Dark Days of Winter: Interview with Jodi Meadows

Welcome to the YA Sisterhood and this leg of the DARK DAYS OF WINTER Tour, the BIGGEST Dark Days Tour yet! We're so excited to have Jodi Meadows on the blog, author of the recently released INCARNATE from Harper Collins. You all might be sick of hearing us talk about how much we love her, and INCARNATE, INCARNATE'S cover, and INCARNATE'S Book Trailer.... BUT TOO BAD! Because we're here to give this fantastic author and her book even more love! If you missed our review of INCARNATE, feel free to check it out now! And if you think we're biased, just check out one of more than 300 5-star reviews on Goodreads (and the book only came out Tuesday)!  


You can stay up to date with all Dark Days news on the Pitch Dark Facebook page, including exclusive content features every Wednesday.  You can also follow Dark Days on twitter here.

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NEWSOUL
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL
Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART
Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all? 

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So, since this is the BIGGEST Dark Days Tour ever... We've asked Jodi to reveal the answers to some BIG questions!

Who was your BIGGEST crush as a teen? (Mine was Kirk Cameron)

The love interest in whatever book I was reading. Mmm, fictional boys.


YAY! We're with you there! We loved fictional boys so much that we started a Tournament just to fangirl over them! :)

What is your BIGGEST regret or mistake?

I've made a lot of mistakes, but I try not to regret them. Every choice I've made -- good and bad -- has shaped who I am now. But the biggest mistakes . . . probably involve (non-fictional) boys and kissing. 

Amy says Ditto. :) Brittany is proud to say she has very few boy/kissing related mistakes. 

What is the BIGGEST secret you've kept from your parents?

Wait, is my mom reading this? No? Okay, mumblemumble years later, I still haven't told my mom about the times I drove off school campus during my free period so I could kiss my boyfriend. (Clearly real boys were a problem for me. Fictional boys were often better influences.)

Haha! As sisters, we definitely deal in secrets, too. Amy's biggest secret didn't stay hidden from our parent's long, thanks to me (Baby Sister Brittany). Hey-- what are little sisters for?

What is your BIGGEST joy or achievement to date?

Oh man, I have a lot of them! But in keeping with the theme of boys . . . marrying my husband. Who, by the way, is not made of fiction. Just so we're clear.

Congratulations-- on the marriage and the fact that he's real. :)

What was your BIGGEST hurdle or fear while writing or trying to get INCARNATE published?

The fear that no one would ever say yes, and that I'd never achieve my dream of sharing my stories with strangers.

Well... we're certainly glad that Harper Collins said yes, and you got to share your stories with us!

Which represents the BIGGEST challenge-- Dragons or Sylphs?

Tie! As the author, I can't commit to Team Sylph or Team Dragon. I love (and fear!) both of them equally.

Brittany is officially Team Dragon. Amy is Team Sylph. Ruh-roh. Sister Civil War. 

Music is such a strong theme in INCARNATE, what or who is your BIGGEST musical obsession?

Currently, Snow Patrol, Ludovico Einaudi, Ólafur Arnalds -- wait, by biggest was I supposed to choose only one? 

Well... since we've only heard of Snow Patrol, looks like we might be discovering some new artists!

What book has been the BIGGEST influence in your life thus far?

Oh there are SO many books that have affected my life, but coming down to it . . . probably WAIT TILL HELEN COMES by Mary Downing Hahn. My 7th grade English teacher read it to the class and that was the first time a) I realized writing was something people could do as a job, and b) the fantasy/paranormal/magic in books could be REAL, rather than explained away by SCIENCE.

We are big supporters of Fantasy being REALITY. We're still waiting for our Hogwarts letters. 

And lastly...

What's the BIGGEST word in your vocabulary?

Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

(That's totally a big word.) (If you drag it out for a full minute.) (You don't need to breathe, right?)

Just how long can you say Um without breathing? Amy's best was 33 seconds. Brittany's was only 15 seconds. For the record... she doesn't smoke. She has asthma. #excuses You all should see if you can beat 33 seconds! It's surprisingly fun!

And that's a wrap! A HUGE, erm, I mean-- BIG Thank you to Jodi for letting us interview her! And thanks to Harper Collins for allowing us to be a part of the Dark Days Tour! It's been amazing! 

