Featured Author: Jodi Picoult

When I think of Jodi Picoult, the first words I think of are raw and unafraid. When I say the word unafraid, I'm referring to the fact that she speaks her mind, tells it like it is, and doesn't compromise who she is for anyone. I like that, and I admire it. She's as smart as she is creative, having graduated from Princeton, and then going on to earn a master's degree from Harvard.

Jodi is a #1 New York Times bestselling author who has been described by Stephen King as a writer who writes with "unassuming brilliance." Several of her books have been turned into films, both on TV and on the big screen. 

Her latest, Leaving Time, already has over 1,600 five-star reviews on Amazon, which isn't surprising. Her work just keeps getting better and better. 

In 2011 I wrote Jodi and asked what advice she'd give to new authors. Her advice wasn't surprising. Believe in yourself. This is the key to all things, isn't it? It's a seed that sprouts within all of us. What you choose to do with it, and how much you allow it to grow, is something only you can figure out for yourself. That's my two cents, and I'll let her describe her advice in her own words: 

"I had over 100 rejections from agents. What I believe is that the people who believe they are going to make it eventually do - you don't have to sway everyone but you DO have to have a single person fall in love with your manuscript, and often if you won't give up it makes someone take a second glance. I also think it is important to stick to your guns. If an agent insists a YA novel won't work in first person and you think it will, don't change to simply "make the sale." Eventually you'll find someone who believes in strongly as you do in your voice."

  

--Jodi Picoult