Chat with Jodi Meadows

[Colleen]

Welcome to the group! Jodi will be answering questions in September in this thread only. In the meantime, if you have a question for the author or just want to introduce yourself feel free to do so in this thread.

[Colleen]

How did you get started writing?

[Colleen]

I loved the Jane books! How did that collaboration begin?

[Colleen]

Coke or Pepsi?
Chocolate or Caramel?
Play sports or watch?
Mountains or Beach?
Books or movies?
Relax at home or get out of the house?

[Ashley]

What is your favorite book you’ve read so far this year?

[Ashley]

What do you like best about fall?

[Jenny]

Colleen wrote: "Coke or Pepsi? Coke
Chocolate or Caramel? Chocolate
Play sports or watch? Play
Mountains or Beach? Mountains
Books or movies? Books
Relax at home or get out of the house?" Mixture of both

[Jodi]

Colleen wrote: "Welcome to the group! Jodi will be answering questions in September in this thread only. In the meantime, if you have a question for the author or just want to introduce yourself feel free to do so..."

Ahh, thanks, Colleen! I really appreciate you having me! I'll dive into questions right away! :D

And question for everyone here: What's better? Dragons or unicorns?

[Jodi]

Colleen wrote: "How did you get started writing?"

I actually love this question because I love hearing how other authors come into writing, too. Everyone's story is different!

I...actually didn't know that writing was a job until I was about 11 years old. Before that, I loved reading, and I loved telling stories, but those two things had never connected in my mind. As in, before that vivid moment of realizing people had to write books, I'd assumed that books just appeared on library shelves by magic.

So I did what I always do, when something interests me: I dove right in and started writing a novel. It was, I'll admit, a shameless copy of WAIT TILL HELEN COMES by Mary Downing Hahn, but when I showed my teacher, she didn't say a word about it. She just pointed out the things she liked--the things that were my own--which was hugely encouraging.

Later, I wrote a shameless copy of WILD MAGIC by Tamora Pierce. I believe it also had a bit of SABRIEL by Garth Nix mixed in there.

I, um, expanded my reading after that. (I still love all of those books, though, and if I was going to copy someone for learning purposes, I certainly could have chosen worse authors!)

In 2003, I started writing "for publication." As in, I set about actually trying to get an agent and a contract with a publisher. Nothing happened until 2007, when I got my first agent. We didn't stay together, though, and nothing happened again until 2010, when I got my second (and current) agent, and a contract with HarperCollins.

During all of those "nothing happened" parts, though, I was still writing. And for a while, I was reading slush for an agent, which was an amazing education. My first published book -- INCARNATE -- was actually the seventeenth (17th) manuscript that I finished. Not counting the ones I wrote as a child.

It was a lot of work (and disappointment), but I'm glad it all happened. It made me a better writer.

[Jodi]

Colleen wrote: "I loved the Jane books! How did that collaboration begin?"

Ahh, thank you!!

Cynthia, Brodi, and I met in 2012, when our publisher sent us on tour together. We became friends immediately, and started looking for ways to hang out more together. We did events with one another, traveled across the country, and even made plans to go to Disneyland together. You'll see why that didn't happen in a moment.

Well, Cynthia had this idea for a book. She really loved Lady Jane, but thought telling her story would be such a downer, what with the beheading. But . . . she knew she was a writer! So why not fix the ending? To do that, however, she knew it would need to be funny, so she talked to Brodi.

Cynthia wasn't very good at pitching, at the time, so while she was explaining the beheading, Brodi was trying to disappear into her salad and figure out how to tell Cynthia that beheadings aren't funny.

They didn't talk about it again for six months, when the three of us were together in DC, eating lunch. Cynthia brought up that they were writing a book together. I was soooo happy for them. Like, not jealous at all. (I was super jealous.) And then, Cynthia said that it was a fantasy, so did I want to write it too?

I was so excited to be included that I said yes right away, then told my agent. An hour later, I asked what the book was about. Then I realized why Brodi had been uncharacteristically silent.

