Jodie M. Swanson, a graduate from Owen-Withee High School, has served in the US Air Force and writes what her dreams tell her to. Sometimes she blurs the genre line when writing fantasy, paranormal, military/conspiracy, and alien contact. In her science fiction writing, she uses lots of real-life conversations and experiences.
Her first work, Another Day, was originally written over seventeen years ago, but she never pursued publishing back then. Seven years later, while recovering from a major surgery, Swanson found her manuscript and decided to write the second in that series, Another Time. Swanson said, “I always thought I should write more of the first book of Rebecca’s story. Took me a while, even though I had all the titles and storylines planned out. I just needed time.”
Swanson admits that self-publishing was her only option as agents didn’t like her style for that series. “I liked the format I chose. I made everything more immediate to all the people who were beta readers for me back then. And when Stephenie Meyer made it big with a similar style, I knew that no one was going to tell me no again.” With that mindset, she wrote a four-part series and has some fans asking for more titles within it.
But Swanson moved onto a stand-alone novel, Illness, next. “It was a forty-minute nap that allowed me to dream the world of a gifted Jessica Reynoldi. I dreamt her whole childhood and the twenty months of her time on a military space-station-turned-academy called IDEA. The whole world and how everything functioned there was set. I just needed to write it…because I remember typing this just before I woke.” And what did she type? “I don’t really know what I want to say, other than I am afraid. I think I may be the next person to die. To be the victim of what I have witnessed. To be eaten. I know this may be my first, last, only entry I transmit on this subject. I am not sure I will last the night.” From that, she brought to life the whole world of IDEA, Interstellar Discipline and Exploration Academy, how it functioned, and what the mystery is.
Some of her fans messaged her and asked her to write a biography. She said she scoffed at the idea, because, “Who cares about a no-name farm girl from Wisconsin? Who cares about a veteran not writing about a war story? No one.” She said she already was putting her real-life stories into her writing. But she agreed to tell some of her tales a different way. She wrote Enlistment to tell a more personal side using real-world events, her time when stationed in England, and her life at the time she wrote it. “I had some of my readers come up to me and tell me that they have put me on their favorite authors list after reading that one. Though I am really proud of that book because it is so grounded in my personal life, I have warned my mom about reading it. She will be finishing it about the time this article goes live. Inward cringe.” Swanson shrugged. “But it is real-life, and I love when fans ask me this question: at what point does it become not real?”
But the saga she is writing now? Jodie smiled. “Ah, the Nadar Blackwing adventures. Blackwing is an elven fantasy based on a character I rolled to play a dice game (Dungeons and Dragons) one time, just one game, with my brother. I happened to roll everything about my character that I wanted, right down to eye color. And she stuck to being the kind of character I wanted to write about later. So, about twenty-five years later, she came forward when my son said I should do it because my brother told him about her. I did. Most fun and fast-paced writing I have ever done.” And has it been worth it? Swanson grinned and nodded. “Everyone who has read it tells me this, this is my genre, and they can’t wait for more. Some hope I will not let Nadar Blackwing end with DROW. So I already am working on five more stories to complement the saga. The Pact and Omar and The Vow are some of the names for the saga.”
Despite her quick writing and releasing of the Blackwing saga, Swanson also was testing her ability with amateur sleuthing with a work titled The Writer Within. “It started off when my writing group was having one of our meetings to help each other grow and market our books. One of the authors kept referencing listening to the voice of the writing, the author within. It spoke to me so I jumped on it.”
She has several other novels she’s working on, one of which is called The Empire of Angels. When asked what her inspiration was for it, she said, “I was jamming out while writing, and a song came on. It moved me and I was suddenly seeing vivid battle scenes with angels as if I was one. I quickly jotted down the images and feelings. As the song by Thomas Bergersen ended, I saw the name of the song was what I had already titled my newest idea. Knew that meant a lot of biblical and historical research, but the intensity burns within me. I shared it, and other songs that move me, on my fan page.” She said that some of her fans appreciate her sharing the music or inspiration so they can experience the process and guess where it comes into play within a book.
What does Swanson do in her free time? “Oh my gosh. I like to hike and camp. I also visit my horse, a rescued horse named Moose.” She likes to play basketball and volleyball but hasn’t had the ability to do so recently. Swanson also likes doing theatre, both directing and acting, book signings, art, and occasional movies. She likes doing dinner, wine tasting, and game nights with friends. She also likes to travel. When all that isn’t available, Swanson is reading or working on her own literary adventures.
Where was Swanson when she was military? Basic for her Air Force training was in Texas. Her first real base was in England. Afterwards, she moved to Pope AFB in NC and then a few other bases before getting out on “the” September 11th. “I remember the feelings and the footage of that day well. Still affects me.”
If Swanson could tell a potential reader something about how she writes, she said, “I would tell them how I listen to music when I am writing. Different scenes need different styles. I would also let them know I see the scenes as if I am watching a movie. Sometimes I feel like I am struggling to keep up with the action or emotions. I get such an emotional rush from it. I hope my readers do too, one way or another.”
Get your copies of Jodie M. Swanson’s works in ebook format or softcover wherever you buy your books, though Swanson points out Amazon is the easiest for most people. You can also follow her on Facebook and Twitter: Jodie M. Swanson. “Get lost in her adventures.”
girl reading a book, pixabay
Links:
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/JodieMSwanson/
Amazon Links for Books:
Enlistment
Blackwing (a Nadar Blackwing novel Book 1)
Illness
