3xA MA: Jodi Meadows

 

I've always felt so grateful to the authors that take the time to connect with me through social media. In my mind, I'd always thought they were on an unattainable level. In this event, I want to get to know the authors; to see them for the people they are and not just as creators of your favorite book.

Note: For each post, links are left to the author's social media. If you know an author whose book has affected you [in my event or just in general,] please use one of those links and leave a nice message to them! Something as simple as "I'm such a huge fan of your work" can go a long way - you'd be surprised.
For a full definition, the author schedule [and a fabulous opening giveaway,] click here.

Jodi Meadows was actually a participant last year and I remember being so excited! This year, that feeling hasn't changed in the least. If anything, its intensified!  Her book, The Orphan Queen just came out and I'm dying to read it! 

I asked a Sarah (I have about twenty Sarahs) what she wanted to know about Teen Jodi. She said she was curious how Teen Jodi felt about school.

I'll stop talking about past-me in third person now.

Actually, I liked school as a teen. For the most part. While there were aspects I wasn't fond of, I was generally too busy to deal with anything resembling bull excrement. My schedule, besides classes, involved dance practice, band practice, and a part-time job. The times I went straight home after school were an exception, or a quick stop to get something before I went right back out.

Years later, I heard that other kids went to parties and stuff but I knew nothing about those at the time. (I'm still not sure whether no one asked me to go to a party because I wasn't cool enough, or they just knew I wouldn't bother.)

Mostly, school was a way of getting to the other things I loved, like being with my friends, dance, and music. I enjoyed most of my classes because I've always loved learning things, though I definitely struggled with some. (Algebra II and Chemistry, I'm looking at you.)

High school was where I finally began to feel okay about being myself--like the people around me accepted me for who I was, in spite of my weirdnesses. Like reading under my desk, my strange obsession with a) unicorns and b) taking over the world, and my complete inability to retain any knowledge related to football, in spite of going to nearly every game, thanks to dance and band. (I went to high school in Texas. You can imagine how unusual this was there.)

I know feeling good about the high school experience is pretty atypical, and maybe it was because I went to a small school and was friendly with everyone, or because I was past the point of caring (much) what other people thought of me. I mean, of course I cared, and I didn't want people to think I was uncool, but by that time I had accepted who I was, what I liked, and what I wanted to do with my life. (My crippling insecurity was mostly through elementary and middle school.)

But yeah. I look back at high school fondly. I don't miss it. I'm really happy where I am now and I'd never want to go back. But that was when I took a lot of big strides toward becoming me, and I've always been happy about that.

I'm currently in high school so I understand what it's like top have things start to come together. Obviously, I know people who hate high school so much but for all of us, we've got that point where we sort of figure out who we are, what we like and where we want to go. I'm glad I got to read this post because I'm going through everything Jodi described.

Enter the giveaway below! 
Thanks for checking out my blog and remember:  Be kind to one another. - Ellen 
Want more fun? Check out the other authors featured here.

Jodi's Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | 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. She is the author of the INCARNATE Trilogy and the forthcoming ORPHAN QUEEN Duology (HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen). Visit her at www.jodimeadows.com

Thanks so much to Jodi for an awesome giveaway! Definitely enter :)

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