Welcome to my weekly Author Spotlight. I’ve asked a bunch of my author friends to answer a set of interview questions, and to share their latest work.
Today: National bestselling author Meg Macy first dreamed of seeing a book with her name on it in the school library. She’s always found comfort, adventure, and connection in books—which might explain why she now writes stories that offer all three.
Meg writes LGBTQIA+ romance with a touch of spice, intrigue, and plenty of emotional payoff in the LOVE IS LOVE series. M/M romance and M/F polyamory, her stories are comfort reads with a twist. She’s also written cozy mysteries for Kensington, the Shamelessly Adorable Teddy Bear series, and is one half of the D.E. Ireland team for the Agatha-Award nominated historical mysteries featuring Eliza Doolittle & Henry Higgins.
She lives with her writing companion, Mr. Whiskers the cat, and prefers pages to parties.
FB: https://www.facebook.com/MegMacyAuthor
IG: https://www.instagram.com/meg.macy.author/
TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@meg_macy42
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/meg-macy
Thanks so much, Meg, for joining me!
J. Scott Coatsworth: How long does it take you to write the first draft?
Meg Macy: I start with researching a bit for a new book, like characters’ backgrounds, the setting, the time period, etc. before I start the first chapter. For my series, I re-read the first couple of books to remind myself of the story arcs, and consult my notes (ideas that pop up whenever) for plot points or character development. I write a few chapters, up to five, before getting into a story structure outline (even if I can’t finish the last parts) so I’m not lost. All in all, I used to be a much slower historical writer but now, with the contemporary settings, it’s six months. Maybe a bit more. Depends on life events, too.
JSC: What is the most heartfelt thing a reader has said to you?
MM: I think back when I published my first book, and a reader sent me a message (no doubt on Facebook) that one detail of my historical research was absolutely correct. The only reason I included that specific detail, that “commodes” on trains of the 1800s were basically a seat with a hole, was hearing my mom talk about my grandparents never allowing her and siblings to play on or near the railroad tracks (probably 1920s-1930s). Like UGH. Of course, railroad cars finally were updated to include modern facilities, but I felt that detail was important, looking down and seeing railroad ties flashing past. I am a stickler for some measure of accuracy in historicals. Don’t get me started…
JSC: What book is currently on your bedside table?
MM: The Astral Library by Kate Quinn and Father Material by Alexis Hall. I am saving both of them for after publishing book 3 of my series so I can enjoy them in peace. I’d rather not have that deadline hanging over my head while diving in!
JSC: What secondary character would you like to explore more? Tell me about them.
MM: I love Stevie Nicholls, the Black transgender woman in my series. She’s colorful and so loyal to Jack, my gay femboy main character. Stevie has secrets in her life, but she’s a survivor and always has her friends’ backs. And Jack reciprocates in book 2, plus he will rely heavily on Stevie in book 3 as well! She loves planning events and has a huge well of creativity in her drag costumes, in her personality, and private home. I’m thinking there might be some changes in her future, though. Hmm.
JSC: For your character – are you happy with where your writer left you at the end? (don’t give us any spoilers).
MM (Jack’s POV): Nah. Book 1 is my story, and Meg kept puttin’ it off for years. I kept whisperin’ in her ear, though, until she finally snapped out of her “I can’t write that, I’m not gay, just an ally) thinking. Like, why the f*** not? But she did me proud until she was gonna be happy with “one book and done.” Me and my man Reese were like, NUH UH. No, you ain’t done! LOVE ME DO is where all the real meat happens. So she buckled down and wrote it. Ha! Halfway through, Meg got the memo that book 3 and 4 were gonna have to be written, too. She’s stuck with us for the rest of the year!
JSC: What is a subject matter that is incredibly difficult for you write about?
MM (shaking head after Jack left): Oh, boy. The truth comes out — conflict is hard for me to write. I avoid it most of the time, since I finally realized I’ve always been neurodivergent in wanting peace, quiet, to be left alone to read. I hate crowds and loud noise, my anxiety goes through the roof. My childhood was fairly normal, but of course being in a large family, I retreated. I still do. So when my characters meet conflict, I do housework. Find errands to do. Organize, because tackling that kind of trauma or whatever is tough — I have to “screw myself up to do it” a la Frodo. Works for me.
