Weekly Words: Women in Writing - Jodi Meadows

 

Happy Women's History Month!

 

This month, I've been highlighting some of my favorite women writers who have written great female characters. I'm sharing this week's a little selfishly because I helped sensitivity read this one, and I love the main character so much.

Jodi Meadows's main character Mira from the Fallen Isles Trilogy felt like a person the teenage me was, minus the trauma from an attempted murder as a child. When she was born, the council basically marked her as the avatar of peace and the end of the enslavement of one of the other isles, which bred some animosity, as ending slavery always does. But anyway, when she learns there is a conspiracy and does the right thing by bringing it to the council's attention, she is thrown into prison where she meets a group of people who will ride with her to the end of the series. Each book had some unforgettable scenes, from the first time Mira uses her dragon power, to the second time she uses it, and her friends see the actual shape of the dragon, to a steamy rain scene I read a couple times (hehe), to the isles STANDING UP (they were trying to prevent the isles from turning back into gods and deserting them. Come to find out, they were always going to leave, but they returned a bigger and better dragon island for the people who survived the literal uprising)! These books were magical.

And what was also so great about them was seeing Mira's character progress from this spoiled but sweet little rich girl with massive anxiety becoming this strong warrior for the people of the isles, even so far as standing up against a mad queen! I will always cherish her.

 

Tune in next week for another character and author I would not let this month pass by without mentioning!

Wednesday Words: Before She Ignites by Jodi Meadows

Happy Wednesday!

I hope everyone's doing well who is participating in NaNoWriMo. Save yesterday, I've reached my goal of 500 (I said 1000 last week, but I think 500 is a good start for me) words a day on the days I planned to write (all days but Sunday, unless I'm really compelled). The real task for me will be to keep it up but also to not touch the words I already put down. I'm one of those pesky writers who edits as she writes. It's just how I was raised. ;)

Anyway, it's the 2nd Wednesday of the month, and that means sharing with you all a piece of what I'm reading. Funny enough, I'm not reading anything that can be spoken of at the moment, but I did finish Jodi Meadows's Before She Ignites last week.

Officially plotzing (also, the taaail!) #BeforeSheIgnites pic.twitter.com/BK4Td34WBp

— Deb the Author (@DebTheAuthor) September 12, 2017

I must have spoken of Jodi before because she's in my tags, but at the risk of repeating myself, I had the pleasure of meeting Jodi via Twitter during last year's DVPit when I had a SLEW of likes from agents. Sadly, my work wasn't as ready as I thought, but I did actually receive TWO requests for my full following the initial query, so I know I'm getting somewhere. Anyway, Jodi was kind enough to look over my first few pages and give me pointers. Then, a little later, she gave me a full edit letter! In that time, she also asked me to be a sensitivity reader for the title book, and while I pointed out places she could improve, I loved this book from page 1.

Before She Ignites is about a young woman who has a treaty named after her and so despite all of her awkwardness, obsessing over dragons, and high anxiety, she has to be the figurehead for the people. She discovers a huge secret that brings danger to the islands on which the people live, and is subsequently thrown into prison. We follow her attempts to adjust to now being at the bottom of the bottom and also receive wonderful flashbacks that include dragons of all shapes and sizes. The imagery in this book is so cool, and not to give anything away, I'll just say, Aaru is everything. lol

Because I finished the book and am typing this up at work, I'm going to share a piece of my favorite scene that I still have on my Kindle and that no one will understand unless they've read it, so it's not a spoiler.


I was immense. Immeasurable. Infinite.

I bridged the spaces between stars with my fingertips. I crossed galaxies within breaths. Aeons poured through me like thoughts, and my inferno heart beat with the tempo of the end of the world.

If this was what it felt like to die, it was almost a mercy.


Are you reading anything this month? Are you doing NaNoWriMo?