James D. McCallister

author of the Edgewater County series

DIXIANA Downslope

DIXIANA . . . a novel of Edgewater County, of word counts and pages, scenes and characters, voices and plotlines. Since May 1, when I began writing the first draft, this enormous piece of fiction has been the top project for me, the exclusive project, in fact. And coming up on the second full week of […]

MoHG Rising

The news dropped today that my long-in-gestation literary novel MANSION OF HIGH GHOSTS, now out on submission, has made it through the initial reading at Pat Conroy’s new fiction imprint Story River Press, though not selected for the first round of releases coming in 2014. When is a rejection not a rejection? When you’ve made the […]

DIXIANA Update

It’s getting into that holiday-week feeling vibe, and with the end of month number two of the composition of DIXIANA upon us, time for an update regarding what we may also think of as Novel 2013. Click through to find out more about what this project’s all about, my approach to the writing, and my ambitions for […]

The DOGS of Rejection

UPDATE: I downgraded and toned down what had been a bit of a bitter rant toward the end. Eh. Blowing off steam. It’s all good, just a sensitive writer responding to the stresses of the path. Revised post follows. — A while back I made a commitment to keep readers informed about career events, both […]

Another Fine FELLOW TRAVELER Review

The gratifying journey of Fellow Traveler continues this morning with another positive review, this one from jambands.com, courtesy journalist Brian Robbins. Here’s an excerpt: Some books are murder mysteries; Fellow Traveler is a life mystery. Newly-divorced-and-somewhat-adrift Ashton Tobias “Z” Zemp is trying to make some sense of the life (and recent death) of his best friend – and […]

DIXIANA Darlings

Now in the midst of Writing Retreat 2013 Redux, thanks to my benefactor we again find the Southern novelist secluded, sequestered, and in the midst of writing his most ambitious piece yet, DIXIANA. Here’s a report from the secure, undisclosed location designated as Hilltop North.

Midlands Technical College Courses Returning in the Fall!

Pleased today to announce that I’ll be returning to teaching his September in the MTC Continuing Ed program, this time with two classes.

Halfway to DIXIANA

Novel #8, now underway for a month… and it’s exciting to report that June finds me sitting on a partial MS of just over 85,000 words, which is starting to feel somewhat like, well, halfway. Maybe.

SC Book Festival Wrap-up

Another year, another Book Fest done. Chatted with many fellow writers including the esteemed Pat Conroy, mingled with more than a few interested supporters of the festival and curious readers, and even managed to buy a couple of books myself. Always a good time. \

SC Book Festival 2013 is this weekend!

One of my favorite weekends of the year, it’s that time again for the SC Book Festival, an event that’s always been so good for my writing career. 2013 marks my fourth appearance as either a featured author, panelist or moderator. At this year’s edition you’ll be able to find me schmoozing tonight at the […]