catch the replay of Murder at the Library!

I had an utterly fabulous time being interviewed by LibraryReads director Rebecca Vnuk for the Murder at the Library series — and it ended up being the biggest book event I’ve ever done, online or off. Amazing!

If you weren’t there to catch it live, good news! You can watch the replay here.

It’s a wide-ranging conversation that covers everything from my fourth-grade college prep program to what five genres I’m currently reading to why everybody cares so much about cannibalism. I had a hoot and I think you’ll be able to tell when you watch. Plus there are a couple of super-quick rounds of “Fast and Furious” Arctic trivia.

Enjoy!

THE ARCTIC FURY an Editor's Choice at the Historical Novel Society!

What a fabulous way to celebrate THE ARCTIC FURY being out in the world for exactly two months! (Seems like just yesterday and a lifetime ago, as usual.) I just found out from my publicist that THE ARCTIC FURY was named an Editor’s Choice for February by the Historical Novel Society — a fabulous organization that not only does a great job covering and reviewing the latest releases in historical fiction, but also throws a heck of a party every two years for North American historical fiction writers to gather and learn from each other. This year’s conference will be virtual, which means no gathering at the hotel bar, but opens things up for more people to participate without needing to travel, which is fabulous.

But! This post is not about the conference! It’s about the amazing review of THE ARCTIC FURY that I want to share. You can read the whole thing here. And here’s the snippet that resonated deeply with me, made me grateful, and immediately got added to my Praise page.

Macallister is a master of historical fiction with female characters, and The Arctic Fury is perhaps her finest work to date. Mixing courtroom drama with a thrilling Arctic exploration, she fleshes out thirteen distinct, three-dimensional expeditioners. This book passes the Bechdel Test with flying colors, proving that a group of women need not be reduced to cattiness over men and clothes. But neither are the women flawless Mary Sues. Reeve, especially, misjudges people and struggles with self-doubt. These are women as women have always been, regardless of their time period: complex, nuanced, ambitious human beings.

That link again for the whole beautiful review in its entirety? Here.

join us for Literature Lovers' Night Out this Wednesday!

I’ve been lucky enough to do all sorts of events on this virtual tour for THE ARCTIC FURY, ranging from book club discussions to solo presentations, from being interviewed to being the one doing the interviewing. One of my favorite virtual event types is the historical fiction panel with multiple authors— so not only do I get to connect with readers, but I get to hear my fellow authors talk about their exciting new books!

And the panel I’ve got coming up is particularly special to me — it’s part of the Literature Lovers’ Night Out series, coordinated by the amazing Pamela Klinger-Horn from Excelsior Bay Books in Minnesota. When I toured with Girl in Disguise, I got to visit in person; this year, it’s virtual, but the spirit and enthusiasm is exactly the same as ever.

More detail on the panel and how to register here; the books we’re talking about include stories of wartime sacrifice and conspiracy to commit murder, full of letters and poison and sisters and secrets and… well, you’ll just have to join us and find out.

Sign up!

new review from the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette!

Love this! Since Melanie Benjamin’s new book The Children’s Blizzard and my own The Arctic Fury are both historical fiction set in very cold conditions, we recently did a joint event to talk about both books, and it looks like we’re not the only ones making a connection! Both books were recently jointly reviewed in the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette.

Their overall verdict: “Two great historical fiction titles that offer thrilling cold-weather tales combined with life-and-death stakes.”

Yes! And here’s my favorite bit about The Arctic Fury:

“Macallister skillfully traces how friendships and rivalries develop against the backdrop of extreme weather conditions and the women’s grueling quest to survive…. The Arctic Fury is an absorbing page-turner.”

Read the whole review here.

Escapist historical fiction for Bridgerton lovers, including THE ARCTIC FURY!

Well, this was a nice treat! The Globe & Mail (hi, Northern neighbors!) did a lovely roundup of “new escapist historical fiction” that viewers of Netflix’s “Bridgerton” series might enjoy — and yes, they included The Arctic Fury!