JSC: Were you a voracious reader as a child?
MM: From the time I started Dick, Jane, and Spot, I was hooked. I quickly progressed to the Boxcar Children, Bobbsey Twins, Happy Hollisters, and Rosemary duJardin and Trixie Belden, then Agatha Christie, J.R.R. Tolkien, Andre Norton, Ursula LeGuin, via a cousin who had tons of those to borrow or get from the library. High school reads were Taylor Caldwell, Daphne duMaurier, Mary Stewart, John Rice Burroughs, Chinua Achebe, Tolkien’s The Silmarillion, D.H. Lawrence, Dorothy Sayers, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and so many others I can’t even recall the author names. I even did a presentation on Tolkien for my senior Advanced English class. I always had “a book in front of my face,” according to my dad. I still read every day as much as possible.
JSC: What pets are currently on your keyboard, and what are their names? Pictures?
MM: Mr. Whiskers competes with my laptop. He’s never jumped on my keyboard, but is always near at my feet or on the area rug until I set my Mac aside. Before breakfast or after lunch is “his time” while I read before getting back to work, and in the evenings if I’m watching Netflix or a PWHL game. I “inherited” the Mister from my dad after he passed. He eventually won over my husband, too. Photo is attached!
JSC: What fantasy realm would you choose to live in and why?
MM: Middle Earth, of course! I would visit Hobbiton, like Gandalf, but I prefer the Elven realms. Rivendell, for certain, since I have a fear of heights and I might fall off the Golden Wood tree platforms! LOL. I would love to hear the waterfall at Rivendell and read or write whenever I want, listen to the stories and music, probably help in the kitchens for baking. I’ve always wanted long blond hair, too. 😉
JSC: What are you working on now, and what’s coming out next? Tell us about it!
MM: Book 3 of the Love Is Love series, P.S. I LOVE YOU, begins with Jack returning to acting again while Reese pines for him. Jules must rely on Chris to keep the breakfast café running smoothly and pay off their debts. I researched plenty of behind the scenes details from the Heated Rivalry series for the “indie film” that Jack is involved with, Three Times the Charm, with his ex-lover, Kyle Kingston. And of course, more secrets are revealed and more intrigue is on hand, so I’m hoping readers and fans will enjoy the continuing story of how Jack and Reese cope being apart, while Jules has her own personal issues to deal with in Ann Arbor. I plan to release it on June 25th, and then begin writing ALL MY LOVING in late summer.
And now for Meg’s new book: Love Me Do:
Longtime friends Jackson Riley and Juliette (aka Jules) Baxter are committed to fulfilling their first year of business at their breakfast café, but trouble is brewing again in their personal lives. Jack and Reese Baxter are in a committed relationship — or are they?
Jack’s not so certain given Reese’s continued reluctance to come out of the closet. Jules has ended her polyamorous relationships, but she’s juggling her romantic attraction to two café staff members – a man and a woman. Jules’s parents split in their support of the cafe, and Reese’s mother is making a big stink as well.
When more details of Jack’s secret past rise from the ashes, everything is thrown in turmoil. Will they all survive to celebrate?
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Excerpt
Reese’s cheeks flush red. “Hey, keep it down.”
Jack only grins. “There’s a splash of rum in this shake. I deserve it after slaving all day over so much paperwork.”
“I thought you get a headache from alcohol.” Juli grabs the cup. “Mmm.”
“Not enough in this to affect me. Get your own, come on. Give it back.”
“Aww, I just want to try it before ordering my own.”
Jack snatches the milkshake from her with exasperation. “Damn, it’s half gone! You’re gonna owe me after this.”
Chris shakes his head at their banter, exactly like how they are at the café. Jack was a fashion model and an actor before he and Juli opened the café. Being openly gay, his makeup—pink, white, and blue eyeshadow on the lids plus eyeliner, with blush to match his bright pink sweater—makes him stand out. No wonder Reese feels self-conscious, since he’s not open about being gay. Jack’s hint of a Southern drawl is another interesting quirk. Chris perches on the bench with Juli, but he leaves plenty of space between them for her comfort.
