I'm so thrilled to be a part of the When She Reigns blog tour! If you've been reading my blog for over a year, you'll know that I adore Jodi Meadows and her novels so dang much (and I am truly honored to call her a friend). The Fallen Isles trilogy is one of my favorite young adult fantasy series with a strong political aspect, a main character I absolutely loved and related to and dragons (because who doesn't love dragons?). Today, I'm picking Jodi's brain about her characters and her books, and I'm excited to share our Q&A with all of you.
As cheesy as it might sound, Mira's main theme is love.
Her gods are the Lovers, representing all kinds of love -- familial, platonic, romantic, etc -- and Mira has always been a believer in that power. It is, more than any of the abilities she displays in the series, Mira's truest gift.
While Mira is really good at finding ways to love other people, however, she's less good at accepting love. She constantly doubts that people feel as strongly for her as they say they do. Some of this is because she's always been set apart and told to hide her "flaws," and some of it's just Mira's personal journey of learning to be loved.
I almost never choose themes I want to write about; they almost always show up with the character and their personal arcs. But I do find that I write similar themes in lots of my novels, and love is absolutely one that repeats throughout my work.
2. The world of the Fallen Isles trilogy is complex in terms of politics and lore. Was it easy to decide which island and government Mira was a part of and how that would influence her story?
I always knew which island Mira came from, even before I knew the details of their beliefs and culture. I wanted her to come from a very prestigious island, one that had a lot of pride and wealth. I knew Mira had a very glamorous seeming life where everything was handed to her, even though she'd done nothing to deserve it.
And then I wanted to make her fight to regain everything that's actually important to her. Not the things (although she is a girl who will always love and appreciate pretty dresses), but the people. The ideals. The image she had of her island that was never really as true as she had believed.
In the third book, Mira tells another character, "Maybe I don't know exactly how the world works, but I know how it should work."
It's that -- learning to see what's broken, and figuring out how to affect change -- that I really wanted Mira to experience.
Yes, absolutely! I love found family stories, and Mira definitely finds family in the other prisoners, and the friends she's known her entire life.
Throughout the series, Mira's relationship with all of the other characters grows in some way, and they all affect her differently. One helps her understand her own strength, while another challenges her mind. Another gives her a very gentle, sweet companionship she'd never experienced before. And she gets unwavering loyalty and support from others.
Each character helps Mira grow into her Ultimate Self. And she, in turn, helps them.
Which character would be likely to...
1) Enjoy an all you can eat buffet?
Hristo. Hands down.
Aaru would be fascinated but worried about all the waste.
2) Spend an entire day in the library?
Aaru, because it's quiet.
Or Ilina, because she's Very Curious.
3) Have their own YouTube channel (and what would it be focused on)?
Hmm. I can think of a few who might, actually.
Gerel's would be a health/workout channel.
Chenda's would revolve around activism.
Ilina's would be a self-help/inspirational channel.
4) Play video games?
Hristo and Ilina would play video games together. Sometimes Mira would watch.
5) Have a career in diplomacy or government?
Absolutely Chenda.
6) Own their own company?
Ilina.
7) Travel the world and blog about it?
Mira.
When She Reigns by Jodi Meadows
Series: Fallen Isles #3
Previous Books in the Series: Before She Ignites, As She Ascends
Be warned that this summary may contain spoilers for the first two books in the series!
The Last Hope
About the Author
Be warned that this summary may contain spoilers for the first two books in the series!
The First Dragon
The Great Abandonment has begun. Panic has seized the Fallen Isles, where no one knows which god will rise next. Mira Minkoba believes her dreams hold the secret to bringing an end to the destruction, but in order to save her people, she’ll have to find a legendary treasure: the bones of the first dragon.
Mira’s desperate search leads the Hopebearer and her friends on a dangerous journey into the heart of enemy territory: the Algotti Empire itself. The empress is more than willing to help—for an impossible price. And as tensions escalate beneath the shadows of the risen gods, Mira grapples with a terrifying question: What will she have to sacrifice to preserve what she loves?
The explosive finale to Jodi Meadows’s Fallen Isles trilogy is ablaze with sizzling romance and fiery magic as Mira’s fight to save dragons from extinction evolves into a mission to save her world from annihilation.
Jodi Meadows wants to be a ferret when she grows up and she has no self-control when it comes to yarn, ink, or outer space. Still, she manages to write books. She is the author of the Incarnate Trilogy, the Orphan Queen duology, and the Fallen Isles Trilogy (HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen), and a coauthor of the New York Times bestsellers My Lady Jane and My Plain Jane (HarperTeen). She lives in rural Virginia. Visit her at www.jodimeadows.com
About the Preorder Goodies
What you get:
- A signed When She Reigns bookplate!
- When She Reigns dragon stickers!
- When She Reigns bookmark!
- When She Reigns dragon card!
If you order a book from One More Page, then you get all of the above plus:
- Exclusive 3” round sticker designed by Hey Atlas Creative (will arrive with your book)
- A signed, personalized, and stamped edition
How you get it:
- Preorder When She Reigns.
- Forward the receipt to unicornwarlord@gmail.com (Feel free to delete any personal information you don’t want me to see.)
- Make sure to include your address at the top of the email — and write it out exactly as it needs to be to write it on an envelope. International readers, this is you especially since I don’t always know where the line breaks should be!
- If you order multiple books, then you get multiples of all the things! Just be sure to tell Jodi at the top of your email.
Supplies are limited, especially the exclusive!
Offer ends 11:59 pm Eastern, September 9, 2019.
And yes, this giveaway is INTERNATIONAL.
Here’s where to preorder:
There's a blog tour-wide giveaway happening where one winner will get a custom enamel pin and a $25 Amazon gift card! This giveaway is open internationally. All you have to do is enter via the Rafflecopter form!
Don't forget to check out the rest of the tour:
9/2 Bookcrushin’ | Review & Reading Guide
9/3 Smada’s Book Smack | Character Traits
9/4 Mary Had A Little Book Blog | Painted Edges Tutorial
9/5 The YA Book Traveler | Dress Like Mira
9/6 Alexa Loves Books | Q & A
9/7 Moonlight Rendezvous | Review and Spotlight
9/8 YA and Wine | Guest Post
Love these questions and answers!
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