of brave Ukrainians, and the end of the pandemic, I’ll take these small wins and celebrate the hell out of them. It’s me thumbing my nose at the madman and the pandemic.

These are my small celebrations amid the chaos. I hope you find nuggets of your own to celebrate. Every win counts.

You can purchase Blood Mark at your favourite retailer or right here.