To Much-Maligned 2020:

Well, you certainly made and left your mark, didn’t you? You were a year that threw us off balance and pushed our limits. You caused us to question, to reassess, to pivot, and propelled us to make difficult decisions. You tested our patience, humanity, empathy, resolve, and relationships, and true to your contradictory nature you simultaneously brought us together and pulled us apart.

You claimed way too many of us. 

But amidst the loss, uncertainty, and instability, you demonstrated over and over again that the human spirit is one of hope and resilience; that faith in what we are capable of and what we can achieve is not easily extinguished. 

So good-bye to you, 2020. So long. A new year and all the good that it potentially holds is in the wings. Peace out!

– Danielle

The Write Away! Y.A. Literature Project

Bocas Lit Fest Donates 325 Books to Schools (Trinidad and Tobago Newsday, 30 October, 2020)

I’m so pleased that The Protectors’ Pledge is among the books being used in T&T secondary schools as part of Bocas Lit Fest and Scotiabank Trinidad and Tobago’s The Write Away! young adult literature project (Virtual creative writing workshops accessible through the T&T Ministry of Education’s School Learning Management System). More information about this fantastic initiative facilitated by the amazing Lisa Allen-Agostini can be found here: The Write Away Young Adult Literature Project  

2019: The Year of…

2019 will be a year of courage. For some it will take the form of stepping into the unknown and pursuing an opportunity or dream, while for others it will be to finally say no to a situation that has gone on for too long. May our eyes and minds be open to recognize our own times of strength and the particular brand of courage that others possess.  

It will be a year of learning. There are those who will learn how to be still and really listen, and others whose triumph will lie in discovering their voice and raising it to be heard. For the benefit of ourselves and others, may we carve out time for introspection, reflection, and constructive interaction. 

2019 will also be a year of adjustment: of perhaps welcoming new members into families, groups, and tribes, or adapting to the painful reality of life after the loss of someone dear. May we be blessed to receive support and love when we are in need and be in a position to provide them to others when needed.   

For all of us, I hope that this is a year of growth, clarity of purpose, and discernment. May our moments of joy far exceed any of sadness, and may the sense of optimism and hope that we feel during this first week of January never dip too low during the next twelve months.

Wishing you peace, love, and a happy New Year,

Danielle      

Thanksgiving

Here’s to remembering that there’s at least one person or thing for whom/which we can be thankful –today and every day– and that our smiles, words of kindness and wisdom, as well as our actions can be someone else’s blessing.

Peace and love, 

Danielle

Win an Autographed Copy of The Protectors’ Pledge!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Protectors' Pledge by Danielle Y.C. McClean

The Protectors’ Pledge

by Danielle Y.C. McClean

Giveaway ends June 28, 2017.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

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Cover Reveal

Hello, friends! I have been bursting to share the brand new cover of The Protectors’ Pledge — 3rd place winner of the 2016 Burt Award for Caribbean Literature and due for publication by CaribbeanReads Publishing at the end of May 2017. Many thanks to Ryan James and Cherise Harris for the front cover illustration and back cover elements, respectively. Read the official announcement from CaribbeanReads here and follow the link to pre-order your copy 😉