We didn't talk about it again for six months. At that point, we were trapped on the freeway in LA, and Cynthia brought up the book again. She had us right where she wanted us. By the time we got back to her house, though, we were all super excited about the book. We ended up canceling our plans to go to Disneyland so that we could work on the first chapters instead.

And the rest, as we say, is heavily revised history. ;)

[Jodi]

Colleen wrote: "Coke or Pepsi? NEITHER. No bubbles. I want coffee or water.
Chocolate or Caramel? Both.
Play sports or watch? Neither. Sports is one of those things that I never understand.
Mountains or Beach? Mountains. (Oh look, an actual answer!)
Books or movies? Books! But I love movies too.
Almost always home, with get out of the house as needed.

[Jodi]

Ashley wrote: "What is your favorite book you’ve read so far this year?"

Oh that's tough. But a couple I have been recommending and talking about:

TELL ME HOW YOU REALLY FEEL by Aminah Mae Safi
FOOLISH HEARTS by Emma Mills
WARRIOR OF THE WILD by Tricia Levenseller
FOUR DEAD QUEENS by Astrid Scholte
BONE CRIER'S MOON by Kathryn Purdie
FASTER, STRONGER, AND MORE BEAUTIFUL by Arwen Elys Dayton

I just finished that last one this morning, and it's such a weird, dark book that it's been sticking in my thoughts.

This year, I have been pushing myself to get through a lot of my OwlCrate and LitJoy books, which has been a fun challenge.

[Jodi]

Ashley wrote: "What do you like best about fall?"

TIME TO WEAR YARN!

I'm a knitter, so summer is a little rough when it comes to wearing my knitted mitts, sweaters, and other fun things. Fall is when I get to start showing them off again.

Also, I know the world is about pumpkin spice, but salted caramel mochas are BACK.

[Jodi]

Louise wrote: "How did you come up with the concept for Incarnate? It's such a unique idea and the cover art is beautiful. Also, was Anna always a no soul to begin with?"

Thanks!!

I don't actually remember the moment I came up with the concept. Mostly I remember thinking about it, sometime in 2006, and recognizing that I was not ready to write that book. I wrote a note on my computer, something to the effect of "What if everyone was reborn, all their memories intact over their lifetimes. The conflict would be that someone is new."

That basically stayed the same over the years, except that I wanted to deepen the conflict and make it more personal by having Ana replace one of the oldsouls, aka darksouls.

As for her being a nosoul, yes, if you count from the beginning of the time when I started writing the book. (2009.) Until that point, I really didn't have anything concrete. The story was just quietly brewing in the back of my mind for years while I worked on other things.

[Colleen]

Jodi wrote: "I actually love this question because I love hearing how other authors come into writing, too. Everyone's story is different! "

Wow! That is such an interesting path. I also thought books just somehow appeared magically. Actually, I knew they were written...I just thought all authors were dead.

[Colleen]

Jodi wrote: "Colleen wrote: "I loved the Jane books! How did that collaboration begin?"

Ahh, thank you!!

Cynthia, Brodi, and I met in 2012, when our publisher sent us on tour together. We became friends immed..."

That is some serious book commitment to skip out on Disneyland. I don't know how on earth you guys were able to pitch that one. I'm horrible at pitching too. I think there needs to be some kind of professional pitching job out there.

[Colleen]

Do you keep an idea book? How do you come up with new material?

[Colleen]

Do you travel for inspiration?

[Dina]

What first got you into writing?

[Colleen]

Did you come up with the cover for Incarnate or was that the publisher? I love it!

[Jodi]

Colleen wrote: "That is some serious book commitment to skip out on Disneyland. I don't know how on earth you guys were able to pitch that one. I'm horrible at pitching too. I think there needs to be some kind of professional pitching job out there."

It was a weird book to pitch! And it still is, sometimes, but we can pretty easily shorten it to "Jane Grey meets the Princess Bride," which helps a lot. Even if they don't know who Jane Grey was, they know Princess Bride.

