Ask Jodi Picoult - February 27, 2013 discussion

Welcome to the group! Jodi will be answering questions on Wednesday, February 27, 2013. In the meantime if you have a question for Jodi or just want to introduce yourself feel free to do so in this thread. Jodi will only be answering questions posted in this thread.

My name is Christine Hatfield and i'm 25 years old and i work at the riverside elementary school where i help little kids that are handicapped and i play the piano and i'm making bracelets for the make a wish foundation and i have a medical problem

Hi, my name is Teri, I am married with two grown sons. I work part-time and in my spare time... I love to read! Jodi Picoult is my favorite author and I anxiously await each new book.

It's nice to meet you Teri

I was curious whose narrative you had in mind first: Minka's story, her real life narrative in the camps, Josef's, Leo's or Sage's. Or did they all come to life simultaneously. Was one easier to write than the others?

I would like to ask why the ending to 'My Sister's Keeper' was changed so dramatically from the book to the movie adaptation.

I am new to this site. It was recommended to my by my physical therapist. I just had hip surgery. We started talking about books when she saw my Kindle. I am so glad. This is a great way to know more about how stories are developed and to know about authors. I love to read and Jodi Picoult is one of my favorites. I have read all of her books and can't wait for the new one. I too would like to know why the ending was changed so dramatically in My Sister's Keeper.

Jodi,
Where do you get your inspiration for your novels?
Also, what advice would you give to a young, budding author? How do you get past writer's block?

Hi Jodi,
I have read many of your books and like the multiple character narration. I think it's a very effective tool in establishing the reader - character bond. With that said, I found the narration by Leo and Sage in your latest book particularly interesting. After the book ended, I found myself wanting to know more about their futures. Have you or would you ever consider writing a sequel to any of your novels?
Thanks,
Carrie

Jodi,
I read 'Vanishing Acts' in my early teens and was really moved by the story; I can say it was the book that made me want to start reading 'adult books' :)
I'm just curious, since 5 of your books were already adapted to movies, if you ever thought about write an actual movie-script.
Thank you!

Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors. I have read 10 of her books the latest being Picture Perfect.

My Questions:
Which of your novels was your favorite to write?
Which novel was the hardest to write?
In Nineteen Minutes I think it would be hard for you as a write to have Peter commit such a crime. How did it feel to have to think if this happening in real life instead of just a fictional story?

Thanks for your time

Rachael

Jodi,

The Storyteller was such an emotional read. You are such a gifted author. What would be the most important message that you would like the reader to take away with them after reading your novel?

Hi! My name is Cheyenne and I am a student in high school :) I absolutely love the emotion and depth in Jodi's books!
I was wondering what you use for inspiration to right? For example, if you ever get serious writer's block, what inspires you to keep writing?

Hi Jodi,

I feel like I already know so much about you from reading interview after interview. I became hooked on your books when I was a senior in high school and chose to use the topic of genetic engineering as my final research paper. I read "My Sister's Keeper" as one of my sources, and I fell in love with your writing style.

Now, I am a middle school language arts teacher, and I often use snippets of novels to teach story elements to my students.

My question for you is:

Do you begin your novels with certain themes in your head? Or do those develop as you write? It seems like all of your novels have strong themes, usually dealing with families, and I am just curious how you develop them. It would be great to have an answer from an amazing writer that I could share with my students!

Thanks so much,

Janelle

Hi Jodi,
I am great fan of yours and have read most of your books. I am wondering why so few of your ebooks are at the library. I can only take books out of the library and now that I have a Nook, I would like to read them as ebooks but find that they are not available. I wonder why since so many authors allow the libraries to get the ebooks. And thank you for writing books that tackle so many of the problems of today.

Hello, Jodi!
My name is Ginny and I am aspiring to be a writer! I have a couple of questions: 1. How do you plan out your novels? Do you have a specific technique or order when thinking of the details? 2. "Sing You Home" is my favorite book because it basically defines my personality. I feel like I'm Zoe (except for the lesbian thing, but I'm a big supporter of LGBT rights)! My question here is how much research you had to do to have an accurate court scene. Did you interview a lawyer or judge? I guess my general question here is how do you set up each scene, especially with professional characters. Do you research and interview experts?

Thanks so much!

Ginny

Hi Jodi,
i enjoy your books so much and even prefomed part of your book " my sisters keeper" for a years worth of speach compotitions... and i have to admit there were many times during that i felt tears in my eyes, i was wondering when you wrote it did you also have those moments?

Hi. My name is Carla & I am on The Reader's Advisory Board at Simon & Schuster and the Insider's Circle at Random House. I have read all of Ms. Picoult's books, and I am eager to read this one as well, and look forward to the on line discussion. Thank you for including me

Hi, Jodi,
Your books always affect me so much emotionally. They also always surprise me, though, as well, in the end, when the exact opposite thing I expect occurs. I loved My Sister's Keeper so much, it was my favorite until I read Sing Me Home. My question is here is how do you select your topics? Are they topics you read about or are they topics that touch your life in some way?

