all writers are readers first!

in ,

Sometimes in the author community we talk about “the readers” as if they’re a separate group, but to tell the truth, we’re all readers first, aren’t we? I talked about this in a Writer Unboxed post not too long ago:

We started writing because we loved reading. We’re over the moon that we have become the people we once looked up to, creating stories that fill readers with emotion. We may not read at a blistering pace given life’s other demands and temptations, but if you give us the freedom and space to choose an activity, reading is going to be high on the list.

When you pour your creative energy into writing books of your own, it does change your relationship with other people’s books, but that doesn’t have to be a negative thing.

Read more about my relationship with reading here.

SCORPICA is an absolute steal!

in

Hey! Hey hey! Been wanting to wander into the Five Queendoms? You have an excellent opportunity for a limited time (how limited? I honestly have no idea!) to nab the e-book on any platform for the low, low (seriously low) price of $1.99.

Buy it wherever you love e-reading! Here are a few handy-dandy link options to use:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Apple Books

Kobo

writers: where and how do you write?

in ,

I’ve got some stories to tell about unusual and/or unexpected places I’ve written. Inside my car in the parking garage at Trader Joe’s is a favorite — the secret is to move your seat back if you're staying in the driver’s seat.

In a recent post at Writer Unboxed, I talk more about my “write anywhere, write everywhere” philosophy, and invite fellow writers to talk about what works for them.

Read it here.

my recommendations for new and upcoming historical fiction!

in ,

You know I love libraries, and you know I love historical fiction, so imagine how happy I was to be invited to recommend new and upcoming historical fiction for Ashland Public Library. My friend Jane Healey is their usual histfic expert (and does a fabulous job), but I was glad to pinch-hit when she was overseas doing research for an upcoming novel.

Some of the books I recommended include:

  • It Girl by Allison Pataki

  • The Midnight Show by Lee Kelly and Jennifer Thorne

  • Cleopatra by Saara El-Arifi

It’s a truly eclectic list with something for everyone, ranging from ancient Egypt to 1980s New York City, and putting it together reminded me just how much fabulous historical fiction is hitting bookshelves every month. Truly our reading cups runneth over!

Here’s the full conversation on YouTube.

chatting with Kate Quinn about The Astral Library!

in ,

Kate Quinn’s fabulous new book The Astral Library came out this spring, and it was a huge, huge honor to interview her for WGBH about her foray into the world of fantasy. A few lucky attendees got to hear our conversation in person, but for those of you who didn’t, great news! You can see the whole video on the GBH site here.

(If you’ve read the book, you know why it holds a special place in my heart, right? And if you haven’t… you’ll find out in the interview.)

Watch us talk about genre pivots, loving libraries, and much, much more here: Beyond the Page.

catching up with Writer Unboxed!

in ,

Hi there! You might have noticed that when I don’t have a recent book release to promote, the frequency of my blog posts goes way down. I’m working on that! But until I get that new leaf turned all the way over, Instagram is the best place to find updates.

Plus, if you’re a writer, you can find me at Writer Unboxed on the first Monday of every month. While I don’t believe there are any absolute rules in writing, I do have lots of thoughts and suggestions to share from my many years pursuing the writing life, and Writer Unboxed is a great place to share them. Here are a few of my most recent posts:

Want to see everything I’ve written for WU? It’s all collected here.

Enjoy!

writing the female-default world!

in

Hi there! Have you read SESTIA yet? If you loved Scorpica and Arca, now’s the time to enjoy the conclusion to the Five Queendoms trilogy!

I wrote this linked post a bit ago, but if you’re interested in the complexities of writing a fantasy world not based on a patriarchal, male-default world, this is my favorite explanation.

“You can learn a lot about a society from their insults and profanity — what do they value, what do they scorn?”
— G.R. Macallister

All about moms for Mother's Day!

in

One of the things I loved best about writing a huge cast of female characters in the Five Queendoms series was the opportunity to show that there are a near-infinite variety of ways to be a mother. Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms and children of moms out there.

And for more mom-related content, check out this list I put together of Five SFF Books Featuring Memorable Mothers for Culturefly.

Or click here!

a rave for SESTIA from Publishers Weekly!

in

It’s the fifth day of the fifth month, so what better day to talk Five Queendoms?

Thrilled to see that Publishers Weekly loved Sestia, saying “Balancing character development and worldbuilding can be a difficult task, but Macallister handles it with ease” (what a compliment!) They also call the book “a multifaceted epic” and “a worthy finale.” Yay!

You can read the full review here.