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Jodi Meadows lives and writes in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, with her husband, a Kippy*, and an alarming number of ferrets. She is a confessed book addict, and has wanted to be a writer ever since she decided against becoming an astronaut.

Be sure to check out the next stops on the Dark Days of Winter Tour.

Leg 2

2/7 Brodi Ashton at The Readiacs

2/9 Courtney Allison Moulton at Reading Teen

Leg 3

2/21 Lauren Oliver at All Things Urban Fantasy

2/22 Claudia Gray at A Life Bound By Books

2/23 Alex Flinn at Mundie Moms

2/28 Dan Wells at Bookalicious

3/1 Lauren Oliver at All Things Urban Fantasy

3/6 Claudia Gray at A Life Bound By Books

3/7 Alex Flinn at Mundie Moms

3/8 Dan Wells at Bookalicious

Leg 4

TK Jill Hathaway at Down the Rabbit Hole

TK Kimberly Derting at Confessions of a Bookaholic

And, catch the author tour at a city near you!

Leg 2

Cynthia Hand (HALLOWED), Brodi Ashton (EVERNEATH), Jodi Meadows (INCARNATE) and Courtney Allison Moulton (WINGS OF THE WICKED)

February 16^th @ 5pm | Barnes & Noble | Southlake, TX | A Good Addiction 

February 17^th @ 7pm | Barnes & Noble | Austin, TX | Mundie Moms 

February 18^th @ 4pm | Blue Willow Bookshop | Houston, TX | Once Upon a Twilight

Leg 3

Lauren Oliver (PANDEMONIUM), Claudia Gray (BALTHAZAR), and Dan Wells (PARTIALS)

March 9^th @ 6:30pm | Books & Books | Coral Gables, FL | Harmony's Radiant Reads 

March 10^th @ 2pm | Barnes & Noble | Alpharetta, GA | TK

March 11^th @ 4pm | Vroman’s | Los Angeles, CA | TK

*LIVESTREAM event   

Leg 4

Kimberly Derting (THE LAST ECHO), Jill Hathaway (SLIDE), and Dan Wells (PARTIALS)

April 18^th @ 7pm | Books & Co | Dayton, OH | TK

April 19^th @ 7pm | Anderson’s Bookshop | Naperville, IL | TK    

April 20^th @ 7pm | Barnes & Noble | Burlington, MA | TK

Exclusive Reveal: Incarnate by Jodi Meadows Trailer

Today is a BIG HUGE, day!  Right now, we at The YA Sisterhood are able to exclusively reveal the  trailer of Jodi Meadow's Incarnate!  It is gorgeous and encompasses the theme of the book perfectly!  And, Incarnate will officially be released in exactly ONE week!  That's right kids! Mark your calendars, bombard your bookstores, fight off the other buyers if necessary! You don't want to miss this! If you want to find out more about Incarnate, visit our Top 10 Reasons why you should read Incarnate, and be sure to check back on Feburary 2nd for our special Dark Days of Winter interview with Jodi Meadows.

Without further ado, here is the Incarnate Trailer: 

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Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Available January 31st, 2012

Pulished by HarperCollins

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NEWSOUL
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL
Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART
Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all? 

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Dark Days of Winter Blog Tour

We are ecstatic to be hosting Jodi Meadows on HarperTeen's Dark Days of Winter Blog Tour.  We have had our eyes on Incarnate from the moment we saw that it had sold on publisher's marketplace.  Before we had even had a chance to read this book, we knew it would be a big one!  Then they released the cover, and we were left in absolute awe of the sheer gorgeousness of it!  Also, be sure to come back on February 2nd, where we will have a special interview with Jodi Meadows.

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
Published by: HarperCollins
Release Date: January 31, 2012

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NEWSOUL
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL
Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART
Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all? 

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Words cannot express my absolute joy of hosting THIS BOOK on the Dark Days Tour.  From the turn of the first page there is something completely different and deeply inspiring about Incarnate.  If you are looking for something completely different then pick up this book.  Because of our love for this book a simple review would not do, so as you have seen with a few of our absolutely favorite books, we are going to do a top 10 list!

SO... here it is! Our TOP TEN FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT INCARNATE:

10.  SETTING: The setting adds so much to the overall feel of the novel.  It's frankly a creepy city in the shadow of an even creepier tower!  All the houses and buildings look the same, and somehow they have all mananged to remain standing for 5,000 years.  It has a very eery feeling, but I can't disregard this nagging feeling that there is something important about all the buildings.  And, it may not be a good thing!