Hi Jodi (and the rest of the group)! I am a big fan of yours. I've read many of your books, but still have some more to go. I know there are a few books of yours that share characters. I was wondering if you could tell me which books of yours are connected through their characters?

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions!

My name is Brittaney. The first JP book I read was My Sister's Keeper and from then on, I have to admit, I was hooked. As of recently, I have made it my personal mission to read and collect all JP's current published books. Right now I'm down to needing 6 more books. I'm currently reading Second Glance, and I'm thinking my next read is going to be 10th Circle.. Although I reallllllly want 19 Minutes.

How was 19 Mins to anyone that's read it?
Fave JP books?

Hi Jodi,

So nice to meet you - very big fan of yours! I have yet to read one of your books that hasn't brought out the gamut of emotions for me. I am wondering when you write, are you able to keep your own emotions turned off or do you, yourself get caught up in them as well?

Brittaney wrote: "My name is Brittaney. The first JP book I read was My Sister's Keeper and from then on, I have to admit, I was hooked. As of recently, I have made it my personal mission to read and collect all JP'..."

Definitely read 19 Minutes. It was amazing, as is all of her books. It's a sensitive topic, but it's so worth the read!

Hi, my name is Rachel, I am deaf and I love to read! Will there be a second book to continue the 'My Sister's Keeper'? What did you think of the the movie?

Hi! My name is Vivian from Sydney Australia. I am so excited for you new book. I've read and own every book you've written and I can't wait to read 'The Storyteller'. Just wanted to congratulate you on all your work and it will be a pleasure to read your answers to all the questions.

Hi Jodi,
Change Of Heart is my most favourite novel of yours. I was wondering how you plan out your stories. Do you plot out everything first or just do free writing? How do you decide to insert a character's viewpoint at a particular part of the novel? Also, what advice can you give to writers who are having difficulty adding depth into their characters' personality? Thank you so much!

Hi Jodi,
I love your books! The first one I read was the Pact but my favourite has been Handle with Care, though it was especially emotional. I was wondering about Handle with Care, I found that the book ending would have been fine before the epilogue. Did you find the epilogue necessary to wrap up ends that you had in mind, or was it more for the readers' sake, as I know many people are unhappy with being left hanging with unanswered questions.

Also, with so many varying characters, even in one book since you switch perspective, it seems it'd be hard keeping in character with each of them. Are any of these characters from your personal experiences? Otherwise, how do you manage to realistically portray different ages and genders?
Thanks so much for your time!

Brittaney wrote: "My name is Brittaney. The first JP book I read was My Sister's Keeper and from then on, I have to admit, I was hooked. As of recently, I have made it my personal mission to read and collect all JP'..."

I enjoyed 19 Minutes; not my favourite but definitely up there. The characters were great to get to know throughout the book.

Sam wrote: "I enjoyed 19 Minutes; not my favourite but definitely up there. The characters were great to get to know throughout the book. "

Do you have a particular favorite?

This is not really pertinent but I had the good fortune to meet Jodi in the Atlanta airport about 10 years go. There used to be a great bookstore near the security line and I always used to stop in there as I was passing thru that airport. In those days it was a monthly thing. Jodi was with her mother I think and was signing copies of her latest book. I had one or to of her books in my briefcase. I was thrilled to meet her and I am not embarrassed to say, I gushed! But the funny part was that she was equally excited and
said to her mother, OMG! I have a fan! Best memory ever!

Hi Jodi,

I am a huge fan of your books! My favorite is "The Pact". The first book I ever read that you wrote was "My Sister's Keeper" when I was 15 and I was hooked! When your books are made into movies, do you get input on how the scripts are written?

Hi Jodi,
I don't have time to write, but I always have ideas. I also don't know how to put them onto a page. Do you have any advice? I also find it hard because my brother has won awards for writing stories, and I always feel that whatever I write won't be good enough. Any ideas? Thank you so much and keep writing. I loved your book that you wrote with your daughter, Between the Lines. I loved it so much! Sorry if there are any spelling or grammar mistakes!

Hey Jodi!
Reading your books is my greatest of hobbies, using them as inspiration for a sixteen year old like me to write is only a normal consequence. Keep dazzling us!
Now my question is: I've always wondered how you've been discovered. Like, how did you manage coming out with your very first book?

I'm new to Goodreads and this is my first discussion group. I've enjoyed so many of your books.How do you pick a topic to write about? How was it to write with your daughter? My last question Jodi, Who is your favorite author or your favorite book? Thanks for sharing your talent with us.

Hi everyone! My name is Jamie, born and raised in MN and moved across the country to Cali.

Hi Jodi!

