Jodi Gibson is an Australian author of both contemporary dramas, and light-hearted romantic comedy. Jodi lives in regional Victoria on a mini-farm with her one husband, 1-4 daughters, (depending on who’s home on any given day), two golden retrievers, one grumpy horse, eight chooks (chickens) and one cat who rules over them all. Jodi loves spending her spare time reading, baking, gardening, watching cycling, tennis & netball, winning quiz shows and chilling with a good cider and home-made salami. Jodi loves traveling to far away places in her imagination, on the page, and even more so, in real life.
Welcome Author Jodi Gibson
Could you share a little about yourself?
I’m an Australian writer and author living in regional Victoria with my husband and daughters. We live on a mini-farm with a horse, seven chickens, two golden retrievers and one cat. I enjoy baking, keeping fit, and traveling, but I do love being at home too. And I love story in all its forms; books, movies, TV, and stage.
When did you choose to become a writer and author?
I wasn’t one of those authors who grew up wanting to write. In fact, writing didn’t appear on my radar until well into adulthood, but I have loved story and particularly characterization all my life. At one point, I wanted to be an actress!
I was in my mid-thirties, working from home (running a social media consultancy business and looking after our daughters), when the urge to write first struck me. I’d had a story running around in my head for a very long time and it was beginning to keep me awake at night, so I decided to write it down. I think I made every mistake that new writers make in that first novel, but it did two important things. One, get it out of my head and make way for new stories, and two, show me how much joy writing brought me.
From there I branched out into more professional style writing – articles, blogs, websites – and began tinkering with fiction and doing NaNoWriMo. My love of creative writing only grew from there, and now I know I could never not be writing.
They say our childhood imaginations and dreams show proof of our passions in life. As a child, what childhood memories brought you much joy?
I grew up as an only child as it was parents’ second marriage later in life and my half-siblings were all adults off spread out across the country, so imagination was my best-friend. I loved making up stories with my pets, dolls, and barbies. I had a vivid imagination and kept myself entertained. I also listened to a lot of music, which formed a soundtrack for my childhood. Just about any 80s song can take me back to an exact point or place in my childhood.
We moved around a lot when I was young too, but only around the district, so I didn’t have to change schools. At one point we owned a pub in a small rural township, and it is often memories from that time that bring me so much joy. It was great fun and a wonderful sense of community where everybody knew everybody, and a time where kids were left to their own devices.
I also have great memories from living directly across the road from my childhood best-friend when I was aged 12-14. Those times bring back memories of rollerskating, playing tennis in the street, walking around to the corner store to buy 20 cents worth of lollies and shooting netball in the front yard.
Inspiration for Writing:
The Memories We Hide
I love your tag, Can you trust your memories? What inspired you to write The Memories We Hide?
I’ve always been intrigued by the human mind and in particular memories. The idea came from asking myself ‘What if…?’ What if four friends were exposed to a tragic event, but each one remembered it slightly differently? How would they deal with their memories? And how would dealing with the memories change the way they lived their lives?
That was the original premise for the idea. The story has changed slightly from initial draft to final novel, but the essence still remains.
How long did it take you to complete your book?
I began the first draft in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) in 2015. When I began writing I knew this story was one I wanted to keep working on. I worked on it, on and off, over the next three years including working with a structural editor to nut out the intricacies of the plot. Then in 2018, I felt I had done all I could do with it. It was time to put it out there.
How hard did you work to get here?
Writing certainly isn’t physical hard labor, but the mental intensity to pull a book together is very challenging. There were points in the redrafting and rewriting process where I thought it was never going to be finished. All writers face these challenges and they are often hard to overcome. You begin doubting your ability as a writer, and even the story. Sometimes it feels insurmountable. But you have to push through. And when you do, it is ultimately rewarding. I make my writing a priority each day and schedule time to work on my novel. Usually two hours a day, and then also later at night when the girls are in bed. To write a novel takes dedication and you have to sacrifice things to make it a priority.
What is the message (theme or takeaway) would you want readers to embrace in your story?
I think the ultimate message or takeaway that I want readers to feel at the end of the story is hope. Hope that, no matter how bad a situation, there is always hope. And that friendship, love, and support is what we need to find that hope when all seems lost.
What scene or memory brought you joy with writing?
There is one particular scene in the book where Laura, the main character visits a local lookout in the bush. That scene made me smile, as although Laura isn’t in a great headspace at that particular moment, she begins to feel a slight sense of clarity. Being in the bush, or even outdoors, brings joy and clarity for me, so I wanted Laura to feel that too.
The epilogue also, was probably my favorite scene to write, but I can’t say anything more, you’ll just have to read it to know why!
What advice would you give to anyone wanting to become a writer?
Apart from the usual – read a lot, I’d say make writing a priority in your day. Even if it is only for twenty minutes, or an hour, by making it a priority, you make it important. It sounds cliché, but writing is a roller coaster journey. There are moments of elation and moments of despair, but it’s all of these emotions that make it truly rewarding. So, if it is what you truly want to do, stick with it, it’s worth it.
Connect with Jodi
Readers, you can get in touch with Jodi here:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
You can also sign up to my monthly newsletter and receive a free eBook copy of The Collection – short stories & fragments for doing so. See the home page on my website to join.
Newsletter sign up (Includes link to download the free prequel to The Memories We Hide)