When a harried waiter stops by, she orders a passion fruit milkshake, garlic fries, and pulled pork with tropical slaw on a brioche bun. Chris chooses the beef, Muenster, and bacon burger, plus a churro, and then teases Juli.
“Maybe we can split it, okay? Gotta feed your sweet tooth.”
“You know me too well.” She eyes Jack. “How come you two didn’t stay at the Unicorn until midnight on New Year’s Eve? I wanted to kiss you both to bring in the new year.”
He glances over the table at Reese, who looks uneasy. “We agreed to go home early. My man gets overwhelmed with so many people.” Jack leans over and whispers a phrase that Chris doesn’t catch, then taps out a pattern on the table with a finger. “You good?”
Reese taps the same pattern with a smile and visibly relaxes. But he keeps his eyes on the table, avoiding the growing crowd around them. Chris steers the conversation away from them, figuring that might help.
“The year before, the bar was so crowded that people couldn’t get in.”
“Yeah,” Jack says. “I was so squashed, I got bruises.”
“You kissed all the pretty boys that night,” Juli teases him. “You went missing a few times. So popular, catching up after being in New York for a few years.”
“Hey, I missed my friends,” he says, his face scarlet from his hairline to his neck. “Stevie and me left early that year, too, and went to Blake’s. They don’t like crowds, neither.”
Chris saw the social media posts from over a year ago, and Juli’s right—Jack was the life of that party. A couple photos showed him sandwiched between two guys on the dance floor, hugging, kissing, groping. Reese remains silent, eyes hooded, uneasy again.
Juli squeals when the waiter sets her pulled pork entrée down with a separate plate of garlic French fries. “Oh my God and the angels, these look so good!”
Jack steals a few. “Remember you owe me, babe.”
“For drinking some of your milkshake?”
“Some? Like more’n half!”
He finishes his salad bowl and leans against Reese’s shoulder. “Glad we didn’t order that churro, ’cause I’m stuffed. You’re as bad as my man chowing down on beef, cheese, and bacon all together, Chris. Talk about risking a heart attack.”
“Don’t listen to him.” Reese shakes his head, his mouth turning up into a half smile. “More than eighty percent of vegetarians go back to eating meat.”
“But I’m pescatarian,” Jack protests. “Just for that, maybe I’ll make pasta with tofu tomorrow for dinner.”
“Hmm. I might have to work late.”
“What a coward! You won’t get a tattoo, neither.”
“My body is a temple, not a canvas—”
Juli giggles at their teasing exchange. “You two are adorable.”
Chris notices a well-built guy staring at them near the door before he saunters over to their table with a big grin. Doesn’t say anything, but stands behind Jack, his muscular arms crossed over a dark tee shirt. Cocks his head, clearly listening.
“You ain’t gonna believe this. I was sat down when this lady comes up to me, asking—” Seeing Chris point a finger behind him, Jack twists around in surprise. “The hell?”
The guy pulls him up from the bench and gives him a ferocious bear hug. “Tink! Knew I’d run into you at some point.”
Jack pulls free. “Never expected to see you in Michigan—wait.” He turns toward the table. “Hey, everyone. Kyle Kingston is an actor friend from New York. This is my business partner, Jules Baxter, and Chris Bouchard. And this is my man, Reese Baxter.”
Already standing, Reese extends a hand to shake. The actor accepts and gives Jack a knowing smirk, which puzzles Chris. Is Kyle gay or straight? He eyes Juli with interest, winking at her and acting more like a “bro” with a swagger, but he keeps a hand on Jack’s shoulder. Chris notices how Reese looks more stone-faced while Jack and Kyle exchange tidbits about theater friends they knew back in New York.
“What kind of business are you in now?” the actor asks.
“Running a breakfast café,” Jack says. “Here Comes the Sun’s north of the river. You should stop in and see it. I can text you the address….”
“Nice meeting you, Kyle! See you guys later.” Juli hurries outside, Chris trailing her, but she turns and holds out a few bills. “This wasn’t a date, remember, so I’ll pay for myself.”
“I just figured you wanted to get out of there fast.”
“I did! You saw Reese? I swear steam came out of his ears,” she says, laughing hard. “He is soooo jealous. I could tell if Kyle has the hots for Jack, didn’t you think so? I wonder if there’s more between them than we know.”