Happy International Women's Day! I'm grateful to and in awe of all the incredible women who have listened to their inner voice, blasted glass ceilings, changed the world with their compassion, power, grit and grace, and continue to blaze trails. Sending love and light to the divine feminine within us all.   

Forgive me! My social media absence was only to get Book Two to you! Hidden hints and teasers in this photo... amazing cover reveal coming soon!

To celebrate, the incredible Dr Maxine Thompson interviewed me on her radio show for Artist First. We chat about diversity in YA literature, where the idea for Werejaguars in TRUST came from & so much more. You can listen in by clicking below:

In addition to this interview, since the paperback of TRUST is now officially available on AMAZON, Barnes&noble.com & at select Barnes & Noble stores across the country (if yours doesn't carry my Between Lions Series, just ask Customer Service for help & your copy shipped to you ASAP), we have been celebrating with #GIVEAWAYS!

​If you want win an autographed copy of TRUST, follow my JodiBakerAuthorFacebookPage for news on the latest celebratory offerings. Check out the LIVE FB video promo I made with taste-maker & fabulous blogger the Arriviste! It has all the details for how to win in each upcoming Giveaway. These great bloggers & I have give away two paperbacks & one ebook so far...and there will be more chances to win, so stay tuned!

Most importantly:
I want to thank every single one of the readers who has liked, tweeted, about & recommended TRUST to their friends & followers. Without you, none of this would be possible.

Thank you for helping to make my dream a reality.
​Thank you for taking the time to read my book, TRUST.

I know you are waiting to find out what happens next to Anna & Cax.

I promise that I am working very hard to get Book Two to you VERY SOON! 

Congrats to Georgia Williamson, winner of the first TRUST Blog Tour Giveaway Prize!

Thanks to Georgia for entering & thanks to the fabulous Liv The Book Nerd Blog for hosting my first Giveaway Contest!

The odds of winning on this TRUST Blog Tour stay ever in your favor because I have more Giveaway Prize-winning possibilities coming up!!

The next one will be for an Autographed Paperback Copy or TRUST!!!
Stay tuned in & ready to win by following me on:

Twitter (@jodibakerbooks),
like my Facebook JodiBakerAuthor Page,
or you can follow me on Jodi Baker Author Goodreads page

I'll be posting the latest upcoming details on the TRUST blog tour & all the new contest-winning opportunities.

You can check out my lovely Author interview chat about all things TRUST, writing advice, & YA Book love with Liv The Book Nerd by clicking here.

Congrats & Happy Reading Georgia!

​To celebrate the paperback release I'm going on a TRUST Blog Tour this fall! There will be Giveaways, Prizes, interviews with incredible Book Bloggers, fun chats with amazing YA Writers & more!
 
I'm thrilled to announce that it all begins today! The tour starts with one of my favorite bloggers: Liv The Book Nerd. We had a great Q&A about kick-ass female heroines, fave YA books, & the best writing advice I ever heard.

On Liv The Book Nerd's lovely blog you can enter the Giveaway Contest to win a signed paperback or ebook copy of TRUST! 

​Let the celebration of TRUST begin!

"May the odds be ever in your favor." ;)

In two days, at the Leimert Park Village Book Fair, I'll be chatting about 'Unlocking the Creativist in You.'

Creativity is one of my FAVORITE things to talk about. When I visit schools, students ask me a lot about the writing process. They ask questions about character development, plot, world building and so on - things writers do love to go on and on about, because, well, it's what we do!

Inevitably, there is always someone who says, "I could NEVER..."

Never say never to me. That's like a huge, neon-flashing, spotlight from the heavens invitation/dare that I will ALWAYS accept.

Twenty minutes laster, when their eyes are lit up & they have, through a few games & exercises - and bravery!!! -  actually done the thing they believed to be impossible, which was to create a story/a character/an idea that any artist would be excited to paint, write, dance, or compose...

Well. It doesn't get much better then that.:)

A decade ago, when I decided to try to be a writer, I created a set of rules for myself. They worked so well that today, ten years later, before I sit down to work, I always read them.

They work.

Every. Singe. Time . 

To help Unlock Your Inner Creativist, I'm going to share them with you:

The Leimert Park Village Book Fair is free, fantastic & going to be so fun!

At 11 am, you can see me on the Unlocking Your Creativist Panel with some pretty fantastic people. I am really excited to hear what they have to share on the subject (see rule #8). 

Hope to see you there!

PS - I will be signing copies of TRUST after the panel to celebrate the paperback release!

PPS - If you don't live in LA & can't make the fair:
Over the next few weeks, I'm going to blog more specifically
​about each of my Creativist Rules, so stay tuned!!! 

I wrote that line years ago and today I'm finding those words to be still oh-so-relevant.

This is the quote I whisper to myself when I open my journal, scratch out my musings & try to write bravely.

This is the quote I say to myself when I hit the point where I want to quit.

This is the quote I am repeating in my head as I try & try again.

To be the girl who 'Happens' you must become comfortable with the uncomfortable that happens on the way to 'Happening'. 

To be the 'Girl' you need to really believe things - whatever sort you wish for - are possible.

To 'Happen to Things', you must harness the amount of energy required to move in this world like a 'Force of Nature'.

My birthday is at the end of August.
I've decided to say this quote of mine every morning when I wake up to inspire myself to discover what is possible to see, choose & do each day.
Excited to find out what will bring me closer.

Who's with me in this quest To Be a Girl Who Happens To Things?

For great chat about Werejackals, writing inspiration, & all things TRUST
click here to check out my fun interview on the Maryam Show!

Or go to: 
​https://soundcloud.com/user-205905930/the-maryam-show-4-23-2016

San Jose has a fantastic treasure called the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum. 
If you are visiting there, you simply MUST visit the recreated Pharaoh tomb.

In addition to creepy stairs & eerie statues that make you feel like you're in an Indiana Jones movie, when you get into the actual tomb you will see hieroglyphics on the walls & ceiling that are beyond fantastic. 

In ancient times, the Egyptian scribes would decorate the tomb with passages & illustrations from The Book of The Dead, which was like a guide book for the afterlife. Rather thoughtful, I think.

Since the video is, admittedly, a bit dark, I also snapped some pictures to share. Here are my two favorite walls:

On the left, we have Anubis with his jackal head, getting ready to weigh the heart of the deceased on the scale. If it is heavier than the feather on the other side of the scale, it goes to the Alligator headed fellow in the middle, named Amit, for dinner. Behind them is the Ibis headed Librarian recording it all...

The animal headed Egyptian Gods are what gave me the idea for the shapeshifting Guardians in my book TRUST. Anubis is the inspiration for the Werejackals that guard the Museion.

On the right are two other famous Egyptian Gods I adore.
​Can anyone guess who they are?