Maxie McCoy is on a mission to make sure women’s stories don’t go untold. She’s a Wall Street Journal bestselling ghostwriter, the author of Daisy: a Novel of Juliette Gordon Low and the author of You’re Not Lost (TarcherPerigee, 2018) which was named by Apple Books as a best read for finding your purpose. With over 100k+ learners who’ve taken her LinkedIn courses, a weekly newsletter over a decade old, Maxie creates places, platforms and pathways for women to write their truth. Her work has been featured in major media outlets including Good Morning America, Cosmopolitan, INC, Women’s Health, Refinery29, TheSkimm and CNN. She lives in Savannah with her spotted pup Skye where we have gotten to know her and her cool, confident style. We were excited to have the opportunity to pick her brain on personal style, literature, Savannah's creative community, and the Georgia Historical Society. 

How would you describe your personal style?

If you’d asked me this last year, I would have said…no idea??…very me? But this year I was inspired by Tibi founder Amy Smilovic’s book, Creative Pragmatist, to pick three words that define my personal style. And then Marmalade’s Emily Lacey helped me nail what these words mean to me and my closet (thank you, Emily!!).

• Creative - This is both my identity and my life force. But also, I want my style to be simple so it can free up mental energy for the creative work that actually matters to me. But when I get dressed, I still want to look in the mirror and think, "Yup, this is me. I’m a writer. I’m a creative."

• Confident - I like clean and mature styles that show people how I feel about myself, which is that I’m super comfortable with who I am, wildness and all. I like to dress in a way that lets my natural confidence shine through.

• Cool - I love a little something unexpected (right now my new obsession is Macon Lesquoy broaches. I’ve been rocking an astronaut and an octopus that look like they were sewn into my shirts. Or a pregnant woman ring from Brazilian designer Paola Villas) This is easier to do when classic, well-fitted garments lay the foundation for interesting textures/pins/lipstick/glasses/etc.

When did you fall in love with fashion? 

I realized I was drawn to style when I was 16 and strolling through Banana Republic…I spotted this incredible hot-pink trench coat with silk trim around the lapels and cuffs, and this gorgeous light blush liner. I can still remember how I felt buying that jacket with my hostessing money and how much I loveddd wearing it on important days.

That coat was probably my first real "fashion moment" where I understood what it felt like to wear something that just clicked with who I was. I could always tell when a piece made me feel great, but I never really understood what it was about my personal style that made it personal to me.

Do you have any favorite designers at Marmalade?

All of them!? My standout faves are:

Samsoe Samsoe, Gestuz, Herskind, Marle, Ganni, and Rachel Comey

After years of living in larger cities, what brought you to Savannah and what keeps you here?

I’m obsessed with Savannah. I moved here after 11 years living in San Francisco, without knowing a soul, because I fell in love with the creative pulse of this town. I was drawn to this community that appreciates and revolves around the humanities – art, writing, music, fashion, food – it’s all here, and it makes our town feel so alive and brimming with possibility. Unlike anywhere I’ve ever been!! And I’ve stayed because of the people. This city is full of artists and creatives with great work that I admire: Libbie Summers, Katherine Sandoz, Emmy Davidian, Alejandro Giraldo, Dee Daniels, Natasha Gaskill, Cindy Otis, Brianne Halverson

We are catching up today to celebrate Daisy, your first work of fiction surrounding the life of Juliette Gordon Low and set here in Savannah- how did that book come to be?

Four plus years ago, while visiting Savannah, I stumbled on a moment in Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low's story at the Low House on Lafayette Square. Upon diving into her full story, I couldn’t figure out why more people didn’t know her real, wildly dramatic, unbelievable, and yet totally relatable life? Daisy’s resilience, in my opinion, deserved to be widely written about and remembered. I learned that there was a reason (many reasons) that she created the Girl Scouts and that the founding principles came as a direct reaction to what she’d been through: some tough heartbreak, some life-long friendships, and some real-life sh*t. I saw so much more in her story than a “cookie-cutter” narrative, and I dove into that as my first work of fiction. So Daisy is the fictionalized story of Juliette Gordon Low in the three decades before she created the world’s biggest organization for women and girls. 

And what was the research process like?

Fascinating! I’m so lucky to have written Daisy on the foundation of great researchers, historians, and custodians of Savannah’s (and Daisy’s) legacy. I probably read Stacey Cordrey’s The Remarkable Life of Juliette Gordon Low ten times cover to cover. There were a few solid years in the writing process where I wouldn’t leave home for longer than a day without that book in my hand. Lady from Savannah and Andrew Low and the Sign of the Buck, too…these biographies that made my novel possible.

The most FUN part of the research process was spending hours at a time getting lost at the Georgia Historical Society, where part of Daisy’s historical archive is kept. It’s one thing to read about her life, it’s another to hold her letters…the same letters that she held 130 years ago…the same paper that she doodled little kisses and flowers on…and read her thoughts, her wishes, her fears. She truly came alive for me in those moments, and I’m so thankful to the team at the GHS research center, who were always so supportive and kind about getting me what I needed (and honestly, teaching me how to research in the process!). Also, the research center is one of the most beautiful rooms I’ve ever gotten to read or work in. So definitely stop in the next time you have a free afternoon! 

Would you say your personal style shows up in your work?

YES, yes, and yes. It’s been so fun having readers tell me that, for as much as they loved the book, they also love how she looks on their shelf.

I would say that the cover hits my big three: Creative, Confident, and Cool!! But I really cannot take any credit. All the credit goes to a wildly confident, wildly cool, wildly creative designer Raissa Pardini, who brought my vision to life. Daisy the woman was a GREAT artist of many mediums, so I really wanted to make her proud with both the story and the aesthetic…and Raissa blew me away, taking my little seed of a vision and blooming it into something effing magical and beautiful and magnificent. Working with artists on cover art for a book about a late artist is totally meta and totally a gift. 

Beyond picking up a copy of your book at E. Shaver, how can we follow your work? 

Yes, if you’re in Savannah, grab a signed copy of Daisy at E.Shaver (our local, independent bookseller).

If you’re not in Savannah, well… book a trip and come visit us!! And/Or buy a signed copy of Daisy online. We ship anywhere and everywhere Daisy will be loved! 

Every week, I write a newsletter called “In My Library” which is filled with all of the women-centered obsessions that filled my week. Think books, articles, reels, pods. Subscribe here! 

I’m pretty regular on Instagram if that’s your scene. And my first book You’re Not Lost is available anywhere books are sold! 

What is your favorite spot to get a drink in Savannah? Dinner?

Oh man how much time do we have!? How am I supposed to choose!?

My favorite spot for a glass of wine and a bite to eat right now is Late Air. There’s just something so local, so moody, so vibey. Whether I’m with my faves, or reading a good book, or writing the newest scene. It’s a joy.

And when it comes to daytime joys, I’m Sixby addicted. Give me a shakerato and a baguette, and I can conquer the world!