An Alternative Author Interview:

TCL’s Countdown Questions.

This week I’m featuring author
Greer Macallister!

Greer Macallister is another author whose career I’ve been following since I became a fan of her writing with her debut novel, “The Magician’s Lie.” Her second novel, “Girl in Disguise” ended up getting onto my “best of 2017” list, and her most recent book, “Woman 99” will probably get on my 2019 list as well. Obviously, her not participating in this would have been  huge oversight. Although she’s in the middle of writing her next novel (yum, yum… I can hardly wait), she generously agreed to answer my little questions, so let’s see how she answered…

• If you could visit five (5) places you’ve never been, where would you go and why?

I’ve always wanted to visit Australia, for starters, and why not also hit New Zealand while I’m over in that part of the world? Closer to home (but not that close), I’ve never been to Vancouver. I’ve spent a decent amount of time in France but not Italy, so I’d wrap up my world tour with some time in Florence and Rome.

• Name four (4) foods or dishes that you enjoy so much that they’ve practically become part of your personality.

I’m well-known in certain writer circles for squirreling away dried persimmons from Trader Joe’s. They only sell them certain times of year so I have to stock up to get me through. Equally important to my personality in an everyday way (in that I eat them almost literally every day): romaine hearts and salsa. And then there’s cheese as a category. All cheese, any cheese, every cheese, all the time.

• There is the past, the present, and the future – if you could choose, which of these three (3) would you prefer to live in, and why?

I’m naturally risk-averse, so even if there are plenty of less-than-perfect things about the present, I’m going to stick with it. The others could be so much worse!

• Best and worst – you choose which – name two (2) of either your best moments of your life, worst moments of your life, or one of each.

When I found out guest judge Whoopi Goldberg had chosen The Magician’s Lie as a Book of the Month selection I absolutely Could. Not. Process. It. It took a while to sink in. It may still be sinking in and it’s been four years or so.

And does anything ever compare to holding the first finished copy of your first book in your hands? I don’t remember the exact moment but I remember the feeling. It’s incredible.

• Name one (1) book you’ve read in the past year (or so) that you wish you had written, and why.

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid totally blew me away. It’s so compelling and creative, and it also has the total package: perfect title, perfect cover. We all should be so lucky. Plus, I listened to it on audio, and the talent involved in that cast and performance was perfect too. Like I said, blew me away.

Thanks Greer! By the way, I just started reading “Daisy Jones and the Six” and already I can see why you picked this!

Raised in the Midwest, Greer Macallister is a novelist, poet, short story writer, and playwright who earned her MFA in creative writing from American University. Her debut novel THE MAGICIAN’S LIE was a USA Today bestseller, an Indie Next pick, and a Target Book Club selection. It has been optioned for film by Jessica Chastain’s Freckle Films. Her novel GIRL IN DISGUISE, also an Indie Next pick, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, which called it “a well-told, superb story.” Her third novel, WOMAN 99 was released by Sourcebooks in March 2019. A regular contributor to Writer Unboxed and the Chicago Review of Books, she lives with her family in Washington, DC.