posted on April 19, 2023 by Jodi Thomas

Friends and Fans Become Family

Being a writer is a very lonely job. We work hundreds of hours to produce a book with nobody to talk to. But it’s all worth it when a fan comes up and says they love your book.

Some of my fans have become friends for life. I love it when they blog about my books and send me their pictures that remind them of my book.  For a few minutes we’re in the same story in my mind.

My first interaction with a fan was in Walmart with my first book. I had on my jogging suit and was sitting on the floor because Thomas was on the bottom shelf. I was admiring my first book on a shelf when a lady almost hit me with her cart.

I looked up and she asked me if there was a Jodi Thomas book down there. I smiled my biggest smile and stood up and said, “I am Jodi Thomas.” She looked at me with such disbelief and said, “I know someone who knows Jodi Thomas” and walked off. I cried all the way home because I didn’t know who she knew.

I especially love it when writer friends drop in on a book signing. (See photo of fans. My grandson in the chair is my youngest fan. ) Remember I will always hug my fans because we share the story.

Thank you to all my devoted readers,

Jodi

___________________

Fans of Robyn Carr and Susan Mallery will adore this heartwarming new book from the beloved New York Times bestselling author. In a small Texas town where most families go back generations, four strangers meet and unite as they bury a father none of them has ever seen and begin slowly to piece together a bond that will not only change them, but the community for the better.

Starri Knight is a big believer in fate. How else to explain the compelling connection she feels to the stranger she pulls out of a wrecked car on the very same road where her parents died twenty years earlier? Alongside Auntie Ona-May, the only mother she’s ever known, Starri saves Rusty O’Sullivan’s life—just as Ona-May once did when Starri was an orphaned babe. But convincing Rusty he has something to live for is going to take all of Starri’s faith in miracles . . .

Like a wish he hadn’t even known to make, Starri landed in Rusty’s life, filling him with a longing for a family. . . . Then Jackson Landry, a new lawyer, turns up to present a surprise that will change the direction of his life: An inheritance from the father Rusty never knew—and the promise of the family he’d never had. It’s a lot for the hard-bitten loner to
accept as love rushes into his life . . .

A sense of duty has Rusty heading to Honey Creek to deal with his father’s estate—and find his lost siblings. But having family is one thing, learning to love them is another. Good thing new friends are by his side to help him along the way.

Jodi Thomas

Jodi Thomas

A fifth-generation Texan, New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Jodi Thomas chooses to set the majority of her novels in her home state, where her grandmother was born in a covered wagon. A former teacher, Thomas traces the beginning of her storytelling career to the days when her twin sisters were young and impressionable.

With a degree in family studies, Thomas is a marriage and family counselor by education, a background that enables her to write about family dynamics. Honored in 2002 as a Distinguished Alumni by Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Thomas enjoys interacting with students on the West Texas A&M University campus, where she served as Writer in Residence.

Commenting on her contribution to the arts, Thomas said, "When I was teaching classes full-time, I thought I was making the world a better place. Now I think of a teacher or nurse or mother settling back and relaxing with one of my books. I want to take her away on an adventure that will entertain her. Maybe, in a small way, I'm still making the world a better place."

When not working on a novel, Thomas enjoys traveling with her husband, renovating a historic home they bought in Amarillo and checking up on their two grown sons.

https://www.jodithomas.com/

2 thoughts on “Friends and Fans Become Family”

  1. Amber says:

    Ahh, such a sad story and an even ruder person!🤗
    Happy day 🪷

  2. This is such a heartwarming post! I absolutely love how the relationships between authors and their readers can evolve into something so much deeper than just a writer-reader connection. The fact that authors can build such strong bonds with their fans and that their fans become like family is truly amazing. It’s clear that the connections you’ve made with your readers have brought so much joy and fulfillment to both sides, and it’s great to see that these relationships have enriched your life in so many ways. Keep up the wonderful work you’re doing, and here’s to many more years of building meaningful relationships with your readers!

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