Greer Macallister's Blog, page 44
May 6, 2017
how I became a detective
Writing fiction takes you in many directions. For my first novel THE MAGICIAN'S LIE I got to explore the world of stage magic, and how novelists are illusionists who work in words. For GIRL IN DISGUISE, about the first woman in the US to become a detective, I got to explore the similarities being being a detective and being a writer.
Here's an article about that process -- it's also a nice introduction to Kate Warne and how the story I tell about her in GIRL relates to the historical record... what there is of it.
Enjoy!
May 5, 2017
the big five zero zero
Wow! GIRL IN DISGUISE hasn't even been out two months -- more precisely, it's been 45 days -- and already five HUNDRED people have given it a rating on Goodreads. Amazing!
Thank you, readers. I'm so happy to have Kate's name out there and know my book is in good hands.
And I'm still taking questions over there for #mysteryweek -- join the fun!
May 4, 2017
answering questions at Goodreads
It's Mystery and Thriller Week at Goodreads, and both THE MAGICIAN'S LIE and GIRL IN DISGUISE have some claim to that category, so I've opened up the line for questions! All you have to do is type in your question. Easy-peasy.
Looking forward to some fun Q&A!
May 3, 2017
THE MAGICIAN'S LIE movie news!
Ooh, this is just too exciting. Tucked snugly into this Deadline article about the new production and development head at Freckle Films is the name of the screenwriter who's working on the film adaptation of THE MAGICIAN'S LIE! I love this stuff. The movie is a far cry from being in theaters quite yet, but this is an encouraging sign.
Read the update in Deadline here.
(And the adaptation of my friend Camille Pagan's novel LIFE AND OTHER NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCES has a screenwriter AND a director! So awesome!)
May 1, 2017
message in a novel
Wrote a little something this month for Writer Unboxed about the messages our novels send, whether we mean them to or not. I pulled together some illustrative examples from the worlds of comics and TV as well as from my own novel, GIRL IN DISGUISE (about Kate's rumored love life and what choice I had to make about where her heart takes her.)
April 28, 2017
two great deals for your e-reader!
Happy Friday -- celebrate with a double deal! THE MAGICIAN'S LIE is on BookBub today, so you can buy the e-book on any e-reader platform for only $1.99.
And if you're a Kindle person, looks like GIRL IN DISGUISE is down from $10 to $5.99 -- not a bad deal, and I don't know how long it'll last!
Already got both books? If you enjoyed one or the other or both, please spread the word and tell your friends about the discount -- the more the merrier!
April 25, 2017
vote for OverDrive's Big Library Read!
Are you a reader? You're eligible to vote for OverDrive's next Big Library Read! And you can imagine how thrilled I was to see GIRL IN DISGUISE on the short list of nominees.
Voting ends soon -- Thursday, April 27 -- so get those votes in now! You can vote for up to three options, so if you loved several books on the list, let 'em know.
Vote at this link -- and thanks!
April 23, 2017
happy birthday, Shakespeare!
Just a quick note on a Sunday to say this: it happens to be Shakespeare's birthday, and I contributed a little something to this feature on Books That Shook Us about fierce heroines from Shakespeare and what we love about them. I am a Beatrice (Much Ado) fan from way back, so of course I chose her. She's witty and flawed and she loves with a grown-up love... well, read it and you'll see.
April 21, 2017
one whirlwind month of GIRL!
Where did the time go? It's already April 21, which means that GIRL IN DISGUISE has been out in the world for exactly a month. It's been a whirlwind, to be sure, and I can't possibly sum it all up in its entirety here. But I can give you a few highlights, and thank readers profusely -- thank you, thank you, thank you! -- for giving Kate Warne's story such a warm welcome.
A few link-y highlights:
NPR calls GIRL a "spunky spy saga"a fun interview on Radio IowaGIRL headlines a Bookpage feature on Untold Storiesand GIRL is both a Midwest Connections Pick and an Indie Next pick for April!And then this, always this: while in Chicago, I spent some time at Graceland Cemetery, paying my respects to Kate, who is buried in the Pinkerton family plot. The big obelisk here is Allan Pinkerton's, and off to the far right you see three tall tombstones: a generic "employees of Pinkerton's National Detective Agency" stone, one for Timothy Webster (an obvious inspiration for Tim Bellamy in GIRL) and one for Kate.
Her name is misspelled on her stone as Kate Warn. I couldn't help correcting it, if only temporarily.
April 18, 2017
back home again (but also everywhere)
Ahhhh, the comforts of home. (But ohhhh, the laundry.) After another whirlwind week on the road -- flying and driving and talking and signing in five states this time! -- I'm back safe at home and hunkering down again. For at least a little while, my interactions with readers will all be virtual. Which I enjoy almost as much as the in-person ones, so don't be a stranger! You can find me on Instagram, Twitter and Litsy as @theladygreer and on Facebook under Greer Macallister.
And here's one of my favorite book tour photos: beautiful heaps of signed copies of GIRL IN DISGUISE waiting for readers to come and get 'em.
As of this writing, you can buy signed first edition hardcovers of GIRL IN DISGUISE at the following stores. Buy all you want, I'll sign more!
Atlanta (Woodstock) GA: FoxTale Book ShoppeBoston, MA: Porter Square BooksBoston, MA: Trident Bookstore & CafeChicago, IL: Abraham Lincoln Book ShopChicago, IL: Women & Children FirstChicago (Winnetka) IL: The Book StallDecorah, IA: Dragonfly BooksFairhope, AL: Page & PaletteHudson, WI: Chapter2BooksMadison, WI: Mystery to MeMinneapolis, MN: Once Upon a CrimeMinneapolis, MN: Magers & QuinnNew Orleans, LA: Garden District BookshopNYC: Mysterious BookshopNYC: The StrandNYC: Barnes & Noble TribecaNYC: Barnes & Noble 5th AvenueNYC: Barnes & Noble Union SquareSt. Louis (St. Charles) MO: Main Street BooksWashington, DC: Kramerbooks(it occurs to me I have been a LOT of places in the past six weeks and perhaps I could use some sleep now)