I am such a huge fan of your books. Your books are so thorough, I'd like to hear about your research methods when researching the topics for your books because they touch on such profound topics.

Hi Jodi, will your new book be available on e-books. Do you like your work being on ebooks. I find that the ebooks are great because it doesn't matter how big a book is I can still carry it with me.
Look forward to the new novel.

Hi Jodi, I was introduced to your books when I was fifteen, living in a children's home and going through a very difficult time in my life. I can honestly say that your books were one of the few things that kept me going in those months, sometimes the only reason I looked forward to waking up. Since then I have devoured every single book you've written, and fallen in love with them.
Have you ever been interested in writing about the care system, or about a mother being the one to abuse her child? I think you're the only author who could do such a frightening topic justice, as you never seem afraid to tackle the subjects most people would rather hide from.
Thank you for your time, Samantha.

Hi Jodi.

I'm 37 , have a mid teens son, who thinks I am mad to read so much. He has no idea what a good novel is.

.Firstly I love your writing style, even though I have only read one book and half way through another, i have gone and bought every book you have published.
I have always wanted to become a writer, but what advice could you give me to start?, how do you plan a novel?, I have loads of ideas but don't know how to get them on paper and be so addictive for the reader,.....

My second question.....how long did it take to get a novel wrote and published?, did you have to write several books before the first publication, ...?

Thank you for this oppertunity to interact with a valued author, would love to meet you one day , try and come to water stones in Maidstone,Kent,uk......please , oh and keep up the amazing work you do ...

Jodi, your books are amazing! You are defenitly my favorite author, who's your favorite author? Looking forward to read all the answers! Sally

Hello Jodi ;D my name is Sheng K. Yang but I am called Sky for short. Oh my god! The first book of yours that I have read so far is "Between the Lines" and I fell in love. It is such a sweet beautiful story, I love how when I was reading the book, I think of young cute love. The story is so cute, I love to read stories like that alot. So I was wondering if you will be writing a second book for the "Between the Lines" because I really want to know more of what happens and how Oliver and Delilah live on with their life :D

Hi,
My names Nyamedo. I'm 15 years old and I'm from Ghana and Scotland. I love your books! I was just wondering how you come up with the ideas for them because they're about such a wide range of topics? Also, what inspired you to become a writer?
Thank you for writing such amazing books!

Hi Jodi. I'm Minttu from Finland. I have read My Sister's Keeper, Salem Falls and 19 Minutes this far and am eagerly waiting to get my hands on The Storyteller.

I find it interesting how my perception of your characters often changes quite a bit from the beginning of the book to the end. Is the character's journey and change something you plan before and during the writing process or does it just happen when you write? Also I'd be interested to know about your editing process. Is it a part you look forward to, do you find it difficult and do you already have a new story you are working on while you edit another?

Hi Jodi!
My name is Tara and I'm in high school, and have read a lot of your books! I was just wondering, how did you come up with all of your ideas and characters.. You have an amazing depth in your writing. Also it's been asked already but, how do you get around a writers block? Thanks :)

Hi Jodi:D my name is Breigh Williams and i'm 16. One of your books made me ache The Pact
I wanted to ask, How did you come up with this plot/story??? It's very heat breaking and made me angry at times. I can't wait to read more of them. If i manage to write a book, i hope it's as good as yours.
Your a great writer:)

I'd like to ask Jodi how difficult it was for her to write The Storyteller. I found it difficult to read, because of the intense and terrible subject matter. To have researched all that, then 'stay' with it during the writing of the book - Jodi, how did you cope?

Jodi- I like your writing style- your stories are thought provoking and emotional- you go to the heart of each character.
Linda Hadaway

Hi Jodi! My name is Meghan and I'm 23. The first book I read of yours was Nineteen Minutes and instantly fell in love with your style of writing. The depth of detail you go into is amazing and the subjects you choose are so interesting. I've read several of your other books and am looking forward to reading The Storyteller.

How much time do you spend researching the subject matter of your books? Also, are there any authors who inspire your writing?

Hi Jodi,

My name is Suma and I read two of your books, My Sister's Keeper and Handle with Care. Your stories are very real and I could relate to them at a personal level. I look forward to reading the Storyteller.

If writing Storyteller has taught you anything about yourself, what would it be?

Hi Jodi, The first book i read was Vanishing Acts. Gifted by my daughter and son in law. And I have bought every one of your books since then. Can't wait for The Storyteller to release in India. Like Teri (message 3), I await each of your books .Wish you all the best. Am sure The Storyteller will be a resounding best seller like all your other books.

Hi Jodi!I'm a huge fan from Monaghan in Ireland..have read all your books and eagerly await The Storyteller!I also pass all your books onto my friends so they get around our whole network!:)Q.How on earth do you keep coming up with ideas and topics and also write in such a way to grip the reader every single time?Do you have a certain layouy you follow as such..or does it just flow from the heart? Thanks,and best of luck always xx