JP McLean

Writing Addictive Fiction

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A Look Back

June 25, 2021 By JPMcLean 16 Comments

JP McLean signing books Finding this old photo of me signing my first novel reminded me how far my writing career has come.

This photo was taken at Abraxas Books on Denman Island in October 2012. I was signing copies of Secret Sky with its original cover and title. Abraxas has sold more Gift Legacy trade paperbacks than any other indie bookstore! (Thanks, Abraxas!)

Since then, there have been a few big milestones . . .

1. I’ve completed SEVEN books in the Gift Legacy, an urban fantasy series about Emelynn Taylor and a secret society of Fliers who live among us and have the gift of flight.

2. The books have received over 225 reviews like this recent one from Midwest Book Review:

“A deftly crafted, impressively original and inherently compelling read from first page to last, Secret Sky launches a new The Gift Legacy series by J. P. McLean. A fully entertaining, plot twisting novel that will leave its readers looking eagerly toward the next thrilling installment, Secret Sky is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library action/adventure, romance, and metaphysical fiction collections.”

Continue Reading

Out of Sync

December 4, 2013 By JPMcLean Leave a Comment

Out of sync

Recently, I paid a visit to the dental hygienist, a lovely woman named Tracy. I’ve been her patient for more years than I care to remember. We chat during those short spurts of time between her scraping my teeth and her sighing with exasperation as she goes in search of more menacing tools.

During one of these short respites, I tell her, “The third book of my series is coming out this week.” I then take the opportunity to lick my lips and soften the stinging cracks that tend to develop when fingers and tools are crammed into my mouth.

That was fast

“Already,” she said. “That was fast.” And then she dove back in with both hands to the musical accompaniment of a Dremel, leaving me to my thoughts.

Already? I wondered. Fast? Those words didn’t fit. It feels like a lifetime ago that I typed The End. I remember how good it felt to finish writing that first draft of the third book. In fact, I wrote a blog post about it, though the memory is fuzzy…possibly because a delicious bottle of Amarone was involved.

And now that I’m into a new writing project, “The End” seems even further back there, so “already” and “fast” are a little disorienting. I’m reminded of the first time you see the spring fashions in the shop windows on store mannequins. You shake your head and shiver thinking of the frost you just stamped off your boots.

I feel like one of those mannequins. I’m out of sync.

If only I could have said “already,” and “that was fast,” when she finally holstered her scary hygienist’s tools. Are you out of sync? Tell me all about it while I go grab some lip balm.

You can order The Gift: Awakening* with one simple click here. Your adventure awaits…buckle up.

 

*Awakening is now titled Secret Sky

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

The Wait is Over

November 26, 2013 By JPMcLean Leave a Comment

And just in the “St. Nick” of time!

Redemption Book CoverThe wait is over. The Gift: Redemption*, the third book in The Gift Legacy, is now available. You can find it on-line at your favourite retailer and order it from over 25,000 booksellers.

Thank you for all your encouragement and support over the past few years. Writing the series has been an unexpected and thrilling adventure for me. I hope you enjoy reading the books as much as I enjoyed writing them.

It’s now time for you to return your trays to the upright and locked position, fasten your seat belt, and enjoy the flight!

Available right now:

Get it from your favourite retailer right here.

This edition published by FriesenPress, 8½” x 5½”, 328 Pages, Black and White

The wait is over. The Gift: Redemption is the stunning conclusion* of J.P. McLean’s whirlwind series set on the coast of British Columbia. Having barely survived a brutal attack by a murderous psychopath who coveted her gift, Emelynn Taylor seeks peace with her unruly powers and a new beginning. Instead, she collides with intrigue and becomes the target of faceless terrorism.

When the escalating violence spreads to the inner circle of her covert community, powerful figures within it surrender to paranoia, and Emelynn uncovers a tyrannous conspiracy that threatens to expose the gift and all those who share it.

With no way out, Emelynn must face her worst fears and gather all her strength to protect those she loves . . . and she must do it alone.

*Update

Redemption is now Burning Lies and is the third of seven books in The Gift Legacy series. You can read about the series’ evolution here.

Redemption Book Cover Revealed

November 7, 2013 By JPMcLean 6 Comments

Redemption Book CoverHere it is: Redemption Book Cover Revealed!

This is the book cover for Redemption*. You might have noticed the beach theme to the series’ covers. That’s because the beach is never far from the action in these books. This particular beach is near Bodega Bay in California. It’s where pivotal scenes in this third book take place.

It starts with a photo

Like the previous covers, this one originated with a photograph. I took this photo in early 2013 during a research trip to bodega Bay. (There’s no better way to fine-tune descriptive detail.) Viona Halim painted the photo and the designers at FriesenPress added the titles. Viona has, once again, created a cover that reflects the ominous mood of the book.

Redemption concludes** Emelynn Taylor’s extraordinary journey through a frightening new world, where brutal treachery and ambitious power collide with exhilarating freedom and infinite possibility.

November Release

FriesenPress will release Redemption in early November. The book is 5.5” x 8.5”, 328 pages, and will be available for order in e-book, trade paperback and hardcover formats from all the usual bookshops and on-line retailers.

Meantime, you can download an excerpt here. As always, your feedback is most welcome.

Update on Redemption Book Cover Revealed

*The cover for Redemption has undergone two updates. Once when it was republished with WindStorm Press in January of 2016 and again when it was re-titled Burning Lies in November of 2019.

**And silly me. I mistakenly thought Emelynn’s journey was done. It wasn’t. It’s now a 7-book series. You can read all about The Gift Legacy here.

 

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Blood Mark
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Cover for Secret Sky featuring sidelong image of the head and torso of a woman with long hair on a beach
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Cover for Deadly Deception
Cover for Wings of Prey
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