For me latest Author Spotlight, I’m joined by the fabulous Jodi Oliver. We talked about being driven by characters, the two novellas she’s been working on, and how publishing her debut novel opened new doors for her.

Take it away, Jodi…

First things first, please introduce yourself!
Hello, hi! I’m Jodi, a typical Brit who is always drinking tea and I’m hockey obsessed. I’m a nerdy, demi pansexual and I love highland cows and otters. I published my first novel in August 2023.

Tell us a little bit about your writing style.
I write in 1st person POV and I’m all about the low angst, fuzzy feels. I’m character driven first and foremost, and I love building those found family vibes. I like to think of my books as a warm hug/comfort read, and you’re always guaranteed a happily ever after.

Describe your books in only three words.
Low angst, heartwarming, fun.

What are you working on right now?
Over the last few months I’ve been working on two novellas. Rookie Moves will be featured in the Popped charity anthology. It’s a friends to lovers, college hockey romance between two teammates. The second is Reignite, that will be a freebie in the Summer Nights Prolific Works giveaway in August. It’s a baker x firefighter, second chance romance between two high school sweethearts. It’s a standalone set within the Chicago Thunder world so there’s some cameos.

I’ve also been working on Defensive Zone (Chicago Thunder 3) which is childhood best friends to lovers. There’s also some other projects going on in the background that I’m super excited about.

Out of all your books, which one are you most proud of?
I would say Trade Deadline as it was my debut. I was nervous releasing it as it was important to me to create a queer normative world within hockey in hopes that one day it’ll become a reality. Blaine & Alex are so important to me as they’ve opened a lot of doors for me that I never imagined would be possible within the first year of me publishing, and the love people share for them just means the world to me.

What or who (or both) has influenced you most as a writer?
I’m a big reader, so definitely my love for reading, but also my friends. During the times of anxiety and self doubt, they’ve always believed in me and listened to my long, rambling voice notes.

What inspired you to start writing?
I’ve been writing since I was around 13 when me and my friends would write fanfiction on a message board we were members of (yay mid 2000’s!) and I’ve written countless stories over the years which will never see the light of day. I’ve always loved losing myself in a fictional world, and writing has always been an escapism for me, but it was some author friends who gave me the encouragement to consider publishing and I’m so glad I did.

What’s your writing process like? Do you have a typical “writing day”?
I write in the evenings and weekends as I have a day job, so usually I log off from my day job and get a large cup of tea then put on my headphones and get going. Sometimes I’ll start with admin depending on how wired my brain still is from the day job, but then other times, I might have the characters talking and jump straight into the draft. I also have a terrible habit of writing until 2am because I lose track of time.

What comes first for you – the plot or the characters?
I would say the characters as I’m very character driven. A lot of the time I have what I would like to happen, but whether the characters do what I want is a different story, so I let them take the wheel most of the time and let them surprise me.

What’s a book that you wish you’d written?
Secret Service by Tal Bauer. That book had me in a chokehold the first time I read it and I went through every emotion. I sobbed on and off for days because it was just incredible. Tal has this incredible way of storytelling. He’s an inspiration.

If you could only write one trope for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
Friends to lovers. There’s just something so emotionally fulfilling when they have that moment like, ‘oh okay so I’m in love with you’, and watching them overcome not only their own self-imposed hurdles, but finding their feet in their new relationship.

What would be your three desert island books?
Oh yikes, this is hard! I would have to say… Him by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy, Aced by Ella Frank & Brooke Blaine aaaand Secret Service by Tal Bauer (I mean, you’ve got to have at least one book that rips your heart out, right?)

If one of your books could be made into a movie/TV series, which would you choose and who would you cast?
I only have two books out so far, so I’ll go with the Chicago Thunder series as a TV series, and I can already tell you who the star of the show would be (Elliot Olsen!) But casting… oh jeez… There’s a lot of people to cast so I’ll narrow it down to my last release, Off Season: Matt Bomer was on my vision board for Ethan, and William Roepstorff for Jacob if he ever fancied taking up acting.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing? Do you have a secret passion or hobby that we don’t know about?
I’m a big hockey fan. I’m a season ticket holder for my local EIHL team and I try to travel to the US at least once a year to catch some NHL games, but if I can’t watch in person, I’m watching it on TV. It’s at the point now where my TV automatically turns onto NHL Network now I watch it so often. I play a lot of video games and dabble in some cosplay. I actually walked the ‘blue’ carpet at the Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker premiere in Leicester Square as a Stormtrooper (in the costume I made!). I’ve also been a World of Warcraft player for 16 years now.

Finally, what’s your favourite dinosaur?
Brachiosaurus! They’re just cute and chill and it’s why I refuse to watch Jurassic World because I’ll cry my eyes out.

JODI OLIVER is a British author who writes MM romance, happily ever after guaranteed. She loves donuts, dogs and ice hockey, and when she hasn’t got her head in a book or hiding in the writing cave, you can find her at an ice hockey game.

She lives in England but dreams of living in the Canadian countryside, with some highland cows and otters.

For more information on Jodi and her work you can visit her website and sign up for her newsletter, and follow her on Instagram, Facebook, BookBub and Amazon. You can also join her Facebook Reader Group for the latest news and updates.