About Me — Jodi Compton

A Q-and-A with the author … by the author! All about the writing life, how to handle success (learned the hard way), and the must-have writer’s accessory.

Photo: Author’s own. A publicity photo for the release of ‘Hailey’s War,’ my third novel.

Wait … This is a Q&A? Why?

I’ve found that writing in a question-and-answer style is a fun, quick-moving way to write autobiographical pieces. It keeps me from getting too verbose (a common problem for writers, who as a group are comfortable behind the keyboard), and it eliminates clunky transitions.

Okay. Let’s start with this: Who exactly are you?

I’m the author of four mystery novels (I tend to use the term “crime novels,” but either/or), with a fifth coming out through Amazon in 2021. I’m also a freelance book editor, and before coronavirus shut down most of live entertainment, I was getting some bookings as a stand-up comic.

You’re kidding! What kind of stand-up?

Yeah, everyone wants to know about the comedy, though it’s the smallest part of my professional life. Really, I was at the “twenty dollars and a comped drink” stage, and didn’t have great expectations to go further. But in late 2018, I did my first open mic, and I got my first paid booking in March 2019. I started out doing observational comedy — the classic…