Jodi McAlister
@jodimca.bsky.social
Romance author, romance scholar. Senior Lecturer in Writing, Literature & Culture at Deakin (Naarm/Melbourne). My newest rom-com, An Academic Affair, is out now.
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Jodi McAlister
@jodimca.bsky.social
· Oct 22
Okay USA, I know you have plenty of other things going on at the moment, but my new book An Academic Affair will be released in your country in only a few weeks (11 November!!), and if you wanted to pre-order it, I would simply love that.
www.simonandschuster.com/books/An-Aca...
www.simonandschuster.com/books/An-Aca...
Reposted by Jodi McAlister
The more that comes out about the fabricated crisis at Macquarie University, the worse it gets. Wanton destructive ideologically driven managerialism targetting scholars at the peak of their careers, robbing students of choice & expertise, destroying disciplines vital to the whole sector.
More on the destruction of MqUni Arts. Every PoC in Sociology has been sacked or pushed into teaching only. Only 1 woman left in Politics & Intl Relations, & 1 in Sociology. At least 3/9 sacked academics are neurodiverse. Several successful researchers have been sacked or made teaching only. 2/2
December 6, 2025 at 10:20 PM
The more that comes out about the fabricated crisis at Macquarie University, the worse it gets. Wanton destructive ideologically driven managerialism targetting scholars at the peak of their careers, robbing students of choice & expertise, destroying disciplines vital to the whole sector.
Delighted that An Academic Affair made it into the contemporary romance section of Library Journal's Best Books of 2025 list.
Stellar Selections | Best Books 2025
Throughout the year, LJ’s expert reviewers consider thousands of books, reading titles across a myriad of genres and subjects. These are the nearly 800 works they judged as the best, most notable, sig...
www.libraryjournal.com
December 5, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Delighted that An Academic Affair made it into the contemporary romance section of Library Journal's Best Books of 2025 list.
Reposted by Jodi McAlister
Terrible news on the grapevine today that after their brutal "spill and fill" exercise, Macquarie University has announced which academic staff members no longer have a position. Devastating for the people who've lost their jobs. Dreadful for those who've been spared (for now). Awful for everyone 💔
December 4, 2025 at 5:40 AM
Terrible news on the grapevine today that after their brutal "spill and fill" exercise, Macquarie University has announced which academic staff members no longer have a position. Devastating for the people who've lost their jobs. Dreadful for those who've been spared (for now). Awful for everyone 💔
I thought a lot about the "not your (older female relative's) romance" framing when @dramyburge.bsky.social and I were writing our book: while these aren't necessarily romances, the things many women were reading in the 1980s weren't remotely tame.
December 3, 2025 at 11:41 PM
I thought a lot about the "not your (older female relative's) romance" framing when @dramyburge.bsky.social and I were writing our book: while these aren't necessarily romances, the things many women were reading in the 1980s weren't remotely tame.
Even setting aside the obvious inaccuracy re calling Heated Rivalry YA, the first paragraph is a real bingo card of tired media romance staples (including my personal nemesis, not your grandma's romance).
December 3, 2025 at 10:26 AM
Even setting aside the obvious inaccuracy re calling Heated Rivalry YA, the first paragraph is a real bingo card of tired media romance staples (including my personal nemesis, not your grandma's romance).
Reposted by Jodi McAlister
The proposed changes at the State Library of Victoria are an absolute travesty. This is a great outline as to why.
I have a lifelong connection to Victoria’s state library – which is why I am aghast at its crude self-lobotomy | Gideon Haigh
If the ‘suits’ can come for the State Library of Victoria, they can come for anyone, and no public institution is safe
www.theguardian.com
December 3, 2025 at 1:50 AM
The proposed changes at the State Library of Victoria are an absolute travesty. This is a great outline as to why.
Reposted by Jodi McAlister
NEW! Survey on experiences of romantic crushes, please share widely! The aim of this study is to investigate the romantic crush. Note that this is only for people currently residing in Australia who are 18+. Find out more and complete the survey at this link: q.surveys.unimelb.edu.au/jfe/form/SV_...
December 3, 2025 at 1:31 AM
NEW! Survey on experiences of romantic crushes, please share widely! The aim of this study is to investigate the romantic crush. Note that this is only for people currently residing in Australia who are 18+. Find out more and complete the survey at this link: q.surveys.unimelb.edu.au/jfe/form/SV_...
