From the Rut to the Superhighway (Hopefully)

I wouldn’t admit it. Not to anyone.
Because I didn’t admit it to myself.
I was stuck. 

It wasn't because of the myth known as writer’s block (more to say about that over @jodyfeldman on Instagram). I was stuck in the previously wonderful lane that had brought me awards and school visits and all means of success. The “new” “exciting” stories I was churning out? They followed the same old furrow. 

Now, that’s not always bad. Readers often expect our books to bring them similar emotional experiences. But there’s that and didn’t we already read something like that from her?
Then...

My knight in shining armor rode up. Or emailed, really. My agent had previously suggested that I had the chops to write YA thrillers. And with colors flying, she found the perfect opportunity for me. 

No Way Home came out August 2022. Yes, it’s a YA thriller (and shhh! don’t let this middle grade blog hear that) but, for me, it was the answer, the jumpstart I needed to explore fresh stories for MG readers that moved outside the rutted lane and into in a bright, new adjacent one.

The Moral of this Story: Sometimes you need to jump out of your rut to discover a wonderful superhighway of life.

Jody Feldman’s work-in-progress is a fun departure from The Gollywhopper Games series and The Seventh Level. And yet, readers should feel a familiarity with the characters’ quirks and challenges and with the bits of humor that wended their way into her previous books. She hopes her knight in shining armor will agree.