[Jodi]

Colleen wrote: "Do you keep an idea book? How do you come up with new material?"

Sort of! I usually let ideas simmer for a while. Either I have a note on my computer about them, or I've decided it's a strong enough idea to give it its own notebook. This part usually comes after the idea growing and settling in my head, and lasting long enough to earn its place on paper or digital paper.

[Jodi]

Colleen wrote: "Do you travel for inspiration?"

I wish! I love to travel, but I'm not able to do nearly as much as I'd like. If only I had unlimited funds!

[Jodi]

Trudy wrote: "Are you superstitious?"

Not really, except when I am, I suppose. I like routines, and sometimes breaking routines that have worked well in the past can feel pretty risky. I suppose I won't step under a ladder, unless I'm forced to, and I'd prefer not to break a mirror, but that just seems smart.

[Jodi]

Trudy wrote: "Do you have a daily routine that helps you write more effectively?"

I wish I had something I could point to that really helped, but sometimes writing is just work, like any other job. I do find that if I get started first thing in the morning and don't check social media or anything that distracts me first, then I'm more likely to have a productive day. It's just a matter of not letting myself get sucked into the internet first thing.

[Jodi]

Dina wrote: "What first got you into writing?"

I've always loved telling stories! I didn't know writing was a job until I was in middle school, but once I did, it just made sense that authoring would be the job for me.

[Jodi]

Colleen wrote: "Did you come up with the cover for Incarnate or was that the publisher? I love it!"

That was the publisher!

In fact, when they asked what kind of cover I wanted, I said ANYTHING BUT a closeup of a face on the cover. Not because I didn't like them -- I thought they were fine -- but they were a lot at that time. A LOT. I didn't see how mine could possibly stand out. But then, they sent a comp (like a draft) for the cover, and I LOVED it. It was basically the same as the final cover turned out, but with a different girl.

I thought the cover was so beautiful and unique, even though it was the type I'd said I didn't want. But it turned out to be modern enough with a unique element -- the butterfly mask and the color wash -- to make it stand out in a crowded sea of book faces. I ended up really happy with how the covers for the series turned out!

It's kind of a lesson in why I don't make my covers. :)

[Colleen]

Jodi wrote: "Colleen wrote: "Jane Grey meets The Princess Bride..."

That is brilliant! Perfectly describes it.

[Colleen]

Jodi wrote: "It's just a matter of not letting myself get sucked into the internet first thing."

Isn't that funny? The very tool that helps us do our jobs also distracts us from them terribly.

[Colleen]

Jodi wrote: "Dina wrote: "What first got you into writing?"

I've always loved telling stories! I didn't know writing was a job until I was in middle school, but once I did, it just made sense that authoring wo..."

I was the same way. I think I've always been a storyteller but I never thought authoring was a job choice. When I grew up, wayyyyy before Jodi, women were all going to be secretaries or teachers.

[Colleen]

Which of your characters do you relate to the best?

[Colleen]

Which literary hero did you want to be when you were a teen?

[Jodi]

Colleen wrote: "Isn't that funny? The very tool that helps us do our jobs also distracts us from them terribly."

Seriously! A true double-edged sword.

[Jodi]

Colleen wrote: "Which of your characters do you relate to the best?"

Coming straight at me with the hard questions, Colleen!!

I don't know, really. I guess, in some ways, since all of my series have a main point of view character, I probably relate to that one most. Seeing as I have to spend the most time with them. But all their friends and supporting characters have a little of me in them, too -- some more than others.

[Jodi]

Colleen wrote: "Which literary hero did you want to be when you were a teen?"

Probably Sailor Moon.

I mean, I was never so outgoing, but I really loved her.

[Colleen]

Thanks so much to Jodi Meadows for being such an awesome guest and congrats to our chat winner, Dina! Don't forget to stop in next month when my featured author is Stephanie Garber!