Jodi is an author and academic from Kiama, a seaside holiday town on the south coast of New South Wales. Her PhD was awarded by Macquarie University in 2015, and she is currently a lecturer in Writing and Literature at Deakin University in Melbourne. Her academic work focuses on the history of love, sex, women and girls, popular culture and fiction. It means that reading romance novels and watching The Bachelor is technically work for her. You can find Jodi on Twitter at @JodiMcA, Instagram at @jodimca or TikTok at @jodimcalister where she posts regularly about her research, her writing, cool things she finds interesting, her hero worship of Kate Bush, and her slightly-too-intense passion for The Bold and the Beautiful. She is the author Here for the Right Reasons, as well as young adult novels Valentine, Ironheart and Misrule.
'Can I Steal You for a Second is sweet, pacy, queer and satisfying. It’s about overcoming self-erasure and features, at its heart, a deep and genuine friendship – and what better basis is there for love?' -- <B>Angela Meyer, author of Moon <i>Sugar</i></B> ‘Can I Steal You for a Second is pure reading pleasure ... depth, diversity and an irresistible love story ... For all those mystified by the resurgence of romance, here is a book that exemplifies why readers love the genre. Can I Steal You for a Second sizzles with smart social commentary, an inclusive cast of characters, plenty of humour and a love story with tectonic chemistry. A joyful read that will leave you with a big smile on your face.’ -- <B>Clare Fletcher, author of <I>Five Bush Weddings</I></B> ‘I was 62% through this book when I realised why I was loving it so much. There is a kindness to the way McAlister writes that is so warm and genuine and refreshing. As a writer, you can tell that she loves her characters. It’s not that there isn’t capital D Drama, and it’s not that any of them are perfect. There is enough that is messy and chaotic about them that we can all relate. There is just so much joy in the way that she lets them be who they are, and it’s a joy to read ... If you want to hugged by a book that is going to let you know how wonderful and worthy you are no matter what, then this is the one.’ -- <b>Imogene Hannah, bookseller</b>