You can read the whole review here if you’re a subscriber, and my publisher was nice enough to render the most delightful bit about The Arctic Fury in graphic form! Love it.

book club event guide for THE ARCTIC FURY!

If you got my last newsletter, you already know about this, but I just realized I hadn’t posted the link to the blog! Rectifying that with a quickness.

Sourcebooks put together this super-fantastic book club event guide for THE ARCTIC FURY and it is chock-full of goodness. Do you need an excerpt of the book so your book group can decide whether it’s for you? It’s in there. Does your book club like recipes for era-appropriate dishes you can eat and drink while discussing the book? Got you covered! Want to know more about the research and real-life women behind the fictional story the book tells? Yep, that too.

But enough about the thing: if you want the thing, here’s the thing.

yep, more virtual events!

Are there other things in life going on these days besides me having virtual events for THE ARCTIC FURY? Yes! But some days, does it feel like the events are non-stop? Also yes!

Would love for you to join me for one or all of the following, coming up soon. All require advance registration, so make sure you get that taken care of. (If you’re not the type to plan that far in advance, there are definitely events on the calendar you can just drop in on — check out the full list here.)

But specifically next week:

Tuesday, January 26 at 7pm — in virtual conversation with Marie Benedict (THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE) for Reads & Company, Phoenixville, PA. Details and registration here.

Wednesday, January 27 at 7pm — Murder at the Library live virtual author event featuring THE ARCTIC FURY. (Tidbits, trivia and more!) Register for the webinar here.

Thursday, January 28 at 7pm — in virtual conversation with Erica Wright (FAMOUS IN CEDARVILLE) for Union Ave Books, Knoxville, TN. (RSVP in advance by e-mail as requested here.)

And if you missed my chat with J’Nell Ciesielski for A Likely Story, you can catch that replay here. (Tartan! Research! Mutual admiration!)

catch the Virtual Happy Hour replay!

It’s a beautiful, sunny Saturday morning and I’m still smiling from the fun of Virtual Happy Hour with Garden District Book Shop last night!

If you missed the fun, you can catch the hour-long replay on either Facebook or YouTube! Both links here.

Discussion topics include:

• how I ended up writing historical fiction in the first place

• pandemic hair experiments

• the weather (why not?)

• just how bad I am at stage magic

• the TV adaptation of Woman 99

• much, much more

Check it out!

so many virtual events for THE ARCTIC FURY!

The headline says it all! I’ve got boatloads of virtual events set up for THE ARCTIC FURY, including tonight. Check out the details on my Events page — most events require registration in advance, on Zoom or Crowdcast or Skype or what-have-you, so make sure you get signed up if you want to tune in.

A few cool highlights:

• tonight! I’m chilling out with the booksellers of Garden District Book Shop in New Orleans for a very bookish, very casual Virtual Happy Hour

• later in January, I’m talking with Marie Benedict and J’nell Ciesielski about their new books

• in February, I get to return to the fabulous Literature Lovers Night Out event run by Excelsior Bay Books, to participate in my first Adventures by the Book event (Super Book II!) and interview Erika Robuck about her fabulous Virginia Hall novel, THE INVISIBLE WOMAN

And there’s more! So much more. Check it all out here.

win the audiobook of THE ARCTIC FURY!

Exciting news for fellow audiobook fans! Sourcebooks and Recorded Books have partnered to give away 10 copies of the audiobook of THE ARCTIC FURY, beautifully narrated by Eva Kaminsky.

(When I was a freshly minted author, with The Magician’s Lie, I couldn’t handle listening to my audiobook. I was too worried I’d be editing it in my head as I went along, focusing on all the mistakes I’d made in my writing. It took me TWO YEARS to get up the courage to listen to it. Spoiler alert: it was fantastic, and I hardly second-guessed myself at all.)

(Now that I’ve got a few more years and a few more books under my belt, how long did it take me to start listening to the audiobook of The Arctic Fury? A couple days at most. And it, too, rocked.)

Enter on Rafflecopter here.