Jodi Meadows **Author interview**

Jodi Meadows is the debut author of the much anticipated YA novel Incarnate. She currently lives in Virginia (or in Range, if she's writing) with her husband, Kippy the cat and Todd the ferret.
Incarnate was the first book of 2012 that I reviewed here on Pen to Paper, and what a book to start the new year off with! If you missed the review, click HERE to read it.
Make sure you open it up in a new browser though, because Jodi is now here at Pen to Paper!

Welcome Jodi, it's great to have you!

First of all Jodi, could you tell us a little something about yourself?

Once when I was a kid, my sister and I were having a birthday party in our back yard where we had a pool. I'd gone inside to get something and was running back out -- and slammed into the sliding glass door. Everyone saw and it was very embarrassing, so obviously I now want to tell the entire internet.

Also, moral of the story: it's okay for glass doors to be a little dirty.

So, we'll go with the bookish questions first! What was your favourite book as a child, and why did you love it so much?

I've never been good about picking favorite books. I always feel guilty about all the books I love that I'm not picking! But one book I loved as a child was WAIT TILL HELEN COMES by Mary Downing Hahn. This book changed my life! It was the first time I realized there were people out there whose job it was to write stories. It was the first time I knew I wanted that to be MY job.

What kind of books do you usually enjoy reading?

I've always enjoyed reading fantasy books.

Which authors would you say have had the most influence on your own writing?

Every author I read influences me somehow, but a couple as a teen that really stuck with me and changed the way I saw literature were Robin McKinley and Tamora Pierce.

Have you always wanted to be a writer? Was there ever anything else you wanted to be while growing up?

Since 7th grade! Before that, I wanted to be an astronaut. I didn't realize that real astronauts didn't have lives like the characters on Star Trek.

What was it that finally made you decide to put Pen to Paper?

I did a lot of scribbling here and there as a teen, but it wasn't until I turned 20, got married, and had no job that I realized now was the perfect time to start writing seriously. If I ever wanted to be published, there was only one way to make it happen.

The idea of having a million souls that are reborn over and over when they die is a really great idea, and it works really well in your novel! Where did the idea for this come from?

To be honest, I had this idea three years before I ever started writing the story. I made a note about it, stuffed it in a folder, and thought of it only occasionally until I got brave enough to tackle it. While I do remember making the note to myself and thinking, "Man, that's an awesome idea, but it's way too hard," I have no clue what I was doing when it actually appeared in my head.

Some authors say that they had a really great idea for a character first, and then decided to tell their story - did the plot or the characters come first for you?

The premise came first: a community of reincarnated souls who remembered everything. And while that was interesting, it would be more interesting if I added someone new to that world. That was when I started getting to know Ana, how she was raised, and how she would change. Her story grew out of that and a billion notes on their society and worldbuilding.

When writing Incarnate, did you set yourself a timetable? And do you have a special place that you like to go, to sit and write?

I didn't. I started writing INCARNATE because I wanted to write something that was special to me, and a challenge. I did a lot of worldbuilding work before I started writing the draft, but I had no timetable or goal -- until I got close to the end and a friend was almost finished with her draft, too. We gave ourselves a deadline for Christmas Day. (And made it.)

Can we expect to see any more in the series soon? Can you tell us anything about the next book?

Absolutely! Book 2 is finished and turned in, and will be out Winter 2013. Book 3 is written, though it needs a good rewrite to make it worthy of anyone's reading.

As for what I can tell you about it? Hmm. Bad things happen. Like, really bad things.

You say (on your website) that you're a book addict - just how many books do you own?

I can't tell you. No, I really can't, because if I count, then I will know and my husband will know and . . . it's better not to know, really.

Do you prefer...

Paperback or Hardback? Hardcover
Physical book or eBook? Physical; I don't even own an ereader (though I lust after an iPad...)
Library book or own the book? Own! Giving them back is painful.

If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Everywhere. Except places where bugs might bite me.

Other than reading and writing, what are your other hobbies?

I love spinning yarn, knitting, and crocheting.

I see from your website that you keep Ferrets - Just how many do you have, and what are their names?

I have had up to seven at one time! But right now I only have one, and his name is Todd.

What are the simple things in life that make you smile?

Sunsets! Or sunrises, but that involves getting up early.

And finally, can you tell us one odd or interesting thing about yourself?

Sometimes I put yarn in the freezer.


Thank you so much for coming along to Pen to Paper, Jodi - it's been really exciting having you here!

Jodi's debut novel, and the first in the Newsoul series, Incarnate, is released on January 31st. Go out and get it - you are in for a delight!