October's Historical Fiction Happy Hour!

So many virtual happenings coming up! Can’t wait to share them all with you. (I try my best to keep the Events page up to date, so click on over there to check it out.)

One of my favorite events earlier this year was my appearance on the inaugural Historical Fiction Happy Hour, which is organized by excellent historical fiction authors Carrie Callaghan and Linnea Hartsuyker. October’s Historical Fiction Happy Hour is shaping up to be another great one, with Stephanie Dray (Ribbons of Scarlet) and Samantha Rajaram (The Company Daughters) and a secret special guest!

(I can’t tell you who that guest will be, but I can hint that she has a fabulous novel with a chilly title coming out in December, and she’ll be giving away an early copy of said book to one lucky happy hour attendee!)

Register on Crowdcast by clicking here.

giveaway for WOMAN 99 and THE EXILES!

I’m currently reading an advance copy of Christina Baker Kline’s fabulous new novel THE EXILES, which follows a trio of women in 19th-century Australia through hardship, oppression and opportunity. Though set in the 1840s, the issues it covers still resonate today: the gendered nature of power, societal and individual struggles with inequity, prison systems and the theft of native lands. It’s also just a cracking good story.

There are two fun coincidences between our latest work, one of which is driving the giveaway announced below:

Since Christina and I both draw on real-world history, it turns out we have a couple of real-life characters in common! Before he disappeared on the Arctic expedition that inspired my upcoming novel THE ARCTIC FURY, John Franklin was the Governor of Van Diemen’s Land (modern-day Tasmania,) and he and his wife Jane figure heavily in the plot of THE EXILES.

The other coincidence has to do with a pair of exciting recent announcements: both THE EXILES and my novel WOMAN 99 have been optioned for TV production by the same company, Bruna Papandrea’s Made Up Stories! Read about Christina’s deal here and mine here.

So: want to win a copy each of THE EXILES and WOMAN 99 before their adaptations come to a screen near you? Check out the giveaway details and enter by signing up for my newsletter, visiting my Facebook page or Tweeting a message. Deadline is August 15.

virtual launch event for Diana Giovinazzo's THE WOMAN IN RED!

I haven’t done many online events this summer, but I’ve got one next week that I’m really excited about — time to break out the lipstick!

I’ll be interviewing debut author and all-around awesome person Diana Giovinazzo about her new novel THE WOMAN IN RED! The event is hosted by Southern California institution Vroman’s Bookstore, but you can attend from anywhere via Crowdcast. (Time below is local to the bookstore — so 9 p.m. Eastern, 8 Central, 7 Mountain, 6 Pacific.)

Sign up here to attend!

And for a little more about this fabulous historical novel, here’s my blurb:

“Diana Giovinazzo establishes herself as a worthy new voice in historical fiction with this irresistible tale of Anita Garibaldi: firebrand, lover, soldier, mother, revolutionary. Garibaldi isn’t just fierce, she’s ferocious. Her unstoppable energy propels this novel forward through tragedy and triumph, soaring all the way.”

Nina Dobrev and Made Up Stories teaming up for WOMAN 99 series!

I am absolutely over the moon to share some extremely exciting book-to-screen news! Here, let’s let Variety tell it, they’re the professionals:

Nina Dobrev to Star in ‘Woman 99’ Series With Bruna Papandrea Producing

Nina Dobrev and Bruna Papandrea are teaming to adapt the Greer Macallister novel “Woman 99” for television.

Dobrev will star in and executive produce the series, with Papandrea also executive producing under her Made Up Stories banner. Made Up Stories’ Steve Hutensky and Casey Haver will also serve as executive producers with Janice Park serving as producer. Macallister will serve as a consulting producer. Endeavor Content will produce. No writer or network is currently attached.

“Woman 99” follows a young woman whose quest to free her sister from an infamous insane asylum risks her sanity, her safety, and her life. The novel was published by Sourcebooks Landmark in March 2019.

Read the rest of the article here! Lots more goodness and details and quotes to be had.

And if you just can’t get enough, you can also read about it in the Hollywood Reporter, TVLine, The Wrap, and Deadline, among others! I mean, it’s been quite a day.

(And if you want your very own copy of WOMAN 99, you can support indie bookstores by buying it right here from Bookshop, or use this handy link for other sellers! Just saying.)

audio rights to THE ARCTIC FURY sold!

Great news for fellow audiobook fans! You’ll be able to listen to THE ARCTIC FURY in the near future. Details yet to come on timing, etc., but it’s awesome news — I absolutely love audiobooks and have been lucky enough to have all of my previous novels adapted for audio. This makes #4.

(When the time comes, by the way, don’t forget about libro.fm — it’s a way to buy audiobooks through your favorite independent bookstore. If you just can’t wait to hear a talented narrator whisper my words in your ear, you can pick up any of my previous books here.)

THE ARCTIC FURY now available on Edelweiss!

The headline says it all: if you use Edelweiss for your please-can-I-get-an-advance-copy-of-this-book needs, you can now put in your request for THE ARCTIC FURY. Clickety!

deep discount today on WOMAN 99!

Just a quick note to say that if you don’t yet have a copy of WOMAN 99 for your e-reader, today’s the day to grab one! It’s $2.99 today across all e-book platforms (Kobo, Kindle, Nook, Google Play, you name it!)

In addition to the cheerful snippets above, here’s one of my favorite reviews:

“Macallister follows up The Magician’s Lie with a novel of the power of sisterhood, shining a spotlight on the barbaric treatment of the mentally ill in this period as well as society’s view of women who don’t fit the ‘traditional’ mold. Readers will become engrossed in Charlotte’s journey of self-discovery as she fights to free herself and her sister from a rigged system.”– Library Journal (Editor’s Pick)

Ready to buy? Just click here for all the linkage.

Thanks, and happy reading!

(And by the way, if you’d like some WOMAN 99 discussion questions for your book club, you can find them here.)

GIRL IN DISGUISE now available in Czech!

Publishing timelines are wacky creatures, and when I’m lucky enough to have foreign editions of my works produced, the release dates are often very different from the US release dates. Which can be really fun, because then it’s a pleasant surprise when a translated edition pops up! (Even if I can’t read it, which has been the case everywhere but the UK and Canada, ha.) It’s a thrill to share the cover of the Czech edition of GIRL IN DISGUISE, which just came out this week.

THE ARCTIC FURY is on NetGalley!

Taking a deep breath…

it’s here!! Many of you have asked me to let you know when my next book was ready for reading and, well, here we go…

You can now request an electronic ARC of THE ARCTIC FURY on NetGalley.

(Physical ARCs have also landed, I’m told, so bloggers and booksellers can reach out to my publicist at Sourcebooks through the Contact page to request those. And I expect to hear soon whether it’s available on Edelweiss. As soon as I have some ARCs of my own, I also expect to be doing a giveaway or two or three.)

Happy reading! Copies will be hitting bookstores December 1.

support indies, win books!

Independent bookstores really need help during this crisis, and well, lots of us really need books. Most bookstores are closed to the public but still taking online orders and shipping — and a certain online retailer has stated that they’re “deprioritizing” sending books since they’re busy shipping cleaning supplies, food, and other personal needs — so it’s an especially good time to order from those independent bookstores, either your local store or another.

I’m supporting some of my favorite stores (OMG there are so many) by hosting giveaways, and this week, I’m giving away two books on Facebook. You just pick one of my books and one other of your choice, comment on this Facebook post, and on Sunday I’m drawing a winner. Then those books get shipped from A Likely Story in Sykesville, Maryland, and magic happens!

Good luck and happy reading!