Jody Hadlock
Author Interview - Jody Hadlock
Author of The Lives of Diamond Bessie
The Lovely Bones meets the Wild, Wild West in this haunting tale inspired by a true story.
In a time when women have few rights or opportunities and being pregnant out of wedlock makes you a societal outcast, sixteen-year-old Annie Moore resorts to prostitution to survive. As a highly sought-after demi-mondaine, Annie—now Bessie—garners many jewels from her admirers. Her dream of returning to proper society appears to come true when she meets and marries the son of a wealthy jeweler. In the end, Bessie endures the ultimate betrayal, but she doesn’t let her story end there.
Inspired by a true story and set amid the burgeoning women’s rights movement of the mid-1800s, The Lives of Diamond Bessie is a haunting tale of betrayal, revenge, and redemption that explores whether seeking revenge is worth the price you might pay.
Author Interview - Jody Hadlock
Author I draw inspiration from: There are so many authors I admire. When I think back to the first author I fell in love with, as far as adult fiction, it would be Colleen McCullough. My grandmother let me read The Thorn Birds when I was 12 years old. We were on a trip together to San Diego, CA to visit her brother--my great uncle--and his family. She had just finished The Thorn Birds and I asked if I could read it. I devoured the whole thing--nearly 700 pages--in a week.
Author Interview - Jody Hadlock | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book: Anywhere. I mainly read on the living room couch or in bed before going to sleep. I always carry a book with me, whether it's a printed copy or on my Kindle.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with: One of my favorite historical novels is The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton by Jane Smiley. It's set in 1850s Kansas. Lidie is adventurous, unconventional, smart, and a diehard abolitionist.
Author Interview - Jody Hadlock | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author: I was 12 years old when I knew I wanted to write a book. My parents were divorcing and I wanted to write about it from a child's perspective. The time was too traumatic for me to focus on something like that, especially at such a young age, but the desire to become an author never left me.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook: Hardback or paperback. I have a Kindle, but I prefer to hold a real book in my hands.
The last book I read: The Fashion Orphans by MJ Rose and Randy Susan Meyers. I've read a lot of Rose's novels, which are mainly historical with supernatural elements. The Fashion Orphans is a contemporary novel about sisterhood and female friendships. It was a fun read.
Author Interview - Jody Hadlock | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer: Both. There's something to be said about the brain-to-hand connection. I often draft on paper and then go to my computer.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with: Definitely Louisa May Alcott's Jo March from Little Women. She wanted to be an author and she had spunk! She was also loyal.
Author Interview - Jody Hadlock | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a: Detective. I never thought of that as a career because I always wanted to write. After college, I was a television news reporter and anchor for a decade, then ran the communications department at a nonprofit for another ten years. As a reporter, I covered quite a bit of crime, and my husband and I have probably watched nearly every true crime and police drama on TV. So over the years I've become fascinated with detectives and the work they do. And writers and detectives actually have a lot in common. Both search for clues, they have to understand motivations, and there's a lot of attention to detail, to thinking outside the box.
Favorite decade in fashion history: The 1870s. I wouldn't want to dress like ladies did back then. It would take too long to get dressed every day! But the dresses from designers like Charles Frederick Worth are breathtakingly beautiful.
Place I’d most like to travel: I love Europe and have been to several countries there, but my second historical novel will be set in Russia and so I'm planning to travel there. I've always wanted to see St. Petersburg, especially now that I've been reading about the city and its history.
My signature drink: I drink wine, but for my novel, I had a mixologist who creates literary cocktails make one for Diamond Bessie. Chantal Tseng created something so meaningful. The Diamond Bessie cocktail is in my book club kit on my website at www.jodyhadlock.com.
Favorite artist: I love art. My favorite period is Impressionism (post-Impressionism is close behind). I love all of them: Mary Cassatt, Paul Cezanne, Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, Pierre-August Renoir, Vincent van Gogh.
Number one on my bucket list: Write my second novel!
Anything else you'd like to add: Thanks for including me in The Hasty Book List!
Find more from the author:
www.facebook.com/jodyhadlockauthor
https://www.instagram.com/jodyhadlock/
https://www.pinterest.com/jodyhadlock/_saved/
Author Bio: Jody’s love of history goes all the way back to junior high, when she was a member of the Junior Historians of Texas, so it’s no surprise her first novel is historical. She studied journalism at Texas A&M University and worked as a broadcast journalist and then in nonprofit public relations before turning her focus to fiction. She also writes screenplays and won the 2020 Dallas International Film Festival’s screenplay contest.