9.  REINCARNATION:  Yes, yes, we know what you are going to say that you've read an reincarnation story, BUT let me tell you that Jodi has completely reinvented reincarnation.  How about being able to remember every single life for the past 5000 years.  Plus, never knowing if you are going to come back as a female or a male.  And, what if you are in love with a person, and you both come back as the same sex or you come back years apart?  Let me tell you, total crazy awesomeness!  I loved this idea!  I could sit here and think of hundreds of evil scenarios that Jodi could put her characters through!  So great!

8.  SYLPHS: We all know that the YA World is a bit tired of the traditional mythological creatures. "Why Hello there, Vampire. Nice to see you... again. And again. Oh, what? You brought a werewolf along? How... obvious." It was so refreshing to see Meadows take this more obscure Mythological creature that controls air, and give it a prominent place in her story. And on top of that... the burning that a sylph attack causes was a fresh twist on the original myth! 

7.  GENRE: We're not sure if genre is the right word, but this book definitely has a different feel than any other YA book on the market at the moment. It feels a bit like a futuristic sci-fi, but at the same time has elements that feel Medieval. High Fantasy meets Science Fiction meets Religion and Reincarnation-- you can't get more unique than that!

6.  MUSIC: We would be remiss if we didn't mention the music!  The whole book reads like one long beautiful symphony.  And, the grande piano is to die for! Even though we can't hear the music, the scenes in which Sam and Ana play are so vivid that I can imagine the melody all the same! 


5. DEPTH: Unlike some YA books (though I love all kinds), Incarnate had a philosophical depth that is too often missing in young adult fiction. Yes, there was action and romance and fantasy, but there was also a deeper sense of meaning and questioning that made this book linger in my mind long after I'd read it.  

4.  THE MASQUERADE: Guys. I'm not sure how to tell you how much I loved the scene at the masquerade ball without telling you what happens, but I will say that my heart was beating a mile a minute from beginning to end! 


3. DRAGONS: I can never say no to Dragons. They are SO cool!


2.  THE WRITING: Meadows writing has a lyrical, poetic feel that goes beyond simple description, and instead engages the senses and the mind to build a world that is at once fully realized and mysterious. In other words, girl's got skills. :)


1.  THE ROMANCE!!! Holy meltiness, Batman, the slow-paced, realistic romance was breathtaking.  We loved that the romance didn't happen at warp speed.  Don't let that run you off though, Sam and Anna's relationship is sweet and deep.  Anna has never been around anyone besides her mother for her entire life, so everything she is experiencing is for the first time.  And, Sam gets to be her teacher!  To see her experience and learn so many things with Sam is like one of those romantic musical montages in movies that leave you sighing!  With this slow build to the romance, comes what I LOVE in my books-- the yearning, the questioning, and the longing!  The torment of the does-he- doesn't-he-love-me kind is the best kind of torment! 


That's it, our top 10 favorite things about Incarnate!  Well, what are you waiting for, GO PRE-ORDER THIS BOOK!!!

Be sure to visit the other blogs on the Dark Days Blog Tour!

Leg 1

1/4   Tahereh Mafi at Reading Vacation

1/5   Ellen Schreiber at I Read Banned Books

1/6   Veronica Rossi at Supernatural Snark

1/9   Tahereh Mafi at Reading Vacation

1/10 Ellen Schreiber at I Read Banned Books

1/11 Veronica Rossi at Supernatural Snark

Leg 2

1/16 Cynthia Hand at The Story Siren

1/19 Jodi Meadows at The YA Sisterhood

1/24 Brodi Ashton at The Readiacs

1/26 Courtney Allison Moulton at Reading Teen

1/31 Cynthia Hand at The Story Siren

2/2   Jodi Meadows at The YA Sisterhood

2/7   Brodi Ashton at The Readiacs

2/9   Courtney Allison Moulton at Reading Teen

Leg 3

2/21 Lauren Oliver at All Things Urban Fantasy

2/22 Claudia Gray at A Life Bound By Books

2/23 Alex Flinn at Mundie Moms

2/28 Dan Wells at Bookalicious

3/1   Lauren Oliver at All Things Urban Fantasy

3/6   Claudia Gray at A Life Bound By Books

3/7   Alex Flinn at Mundie Moms

3/8   Dan Wells at Bookalicious

Contest Giveaway: Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Wanna win and ARC of the amazing Incarnate by Jodi Meadows?

