It's Friday - What Can Possibly Go Wrong?
A weekly newsletter from Jodi Taylor
This week we have:
An update from Jodi: Don’t eat green food
A Reader’s Question: Have you ever appeared as a cameo in any of your books?
Information update on the Jodiworld Convention
Jodi Taylor Book Recommendation: Dead Writers in Rehab by Paul Bassett Davies
The Book of the Month is Dark Light
User Guide for Jodi Taylor Readers on Bluesky It's a great new, ad-free social media platform.
There’s plenty to read this week and you can see everything new on the blog too. CLICK HERE for the blog.
Quite a short piece this week, I’m afraid. I’m head down in the edits for Out of Time – the next Time Police story out on 9th October. Finally – I remember the date – 9th October.
Anyway, during the very few moments when I’m not peering anxiously at the screen wondering what I was thinking when I wrote that, I’m re-reading Ilium by Dan Simmons.
You would think, wouldn’t you, that the story of Troy is so well known and has been told so many times, that it would be impossible to bring anything fresh to the legend, but I have to say that setting the story on Mars brings a whole new dimension.
In addition to gods, kings, queens, heroes, warriors and a sulking Achilles, we have Proust-loving robots, little green men, Easter Island-style statues, post-humans, Nabokov, and characters from The Tempest.
It was probably a mistake to start a relationship with a complicated and engrossing novel when I should be concentrating on Out of Time, but I’m hoping anyone who has ever picked up a book and thought, ‘Just the first chapter and then I’ll go to work/clean the oven/talk to the kids/investigate that burning smell/mow the lawn/get out of bed’ and so on,’ will sympathise and understand. It’s just such an epic book I can’t put it down.
‘Should never have picked it up in the first place,’ I hear you say, and you’re absolutely right.
Changing the subject completely from my lack of dedication to the entire editing process – have I mentioned the hydroponics?
No, I didn’t think I had.
Tired of the mass-dyings that are the inevitable end of all plant life in my care, my family bought me a hydroponics kit for Christmas. And a box of seeds. Herbs. No Pennyroyal before anyone asks. Or Hyssop. Anyway, I set it all up – lots of reading the instructions and cursing – sowed my seeds, mixed up the liquid supplements, switched on the magic light and stepped back to await results. Remembering my past performances, I didn’t hold my breath.
Well – it was like a dress rehearsal for Jack and the Giant Beanstalk on steroids. Things sprouted everywhere. Almost overnight. Only a week or so later I was actually harvesting. Parsley, coriander, lemon balm, basil – I made myself a giant salad, sprinkled snipped herbs over the top and tucked in.
Now I know why I don’t eat green food. Gross!
I’m determined to have another go. I’ve ordered seeds for dwarf cherry tomatoes; mini cucumbers and that lettuce you can eat one leaf at a time. All that, however, is for the future. It’s back to the edits for me.
Jodi x
Beth Yorath asks: Have you ever appeared as a cameo in any of your books?
Do you have a question for Jodi? Click on the comment button below
CLICK HERE to watch more Readers’ Questions videos
NEW FEATURE! Interviews with Jodi Taylor fans who are also authors. Today, we have Linzi Day
What inspired you to embark on a writing career, and how did your journey as an author begin?
Do you remember how at the beginning of the pandemic, few of us could work and we weren’t sure if we would live to see 2021? Well, my biggest regret was that I’d never got around to writing any of the books about a woman called Niki who’d lived in my head for about twenty years. (Since I was forty-ish, in fact, just as Niki McKnight is in the Gretna Green Gateway books.) I was an assistant registrar and civil celebrant in Gretna Green, i.e. I married people. Thanks to the UK wide lockdown, I couldn’t do that anymore. I took early retirement and decided if I couldn’t go anywhere or do anything except walk my dog on those ‘authorised exercise periods’ we had, perhaps this would be the time to write Niki’s story. I didn’t seriously intend to publish them. But writing them was private therapy at a difficult point in history. Producing some hilarious, happy books was a better plan than sinking into the gloom and misery. But then I got an offer from a publisher. It changed things.
If you would like to be featured please click this link to complete the interview
The Jodiworld Convention is fast approaching, and the excitement is building! From May 23rd to 26th, 2025, we’re bringing you four incredible days filled with fun, shenanigans, laughter, and yes… trebuchets. Whether you’re a longtime fan or new to the Jodiworld community, this is your chance to be part of something truly special.
Jodi Taylor Book Recommendation: Dead Writers in Rehab by Paul Bassett Davies 💙📚
A darkly funny tale exploring the complex relationship between creativity and addiction through the eyes of a charming yet selfish protagonist. 💙📚 #BookRecommendations https://amzn.to/4h7veQz
Have you enjoyed this book too?
The Book of the Month for February is Dark Light
In "Dark Light," the gripping second instalment of Jodi Taylor's Elizabeth Cage series, our protagonist, Elizabeth, finds herself betrayed, terrified, and utterly alone. Fleeing her past, she seeks refuge in the seemingly idyllic village of Greyston. However, Greyston harbours dark secrets, and Elizabeth becomes entangled in an ancient ceremony destined to culminate in death. As she navigates this perilous situation, the relentless Sorensen Institute continues its pursuit, and the enigmatic Michael Jones remains elusive. In a world where danger lurks in every shadow, Elizabeth must confront her deepest fears to survive. Jodi Taylor masterfully blends suspense, supernatural elements, and rich character development, delivering a thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.
User Guide for Jodi Taylor Readers on Bluesky
If you're a fan of Jodi Taylor and her books, this guide will help you navigate Bluesky, access the Jodi Taylor feed, and get started with the Bluesky Starter Pack.
The only green things I eat are green apples (Golden Delicious) or grapes. And not those very often, either! My friend say "Leaves are not food. Leaves are what Food eats!"
Question: in Dark Light when the completely adorable Jerry is dissing Sorensen's art collection he implies that the Auerbach is fake "but your Guthrie's genuine. Nice Piece"
So did Major Guthrie take up painting once he left St Mary's? If so what type of art? I think abstract landscape or big historical events like Bannockburn or a Highland "coo" fighting a Haggis? Or maybe it's his daughter, Alice who is the artist.