JP McLean

Writing Addictive Fiction

Timing Woes

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Referee in black and white shirt

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:

A thoroughly enjoyable read
—Island Gals Magazine

Fun . . . sensual, full of adventure
—Bill Engleson, author of Like a Child to Home

Kept me turning the page
—Diana Stevan, author of A Cry from the Deep

It’s gentle and lyric, and it’s dark and hard
—J.F. Kaufmann, author of the Langaer Chronicles

 

A quick summery of each book is available here.

 

Photo by Nathan Shively on Unsplash

What to Write Next?

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Small girl using fingers like binoculars

I’m in an interesting phase of the writing process. It’s the world-is-my-oyster phase; the time between writing projects. What to write next?

I’ve finished writing Book III of the gift trilogy, Book II is about to be published, but as I learned after I finished writing Book I, the ideas don’t just stop because the book’s done. They flood in, rudely interrupting thought and sleep and other moments they choose.

But this time around, with the trilogy complete, the possibilities are even bigger. Do I start a brand spanking-new project or continue with Emelynn’s story in the trajectory in The Gift? Do I continue writing in the fantasy thriller genre or do I change genres? What about the narrative? Do I continue with first person POV, or switch it up with multiple POVs?

There are so many possibilities for how and what to write next and so few hours in each day. What to do? It’s a time of asking questions, researching and brainstorming.

What would you do next?

 

2020 update: I did, in fact, continue Emelynn’s story. The Gift Legacy stands complete at 7 books. You can read about the books here.

What readers are saying about Secret Sky:

A thoroughly enjoyable read
—Island Gals Magazine

Fun . . . sensual, full of adventure
—Bill Engleson, author of Like a Child to Home

Kept me turning the page
—Diana Stevan, author of A Cry from the Deep

It’s gentle and lyric, and it’s dark and hard
—J.F. Kaufmann, author of the Langaer Chronicles

 

Photo by Edi Libedinsky on Unsplash

Readers Beware!

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Photo of dice and poker chips

Readers Beware!

I thought writing fiction took imagination; apparently reading fiction is imagination’s poker equivalent of, “I’ll see that bet and raise you.”

At least that’s the impression I get from the speculative feedback coming in from people who’ve read Awakening. Readers are buying chips, taking seats at the card table, and throwing all they’ve got into their bets.

A typical opening starts with… “I’ll bet that such-and-such happens,” or … “I bet so-and-so will do this.” And then they present a wild-ass twist that would never have crossed my mind. I don’t have a very good poker face and many times I’ve had to peel my eyebrows out of my hairline. I’m happy to say that some of these crazy suggestions are really good. Bent, but good.

It’s yet another reminder that once you publish your book, it’s not yours anymore.

So readers beware! I’m taking notes and names. What you say can and will be used in a future book.

Your favourite author is probably on-line. Go ahead—give them some crazy-ass feedback. They’ll love it.

 

What readers are saying about Secret Sky:

A thoroughly enjoyable read
—Island Gals Magazine

Fun . . . sensual, full of adventure
—Bill Engleson, author of Like a Child to Home

Kept me turning the page
—Diana Stevan, author of A Cry from the Deep

It’s gentle and lyric, and it’s dark and hard
—J.F. Kaufmann, author of the Langaer Chronicles

 

You can purchase all of my books through the Bookstore Tab.

 

Write What You Know

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Woman standing on a road holding a mapWrite what you know is one of the classic nuggets of advice to writers. There’s much to learn when you write a book and more still when you publish it. Not all of the learning is fun, but it’s never boring.

One of the more interesting things I learned was how much of myself I inadvertently reveal in my writing. It seems I’ve written more than one quirk of my own into my characters.

Friends who know me well, point them out: The giant mug of tea, the out-of-control hair, the boring clothing choices, and the main character’s propensity to get lost are just a few. It seems I’ve taken the adage, write what you know to heart.

Now that I know I do that, and since I’ve already mined my own foibles, I’ll move on to more fertile ground. In future, if you find yourself reading a book of mine and a character description is a little too close to home, go ahead, raise an eyebrow. You might even think, hey, wait a minute, I resemble that remark.

If you ask me, I will, of course, deny it.

Have you read a character that hits a little too close to home?

 

All of my books are available to purchase through the Bookstore Tab.

 

Photo by Daniel Gonzalez on Unsplash

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