One of the nicest things about An Academic Affair being out in so many places is the steady trickle of emails I keep getting - about one a week at the moment - from other academics who've read it and resonated with its depiction of academia.
December 2, 2025 at 10:42 PM
One of the nicest things about An Academic Affair being out in so many places is the steady trickle of emails I keep getting - about one a week at the moment - from other academics who've read it and resonated with its depiction of academia.
oh wow, a definitely real email in the inbox today from the definitely real EmHen wanting to have a definitely real craft conversation with me, I feel so blessed
December 1, 2025 at 10:32 PM
oh wow, a definitely real email in the inbox today from the definitely real EmHen wanting to have a definitely real craft conversation with me, I feel so blessed
"I've got this idea for a novel - how about you write it and we split the profits?"
What’s the worst question someone can ask after you tell them your profession? For linguists, it’s definitely “how many languages do you speak?”, but I’m curious what else is happening to the rest of y’all out there?!
December 1, 2025 at 9:39 PM
"I've got this idea for a novel - how about you write it and we split the profits?"
Reposted by Jodi McAlister
"How do you do your..." [leering pause] "Research?"
What’s the worst question someone can ask after you tell them your profession? For linguists, it’s definitely “how many languages do you speak?”, but I’m curious what else is happening to the rest of y’all out there?!
December 1, 2025 at 8:42 PM
"How do you do your..." [leering pause] "Research?"
Reposted by Jodi McAlister
I shrieked aloud when @jodimca.bsky.social's new book mentioned the reality TV franchise from her previous trilogy. y'all, I love romance. I love it so much. it's so good and I am so happy to be a romance reader.
December 1, 2025 at 8:45 PM
I shrieked aloud when @jodimca.bsky.social's new book mentioned the reality TV franchise from her previous trilogy. y'all, I love romance. I love it so much. it's so good and I am so happy to be a romance reader.
Enormous shout-out to the Australian and Kiwi librarians standing up to Elsevier. This is killer.
Librarians versus the world
Photo of London’s National Art Library by Sebastien LE DEROUT on Unsplash Here at the Research Whisperer, we love librarians. They are smart, dedicated people who want to help you with your researc…
researchwhisperer.org
December 1, 2025 at 7:36 AM
Enormous shout-out to the Australian and Kiwi librarians standing up to Elsevier. This is killer.
Reposted by Jodi McAlister
New romanceclass audiobook soon! Mango Summer by Agay Llanera, narrated by Gab Pangilinan and Jef Flores. patreon.com/romanceclass gets it first!
December 1, 2025 at 5:58 AM
New romanceclass audiobook soon! Mango Summer by Agay Llanera, narrated by Gab Pangilinan and Jef Flores. patreon.com/romanceclass gets it first!
Welcome to my Australian rom-com advent calendar! If you're Australian and want to read local, or from overseas and want to broaden your horizons, I've got you covered.
Day 1 is The Wedding Forecast by Nina Kenwood. No one does emotionally realistic mess like Nina - this book is a masterclass.
Day 1 is The Wedding Forecast by Nina Kenwood. No one does emotionally realistic mess like Nina - this book is a masterclass.
November 30, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Welcome to my Australian rom-com advent calendar! If you're Australian and want to read local, or from overseas and want to broaden your horizons, I've got you covered.
Day 1 is The Wedding Forecast by Nina Kenwood. No one does emotionally realistic mess like Nina - this book is a masterclass.
Day 1 is The Wedding Forecast by Nina Kenwood. No one does emotionally realistic mess like Nina - this book is a masterclass.
Reposted by Jodi McAlister
AUSTRALIAN AI: G’day! I’m Bonza, the LLM trained on dinky-di Aussie lingo! What can I do for you tod-
ME: Potato cake.
AUSTRALIAN AI: [sparks fly out of computer, explodes]
ME: Potato cake.
AUSTRALIAN AI: [sparks fly out of computer, explodes]
📢 Sovereign Australia AI wants to build a model that understands Australian culture and values. But does the country really need it?
👉 Report issues, make suggestions
👉 Report issues, make suggestions
‘Thongs aren’t underwear’: The case for an Australian ChatGPT
www.smh.com.au
November 30, 2025 at 8:02 AM
AUSTRALIAN AI: G’day! I’m Bonza, the LLM trained on dinky-di Aussie lingo! What can I do for you tod-
ME: Potato cake.
