I’m excited to have had the chance to speak with Jodi Meadows, author of The Orphan Queen.
In the novel we follow Princess Wilhelmina as she embarks on a precarious, exciting journey to take back her throne. It’s a great fantasy novel and I love the characters.
Perhaps it’s just me, but this was one of those stories where I could also sympathize with shadier characters. They’re all very real and human, with strengths and weaknesses, always a plus in a novel.
I’m eager for the next installment, to see how Wilhelmina continues on her mission. She’s got a huge responsibility for someone so young, but she’s determined and stubborn, so I’m pretty optimistic!
You can find my review here.
Which books influenced you growing up, and did any help inspire your own work, The Orphan Queen?
Everything inspired me when I was growing up, from Baby Sitter’s Club to The Blue Sword (Robin McKinley) to Sabriel (Garth Nix) to Arrows of the Queen (Mercedes Lackey). I read as many books as I could get my hands on — particularly fantasy, when I realized that was a real genre people wrote in.
So in their own way, every book I’ve read has helped inspire The Orphan Queen. And Incarnate. And everything else I’ve ever written. My stories are a product of both what I want to read, and what I have read.
In the book, which character would you call your favorite and why?
Oh I don’t think it would be smart for me to pick favorites. But the book is about Wilhelmina, and if I didn’t find her the most fascinating in the story, the story would have been about someone else.
Describe your work desk. Is it tidy? Do you have “writing snacks” or a specific kind of coffee that helps you write? Please share!
Well, it’s fairly tidy. Tidy-ish. It gets tidier when I’m avoiding my book, and less tidy when I’m really into whatever I’m working on. I have a lot of stuff on it — from my computer to a small fish tank to calligraphy supplies to spindles to yarn stuff to copies of my books . . . The tidiness depends on the phase of the moon.
Follow Jodi Meadows on Twitter, and buy The Orphan Queen here!
Mariella Hunt 