Trust me, you do. Check out our Waiting on Wednesday post for the book and our Teaser Tuesday.

Or just check out this summary:

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NEWSOUL

Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL

Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART

Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Jodi Meadows expertly weaves soul-deep romance, fantasy, and danger into an extraordinary tale of new life.

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Now do you want to win it?

Well, you're in luck, because we happen to have an ARC to give away!

Rather than doing a random giveaway, we've decided to hold a contest. As some of you know, we're gearing up for the next YA Sisterhood Tournament! Thanks to your votes, we will be hosting the YA Tournament of Heroines! 

We're asking you all-- YA Sisters in Spirit-- to help us kick off this tournament with an extra special contest (with Incarnate as the prize). 

Here's what you have to do: 

*Make a banner AND a matching icon for the YA Tournament of Heroines!

*It must have the following somewhere on the banner: YA Sisterhood, the url for YA Sisterhood, and  Tournament of Heroines. The rest is up to you! Get creative, friends! Pictures, fanart, quotes, catchphrases-- go all out!

The winning banner/icon will be featured as the official banner for the tournament, and that banner's creator will be the proud new owner of an Incarnate ARC. 

You have until 5pm Central time on Wednesday, November 16th to get us your entry. After that we will choose the winning banner, and the nominations for the Tournament will go live that night at midnight. 

That's right-- at 12:01 AM Thursday, November 17th, Nominations will open for the Tournament of Heroines. You will only have one week to nominate your favorite leading ladies of YA literature, so be sure to spread the word! 

When your finish your banner/icon, you can email it to yasisterhood@gmail.com. Be sure to also leave a comment here stating that you entered, so we can make sure we got your entry successfully. If you don't hear back from us, most likely your email went astray, and you'll need to send it again. 

Best of Luck! May the odds be ever in your favor!

-YA Sisterhood

Teaser Tuesday: Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading!

To participate all you have to do is:

•Grab your current read

•Open to a random page

•Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page

•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!) 

 Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

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NEWSOUL

Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL

Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART

Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Jodi Meadows expertly weaves soul-deep romance, fantasy, and danger into an extraordinary tale of new life.

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A few weeks ago, I did a Waiting on Wednesday on Incarnate by Jodi Meadows. I'd been waiting FOREVER to read this book. And now that I have read it, I can say without a doubt-- it was worth the wait! I have to wait until we're a little closer to the release date to post a review, but I can give you guys a sneak peak here! It's a bit long for a Teaser Tuesday, but I couldn't help it. When I read the book, I think I marked like 10 different spots that I wanted to do for Teaser Tuesday. It was hard to choose, but I think this one reflects really well what the book is about. Well, here goes! Hope you all enjoy!

He reclaimed my hand and stopped, spinning me toward him as though we were dancing. "I just thought of a name for your waltz." 

I waited. 

"If you like it, that is. We can always change it." His voice shook, probably because it had been such an awful morning but I imagined he wanted my approval. "Ana Incarnate." 

My heart felt too big for my ribs to cage. 

For all the unfair head kissing, the way we hadn't kissed in the kitchen and his grudging agreement to dance with me every morning-- it suddenly seemed like he knew me better than anyone in the world. Better than anyone ever would. 

He'd seen my deepest need, buried so far I'd hardly been aware of it. 

There was no telling if I'd be reborn when I died, but the waltz began and ended with my four notes. He'd built me the music around things that reminded him of me. And now this name. My name. 

A hundred or thousand years after I died, someone could play my waltz, even Li, who'd always resented my presence, and they would remember me. 

Thanks to Sam, I was immortal. 

Covers to Die For

I LOVE LOVE LOVE book covers!!!  A lot of times, I pick my books just by the covers!  If it has an amazing cover, I'm game!  These are some amazing ones I've come across lately!  What are some great covers you've run across recently?  Feel free to link them in the comments or do a post of your own!

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Forbidden by Syrie James and Ryan James

Published by:  HarperTeen

Release date:  January 24th, 2012

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Dragonswood by Janet Lee Carey

Published by:  Penguin

Release date:  January 5th, 2012

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Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Published by:  HarperCollins

Release date:  January 31st, 2012

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Aren't these all just stunning?!?!  I love them! Click on the covers to find out more information on each book.