clairemcmillanauthor

Reviews for Alchemy of a Blackbird are coming in.

“Each chapter in this entrancing, vivid, and lushly illuminating novel begins with a tarot card that introduces the next narrator in a scintillating cast of actual and imagined characters offering distinct perspectives on Remedios and her profoundly inspired artistic and spiritual quest.”—Donna Seaman, Booklist

“McMillan chronicles the artistic evolution of surrealist painter Remedios Varo in her enchanting and intricately crafted latest…This superb exploration of survival and transformation will have special appeal to those interested in art, mysticism, and women’s lives.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Full of stunning detail about historical tarot practices, the Surrealist movement’s treatment of women creatives, and the thriving artistic and intellectual community in postwar Mexico, McMillan’s novel tells of two real-life artists seeking to create despite being stifled by societal norms surrounding gender and class. McMillan’s inclusion of tarot-card illustrations and her pairing of characters with certain cards gives the characters further development.”—Library Journal, starred review

You can order at all the usual spots or through this portal

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Alchemy-of-a-Blackbird/Claire-McMillan/9781668006559

And if you’d like to read the full review check them out here

Publisher’s Weekly: https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781668006559

Library Journal: https://www.libraryjournal.com/review/alchemy-of-a-blackbird-1796877

Reach out if you’d like a review copy. Looking forward to July11!

I can’t listen to music while I write, but I find myself listening to songs over and over again in the car, in the kitchen and will suddenly realize they’re about what I’m working on. Nothing is ever directly one-for-one representational, but songs can relate to a scene or a character or even an emotion. In that spirit, I created a playlist of some of the songs I listened to on repeat while writing the Necklace and thought I’d share. Let me know if you listen to it and what you think.

Coming July 4. If you’d like more info, click here The Necklace

So thrilled that Touchstone/Simon&Schuster will be publishing my second novel, The Necklace, out next summer 2017. Could not be happier to be working with them again.

Reading at the Mount was beyond all dreams! I’m so honored to have been invited to speak and read from Gilded Age in Edith Wharton’s home.

The house is elegant and the grounds lush and groomed, but I think I was most overwhelmed by my private tour of her library.

Most interesting to me was her personal copy of the House of Mirth. She disliked the illustrations Scribner’s included and razored them out of her copy along with crossing out the name of the illustrator on the title page.

The staff was incredibly kind and gracious to me, answering all my many questions and showing me treasures including a letter Edith wrote to Teddy Wharton’s psychiatrist, around the time she was writing House of Mirth, inquiring about methods of suicide for a character. I was thrilled to read it, as it confirmed to me that Lily Bart committed suicide, not an accidental overdose. However, even after the letter was published in the New York Times, some still disagree with the suicide theory.

A truly spectacular day and a memory I will cherish always.

The paperback edition of Gilded Age has arrived, and she is a beauty.  Check it out! Still available from all the usual suspects.

I’ve been out on the road these past weeks meeting with book clubs and with readers at bookstores. It’s been wonderful and surreal. If your book club is interested in having me drop by, send me an email. If I can swing it, I’d love to meet you. I’ve been asked what my book club fee is – how about a glass of wine? Sounds about right.

All best,

Claire

Gilded Age is available at the following:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Indie Bound

Amazon Kindle

Barnes & Noble Nook

Apple iBookstore