AUSTRALIAN AI: [sparks fly out of computer, explodes]
ME: Potato cake.
AUSTRALIAN AI: [sparks fly out of computer, explodes]
Reposted by Jodi McAlister
The finest minds at the Hollywood Reporter trying to Surf Dracula the gay hockey show
November 29, 2025 at 11:39 PM
The finest minds at the Hollywood Reporter trying to Surf Dracula the gay hockey show
Reposted by Jodi McAlister
I've had strange academic week but 1 of the (non work) highlights that perhaps made it feel weirder was reading An Academic Affair by @jodimca.bsky.social. I have already recommended it to others in or around the academic precariate. A really great premise for a book!
November 30, 2025 at 3:19 AM
I've had strange academic week but 1 of the (non work) highlights that perhaps made it feel weirder was reading An Academic Affair by @jodimca.bsky.social. I have already recommended it to others in or around the academic precariate. A really great premise for a book!
Vale Graeme Turner, whose book Broken is a must-read for anyone with even the smallest vested interest in higher education in Australia.
Vale Emeritus Professor Graeme Turner AO FAHA FQA 1947-2025 – Australian Academy of the Humanities
Graeme Turner AO FAHA, a distiguished humanities and education scholar, passed away on 25 November 2025.
humanities.org.au
November 27, 2025 at 3:27 AM
Vale Graeme Turner, whose book Broken is a must-read for anyone with even the smallest vested interest in higher education in Australia.
If you're hungry for more sex cardigan content, allow me to completely altruistically point you in the direction of An Academic Affair.
Sex cardigans: can the Wicked sequel make bulky knits strangely alluring?
It’s not the sexiest of garments. It arguably looks more like a discarded fishing net. And yet it has cast a spell over the internet
www.theguardian.com
November 26, 2025 at 9:51 PM
If you're hungry for more sex cardigan content, allow me to completely altruistically point you in the direction of An Academic Affair.
This is a great piece by @bethdriscoll.bsky.social on our ongoing attachment to the print book.
Should we ‘get over’ print books in the digital age – or are they more precious than ever?
Print books embody culture. We see it in social media trends for annotating books, community publishing and wartime destruction of books spanning the Nazis to Gaza.
theconversation.com
November 26, 2025 at 7:51 PM
This is a great piece by @bethdriscoll.bsky.social on our ongoing attachment to the print book.
Reposted by Jodi McAlister
We are pleased to announce that entries are now open for the 2026 ASA/HQ Fiction Prize, offering one winner a publishing contract with HQ and a $10,000 advance against royalties. Entries close on 30 January 2026!
Find out more: www.asauthors.org.au/news/2026-as...
Find out more: www.asauthors.org.au/news/2026-as...
2026 ASA/HQ Fiction Prize now open - Australian Society of Authors
The ASA and HQ, a publishing division of HarperCollins, are thrilled to announce that the 2026 ASA/HQ Fiction Prize is now open for submissions.
www.asauthors.org.au
November 26, 2025 at 4:46 AM
We are pleased to announce that entries are now open for the 2026 ASA/HQ Fiction Prize, offering one winner a publishing contract with HQ and a $10,000 advance against royalties. Entries close on 30 January 2026!
Find out more: www.asauthors.org.au/news/2026-as...
Find out more: www.asauthors.org.au/news/2026-as...
A lot of people have very correctly noted that most authors do not make close to a living wage. This is true in the US, the world's biggest Anglophone book market - so you don't even want to *know* how little authors whose primary market is non-American make.
November 26, 2025 at 12:14 AM
A lot of people have very correctly noted that most authors do not make close to a living wage. This is true in the US, the world's biggest Anglophone book market - so you don't even want to *know* how little authors whose primary market is non-American make.
Reposted by Jodi McAlister
almost every novelist you read who's not from the airport fiction or bestseller sections is working a full on day job, including multi-award winners and absolute legends, or they have a spouse or trust that supports them. virtually across the board. just normalize in your mind that's how it works.
I know we know this, but authors need to get better at talking about how they actually make their money. Stop pretending it's from the books.
November 25, 2025 at 10:35 PM
almost every novelist you read who's not from the airport fiction or bestseller sections is working a full on day job, including multi-award winners and absolute legends, or they have a spouse or trust that supports them. virtually across the board. just normalize in your mind that's how it works.