Author's Name: Jodi Lynn Copeland
Website: www.jodilynncopeland.com

Jodi has been writing for over a decade in all areas, including those which fall into fiction and non-fiction. She’s written technical abstracts, short stories, children’s stories, novellas, many full-length novels and other pieces. She had a great time on the unpublished contest circuit, placing or winning in over half of those that she entered. Jodi now writes technical abstracts and governmental type documents for the day job and romantic fiction in the evening and weekends. While she is currently published in romantica, she doesn't focus on any particular genre as she tends to get bored easily!

Publishing Credits:
Uncharted Waters, September 2003, Ellora’s Cave, Inc.
Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh: A Gift of Myrrh, November 2003, Ellora’s Cave, Inc.
Naughty Mistress Nita, December 2003, Ellora’s Cave, Inc.
Sons of Solaris 1: Aries, February 2004, Ellora’s Cave, Inc.
Sons of Solaris 2: Taurus, May 2004, Ellora’s Cave, Inc.

New Release: Wild Hearts 1: One Wild Weekend, July 2004, Ellora's Cave, Inc.
Nathan Anderson is known for two things — his multimillion-dollar outdoor superstore chain and his string of meaningless affairs. Nate is determined to keep his love ‘em and leave ‘em reputation intact. But that’s before he’s challenged to spend a weekend dressed in drag at the annual Wild Woman’s event...a weekend where Nate is to prove he can handle having a non-sexual friendship with a woman. And way before he meets his soon-to-be tent mate, Kelsey Stuart.

Kelsey’s not shy about undressing in front of what she believes to be another woman, and the free-spirited, nature-lover is also nothing like any other woman Nate has ever met. The sensations she rouses in him feel right in a way he’s never before experienced, as well as in a wildly passionate way he has no desire to deny. . . and when her clothes start to fall away, so does Nate’s vow to keep his hands off and his feelings aside.

On her "big break"

Jodi discovered Ellora’s Cave through an author who shares her agent.  Said author wrote for Ellora’s Cave, as well as other publishers, and Jodi asked about her experiences with them. She gave them all good reviews, but gushed over Ellora’s Cave. So Jodi tried her hand at romantica and received a contract less than a month after submitting her manuscript!

On Perseverance

According to Jodi, the romance writing business is a roller coaster ride and there are as many lows as highs. The only way to overcome the lows is to just keep pressing on and producing, even if what you are producing isn’t your best work ever.

On Writing Schedules

Jodie’s describes her writing schedule as varied. She currently juggles a full-time job with a part-time job, plus family committments.  Except when faced with a pressing deadline, Jodi generally writes about two or three nights (2-3 hours) during the week and then at least one day (6–8 hours) on the weekend. She averages about 15 hours of writing per week.

Current W.I.P.

Jodi is working on the sequel to Wild Hearts 1. The hero and heroine in book 2, Wild By Night, appear briefly in book 1, which is a contemporary with a comedic edge. Book 2 is a paranormal--the hero has werewolf tendencies--but will also hang onto the comedic edge, as will the third book in the series.

On Challenges

Jodi’s biggest challenge as a romance writer is finding the time and patience to write! She doesn’t suffer from writer’s block or lack of ideas, but finds it difficult to slot writing into her everyday life.

The Rewards of Writing

“Happy readers that actually let you know they are happy. I get paranoid with each new release and waiting to hear how the book is received. When I get good reviews or fan mail it really makes my whole day/week/month better”.

On Agents

Jodi is very happy with her agent. Apart from the ability to negotiate higher advances and more book deals than an author could if she represented herself, agents save time by doing a lot of the legwork (copying and querying, mass-submitting, progress checking) for their clients.

On Ellora’s Cave

Ellora’s Cave is still fairly new to the publishing world, but it is really taking off. Wonderful things are planned for the near future, including new lines and sister companies. Beginning in late summer, Ellora’s Cave paperbacks will be carried in Borders and Waldenbooks stores throughout the Nation. For a company that began just six years ago as an e-publisher alone, this is an amazing endeavor, and Jodi is very excited to be a part of it and to see where the growth will continue next!

Advice to New Writers

When asked to give advice to new writers, Jodi says: “Never quit. I know that’s cliché, but also so true!”

On FTHRW

“From The Heart is a superb group and I can honestly say I have never seen one more supportive. Lately I haven’t had the time to read all the digests and keep up with mail and such, but I love this group and they can always make me laugh and smile, even those days when the lows seem at their all time lowest. From the Heart helps to keep me going and reminds me I’m not alone in this often maddening industry, but there are many others out there just as crazy and dream-drive as I.”