catching up with Writer Unboxed!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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.

tips for biographical historical fiction writers at SheWrites!

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Hi there! I recently realized that a few of my recent posts, articles and lists from around the web slipped through the blogging cracks. Totally an error on my part. The great news is there’s no bad time to, for example, learn about three big mistakes to avoid if you’re writing biographical historical fiction.

So here’s a piece I put together for SheWrites on what NOT to do in that genre! Like:

Don’t let your subject have the final say. My latest subject, Aimee Crocker, was widely quoted in newspapers during her life and even wrote her own memoir, which she titled — in classic Aimee fashion — And I’d Do It Again. But her memoir says very little about some of the things that interested me most, like the very public custody battle with her first husband that resulted in both of them losing custody of their daughter, who was then adopted by Aimee’s mother (yes, really).

Read the whole thing here.

a rave review for THE THIRTEENTH HUSBAND from New York Journal of Books!

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Ah, I love a review, good or bad, but it is definitely possible that I might love good reviews more. I’m only human!

So I definitely enjoyed this lovely review from the New York Journal of Books.

Lots of plot detail, so beware of spoilers (from Aimee’s real life as well as the book), but here’s the upshot if you don’t want to click through:

“An outstanding depiction of Aimee Crocker's complicated real life turned into fiction.”

Full review here. Thanks, NYJB!

another great event for Boston-area fans!

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One of the best things about having a new book out in the world is celebrating with author friends, and Kerri Maher and I have a great party coming up! We’ll be at Newtonville Books in Newton, MA, celebrating The Thirteenth Husband and All You Have To Do Is Call (now both available in paperback!) with cake, nibbles, mocktails and more.

Details on my events page or at the bookstore’s website right here.