I’d like to welcome J. P. McLean back to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Favorite thing that you always make time for:

Responding to reader’s comments. I love hearing their feedback on the books and answering their questions.

The thing you’ll always do just about anything to avoid:

Cold calling anyone to promote my books. This is exactly why I hired a publicist! (Shout out to Mickey Mikkelson of Creative Edge publicity!!) It was the best career move I’ve ever made.

Things you need when you’re in your writing cave:

Though there are times when I can tune out the outside world, I prefer a quiet setting. Coffee is a given, but I’ll take tea in the afternoons.

Things that distract you from writing:

There’s nothing worse than a phone ringing, construction noise, or a car alarm. I’ve been known to unplug the landline and turn off the volume on my cellphone when I’m writing. There’s not much to be done about the other two distractions—construction noise and car alarms—but I don’t often have to deal with them. Thankfully!

The thing you like most about being a writer:

The flexibility to write anywhere, anytime. I can take my laptop on the ferry or into any waiting room and get words down.

The thing you like least about being a writer:

Having to stop when I’m on a roll. But life happens and I can’t go all day without prepping a meal.

Things you will run to the store for in the middle of the night:

Potato chips. Unfortunately, there are no stores here (Denman Island) that are open in the middle of the night. But perhaps that’s a good thing!

Things you never put on your shopping list:

Bottled water, jam, zucchini, and salmon. We have delicious well water, a sister who makes us yummy jams, porch pirates who leave zucchini in the middle of the night, and my husband loves to fish, so we usually have enough salmon to enjoy.

The coolest thing you’ve bought online:

Lee Valley tomato wapper. Actually, it’s called a European Tomato Press, but I call it a wapper because that describes the sound it makes when you crank the handle. It’s made short work of my roasted tomato and garlic sauce.

https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/kitchen/kitchen-tools/presses-and-mashers/food-processors/44040-european-tomato-press?item=EV101

The thing you wished you’d never bought.

Linen shirts. I love linen and couldn’t resist the online photos, but I should have known better. The shirts didn’t fit, and the quality was terrible. But all is not lost. I’m going to make napkins out of them.

The thing that you will most remember about your writing life:

The passion I have for creating stories. It was a surprise to me to discover how much I love writing. I never tire of tucking into my writing nook and letting my imagination loose.

Something in your writing life that you wish you could do over:

I wish I’d started writing years earlier. I may not have written the same stories, but I’m sure I would have found the passion and written even more books.

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid:

A princess. Man, was I fooled. I think it was the pointy hat with the veils that I saw in animated films when I was a kid. https://historicalhoney.com/truth-princess-hat/

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do:

Scuba diving, which I don’t do as much as I’d like. It was my husband’s idea to get certified, and I love the sport, especially in warm Caribbean waters. Not so much where I live in the Pacific Northwest, but only because I’m a wimp in cold water.

Your best recipe:

Roasted tomato and garlic sauce, which is super simple. Core and quarter enough fresh tomatoes to fill a turkey roaster. Add a head of garlic cloves, salt and pepper to taste, and drizzle olive oil over top. Roast at 350 and stir every hour or so until reduced by 2/3. The skins will blacken, which adds tons of concentrated flavour to mix. When cooled, pass it through a press. Add basil for a tasty pasta sauce, or add milk/cream for a wonderful tomato soup.

Something that didn’t turn out like you planned when you made it:

Oh, so many! Where to start?

Things you always put in your books:

Humour. Even my darker-themed books need a little levity.

Things you never put in your books:

I can’t say “never” but I’d avoid at all costs putting a pet in a situation where they were abused.

People you’d like to invite to dinner (living):

Rick Mercer (http://www.rickmercer.com/). He’s a Canadian comedian, author, and political satirist. He performs clever rants with razor sharp wit and his comedy makes me laugh out loud.

People you’d cancel dinner on:

Almost any politician.

The funniest thing that happened to you in an airport:

I was on a layover in Calgary and decided I had time enough to grab a meal, but forgot about the time difference. Panic set in when I heard my name called over the loudspeaker in one of those last call for boarding messages. I dropped cash on the table and raced to the gate. Happily, I caught my flight, but it took ages to catch my breath and settle my heart.

The most embarrassing thing that happened to you in an airport:

My husband and I were going to the Cayman Islands when my luggage didn’t pass muster on the x-ray belt. An agent called me aside and searched my bag. She asked me a few times if I’d packed the bag myself, which I had. She put it through the x-ray machine twice before dumping everything out of it. I couldn’t understand what she was looking for, and she wouldn’t tell me, but she finally found a small penknife in an outside pocket that had been travelling around unbeknownst to me for years. It was mortifying, especially as I had to repack everything in front of an audience.

The best job you ever had:

I’m probably being repetitive with this answer, but the best job I’ve ever had is this writing gig. I still get excited by the prospect of a few hours to myself to get words down, and hope I never grow tired of it.

The worst job you ever had:

Staffing in a hospital. And that was long before the current staff shortages. That staffing job would be a nightmare right now.

The one thing you cook/bake that is better than a restaurant dish:

Spaghetti and meatballs. It’s my mom’s meatball recipe and everyone I serve it to loves it. (Either that or they’re afraid to tell me they don’t care for it!)

The one thing you cooked/baked that turned out to be an epic disaster:

Deep-dish pizza. It turned into a pizza casserole. Had to eat it from a bowl. Memorable in all the wrong ways.

About JP

Short bio: JP (Jo-Anne) McLean is a bestselling author of urban fantasy and supernatural thrillers. She is a Global Book Award winner, a CIBA and Page Turner Award finalist, and has received honours from the Eric Hoffer Book Awards, the Wishing Shelf Book Awards, the NIEA Awards, and the Whistler independent Book Awards. She lives on Canada’s West Coast.

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