Author video Interview of Jillian Dodd

Jillian Dodd grew up on a farm in Nebraska, where she developed a love for Midwestern boys and Nebraska football. She has drank from a keg in a cornfield, attended the University of Nebraska, got to pass her candle, and did have a boy ask her to marry him in a bar. She met her own prince in college, and they have two amazing children, a Maltese named Sugar Bear, and two Labrador puppies named Camber Lacy and Cali Lucy.

She is the author of the That Boy Trilogy and The Keatyn Chronicles Series.

Thank you for taking the time out to answer some questions for Andrea’s Book Blog!

I was so happy to hear you are from my hometown Omaha, NE, and was so excited to share that news with my fellow Omaha friends. While reading This Boy, I can tell the love you have for the state of Nebraska and that you’re a huge Husker fan. I smiled and laughed so hard when you described all of the tailgating and the social parties centered around Husker games, which are so true to Nebraska residents.

Now let’s start the interview:
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Was this book based on a real experience? If so, what parts, and if not, how did you get the idea of this book?

The characters in the book and three of the major scenes came directly from dreams that I had. I was an avid reader, so I wrote the scenes down and wanted to know more. How they got to those scenes in their lives. I loved the characters. I think everything you do in your life and the things you learn and people you meet along the way sort of mush up into your characters and what you write. I grew up in a small town in Nebraska. That Boy was set in a similar town. The small town atmosphere, the parties in the cornfields, was definitely something I did growing up. Some things in That Boy and That Wedding were pieces of things that happened to me growing up, but the story itself is nothing like my life. I grew up on a farm with all girl cousins living next door. Living next door to two hot boys was totally my fantasy life.

Are there any particular authors or books that influenced you in any way, either growing up or as an adult?

I’ve always loved to read. Nancy Drew was a big influence in my life. I read all of them more than once. Ned was my first book boyfriend. Beyond that, I read spy novels for fun. I really didn’t want to be a writer when I grew up. I wanted to be a girl version of James Bond.

What made you want to write the The Keatyn Chronicles? Where did you get inspiration to write these books?

I love book series. I knew I wanted to do a series that was a little more like a television show. Before I published and had some success with That Boy, I started writing it like a TV series. A day every day in Keatyn’s life. I was going to do them as blog posts. But I liked it so much, I wrote three books worth of content. Once plotted and character arced, those three books became the six book series. And although JJ is more of a tomboy, Keatyn is so different. She shares my love of fashion. I get to style her outfits. It’s been so fun creating a world for her.

Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?

I worked on That Boy for about 10 years. I think I was my own biggest hurdle. The last English class I had was my Freshman year in college. It wasn’t something I set out to do. If it weren’t for my family encouraging me, and my husband saying you need to finish this and prove that you can do it for your kids, along with the changes in the industry, That Boy never would have seen the light of day.

Have you written a book you love, but have not published yet?

Not yet. I have a new obsession. I went to France and was majorly inspired. For about four days I did nothing but write major scenes from the book. That book will be something that I work on next year.

Are there any projects are you working on now that you would like your fans to know about?

My major project is to finish the other three books in The Keatyn Chronicles. Once that is done, I’ll work on That Baby and the unnamed French project, which excitingly, spins off a character from the KC.

Andrea’s Book Blog believes in helping others help themselves; is there a charity or organization that you support that you would like for your fans to know about?

Absolutely. I feel that giving back is super important and a percentage of the proceeds from That Boy and really, all my books, goes to charity. I’ve donated almost $20,000 in the last two years to the Make-A-Wish foundation, The University of Nebraska Foundation, and The Chi Omega Foundation.

http://wish.org/

http://nufoundation.org/

http://www.chiomega.com/wemakeadifference