Inspiration for THE ORPHAN QUEEN:
THE ORPHAN QUEEN started as a seed planted while I was watching comic book cartoons with my husband. (Justice League, I'm pretty sure. Maybe the Unlimited series.) I remember it struck the first time I saw a particular scene -- some saving someone else, as is common in comic books -- and the second time I saw it, I decided to poke that spark of interest and see what happened.
First, I pulled out the things I loved about the original scene: a girl was rescuing a guy, and it was really dangerous for her to do that.
That was my seed. Everything else was built on a daring rescue that would, ultimately, make things worse.
I knew the characters in my story were children at the time this was happening, and it was just the catalyst for the rest. So before I even began to take notes, I let the idea simmer more, figuring out what happened to both of my characters after this rescue. Where did they go? What choices did they make? What choices were made for them?
The whole thing cooked for a couple of months until I knew it wasn't going to go away, and from there I began the process of building the world -- using the bits I already knew from the parts of the story that were already so real to me -- and figuring out the parts of their present-day story that intrigued me most.
Months of frantic writing later, I had a draft. The scene that sparked the whole story is still in there, though it moved from its original place as a prologue to a flashback in part three (it starts with "I was there when the war began."). Ultimately, it's nothing like the show I'd been watching, besides that potentially ill-advised rescue, and I think that's one of my favorite parts of inspiration. You just never know when it's going to strike, or what will come from it.
About THE ORPHAN QUEEN:
Wilhelmina has a hundred identities.
She is a princess. When the Indigo Kingdom conquered her homeland, Wilhelmina and other orphaned children of nobility were taken to Skyvale, the Indigo Kingdom’s capital. Ten years later, they are the Ospreys, experts at stealth and theft. With them, Wilhelmina means to take back her throne.
She is a spy. Wil and her best friend, Melanie, infiltrate Skyvale Palace to study their foes. They assume the identities of nobles from a wraith-fallen kingdom, but enemies fill the palace, and Melanie’s behavior grows suspicious. With Osprey missions becoming increasingly dangerous and their leader more unstable, Wil can’t trust anyone.
She is a threat. Wraith is the toxic by-product of magic, and for a century using magic has been forbidden. Still the wraith pours across the continent, reshaping the land and animals into fresh horrors. Soon it will reach the Indigo Kingdom. Wilhelmina’s magic might be the key to stopping the wraith, but if the vigilante Black Knife discovers Wil’s magic, she will vanish like all the others
Jodi Meadows introduces a vivid new fantasy full of intrigue, romance, dangerous magic, and one girl’s battle to reclaim her place in the world.
She is a princess. When the Indigo Kingdom conquered her homeland, Wilhelmina and other orphaned children of nobility were taken to Skyvale, the Indigo Kingdom’s capital. Ten years later, they are the Ospreys, experts at stealth and theft. With them, Wilhelmina means to take back her throne.
She is a spy. Wil and her best friend, Melanie, infiltrate Skyvale Palace to study their foes. They assume the identities of nobles from a wraith-fallen kingdom, but enemies fill the palace, and Melanie’s behavior grows suspicious. With Osprey missions becoming increasingly dangerous and their leader more unstable, Wil can’t trust anyone.
She is a threat. Wraith is the toxic by-product of magic, and for a century using magic has been forbidden. Still the wraith pours across the continent, reshaping the land and animals into fresh horrors. Soon it will reach the Indigo Kingdom. Wilhelmina’s magic might be the key to stopping the wraith, but if the vigilante Black Knife discovers Wil’s magic, she will vanish like all the others
Jodi Meadows introduces a vivid new fantasy full of intrigue, romance, dangerous magic, and one girl’s battle to reclaim her place in the world.
About Jodi Meadows:
Jodi Meadows lives and writes in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, with her husband, a Kippy*, and an alarming number of ferrets. She is a confessed book addict, and has wanted to be a writer ever since she decided against becoming an astronaut. She is the author of the INCARNATE Trilogy and the forthcoming ORPHAN QUEEN Duology (HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen). Visit her at www.jodimeadows.com
*A Kippy is a cat.
Giveaway:
A finished copy (trust me, it's gorgeous) of THE ORPHAN QUEEN to one lucky winner with a US mailing address!
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Ah! I loved this book so much! I always love finding out how the idea for a story came to be too, so thanks for sharing Hannah and Jodi! Can't wait for book two:)
ReplyDeleteSo I totally failed the mailing address entry. Rest assured I have an US address :)
ReplyDeleteI LOVED The Orphan Queen!!! I cannot wait for the conclusion :) Very interesting post.
ReplyDeleteI accidently hit enter while entering my address. Fail!
ReplyDelete