Author Interview: Jodi Meadows (Incarnate)

Twitter | Blog | Website

Jodi Meadows lives and writes in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, with her husband, a Kippy*, and an alarming number of ferrets. She is a confessed book addict, and has wanted to be a writer ever since she decided against becoming an astronaut.

*A Kippy is a cat.

Have you always wanted to be a writer? - When did you write your first novel?


Once I stopped wanting to be an astronaut, yes! In 7th grade, my teacher read WAIT TILL HELENE COMES (Mary Downing Hahn) to the class, and that was when I realized I wanted to be a writer. I wrote a "novel," which was probably only a few spiral notebook pages long. It was also a shameless copy of WAIT TILL HELEN COMES, but I was really proud of it.

My first novel-sized book happened when I was twenty.

Tell me about one of your typical writing days...what are your routines? Favorite places to read, write, music etc? I personally like to dance around the house singing with a wooden spoon.


I'm not even sure I have a wooden spoon, but suddenly I feel like I should find one. . . . 
Typical writing day: shuffle out of bed, shuffle into the kitchen for coffee/breakfast, shuffle into the ferret room where my computer lives. From there, I don't have a routine. I get to work on *something*, but sometimes it's writing, sometimes it's editing, sometimes it's answering emails, sometimes it's research, etc. 
Sometimes I have music. Sometimes I don't. (I know, this is all SO fascinating. Aren't you glad you asked this question!?)

Tell us just how hard or easy it was for you to get published. Was it something like catching a greased pig?


I started writing full time when I was twenty. I started trying to get published a year later when I'd finished that manuscript. I sold my first trilogy when I was twenty-seven. That was . . . a lot of manuscripts and rejections later.

But I really don't regret the way it happened. Even though I spent a lot of time feeling sad, and like I'd never reach this goal, it worked out for the best. I wrote a story I'm proud of, and one I think makes a great debut novel. I have an agent and editor I adore, with an imprint I love to pieces. If I'd sold earlier in my life, these things that are PERFECT right now wouldn't be how they are. They were worth waiting for.

How active do you think you are in the book blogging community and how has it treated you? Eaten you whole? 

I loooove book bloggers! You guys have done so much to help promote INCARNATE and share good news. I love that there's a community of people other than writers who are just as passionate and enthusiastic about books. I think it's easy for authors to feel like they're just tossing novels out into the voice, but book bloggers really know how to make a girl feel like a superstar.

Are there any specific reasons you chose to write in the YA genre rather than adult?


I actually tried writing for adults when I first started. When I was twenty, I'd not only started writing full time, but I'd recently gotten married and moved away from my parents. I was so desperate to BE an adult that I put that in writing, too, not realizing that my writing voice was a natural YA voice, and the stories I told were YA stories. It took me years to get over this, but I'm glad I did. YA is where my heart is.

How was the covert art process for you? - First reaction?


Understandably, a lot of authors are really nervous when they get their first peek at their cover. Authors have almost no control over it, and even if our publishers let us look at them, there's no guarantee they'll actually consider our opinions. And considering how many people DO pick up books based on the cover, that's more than a little scary!

But when I saw the first cover comp, I fell in love. I knew THIS was the cover that would do it. And when I saw the comps with the actual model they'd cast . . . I still swoon over her. She's absolutely perfect for the part.

What is your current WIP (Work in Progress) if you have one? Oh come on spill the beans - I promise to blab about it.


You mean what am I working on RIGHT NOW? INCARNATE 2 edits. *g*

I do have a couple other stories in the works, but really, if I told you about them, my agent would murder me in my sleep, and then you'd never get to read them. It's better for all of us if I keep quiet for a bit longer. :)


 

Amazon | IndieBound | Book Depository

NEWSOUL


Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL

Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART

Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Jodi Meadows expertly weaves soul-deep romance, fantasy, and danger into an extraordinary tale of new life.

Pabkins

Countess of Crazy, Insane babbler, Giver of the Evil Eye, Walking Hazard Zone, Maker of Monsters, but above all Lover of a Zombie and those things that are creepy crawly.  Step in to my library my pretties…

Categories: Author Interviews, Meadows, Wicked Reads