Visionaries: Building Amarillo
It takes vision to build a city, and it takes the right people to put it into motion. This month we feature people who each saw a need and worked to see it met. Whether it’s an ongoing project to bring downtown back to life, or a thriving business that gives back, there are folks in this city who are keeping it on the upswing.Jodi Thomas
My favorite meal to make from scratch is… Chicken fried steak because when I make it, there are always extra people to dinner.
After a long, hard day, I love to… Water my flowers or take a walk through the neighborhood with my husband.
If I were a character in a book, I would be… That’s a hard one. I’m already lots characters in my books. Every one is a part of me.
The greatest piece of advice I’ve ever received is… Put feet to your dreams. If you don’t work at a dream, it’s just that: a dream. But if you work toward it just a little everyday, it becomes reality.
When my children grow up, the one thing I want them to always remember is…
In life, be in the game, not on the sidelines. Ask God for opportunities, not things.
You may be surprised to know that I… Have no sense of direction. To me, north and south are sides of the Civil War and left and right only work if I have my ring on.
My guilty pleasure is… Once a month, I go by the Donut Stop and have one chocolate cake donut. Once, the woman put two in the bag, and I was in Heaven. Of course, I rationalize that with a Diet Coke, it cuts the calories.
I know every word to the song… From the movie Pillow Talk.
The thing I love the most about living in Amarillo is… the people. I think we have the best people in the world here. I grew up here and sometimes I think if I live here much longer, I’ll know everyone in town.
The most unique place I’ve ever traveled to is… I travel a lot, from walking on a glacier in Alaska to being lost on the back streets of London. History comes alive for me when I walk in Tombstone or stand beneath the Spirit of St. Louis at the Smithsonian.
Jodi Thomas grew up in Amarillo and attended Sunrise Elementary, Bowie Junior High, Caprock High School, Amarillo College and Texas Tech. While her husband was in the army, she taught first at Bowie, then Fannin and finally at Amarillo High School for 15 years.
Stories have always been a part of Jodi’s life. She moved into writing slowly, first with short stories and articles. Then a book idea came to her, and she started writing a few hours a week. Soon, fiction took over, and she was reading everything she could find on writing.
In 1987, she sold her first book. In 2009, she’s just finished her 30th novel. Eight have been New York Times bestsellers; three have won RWA RITAs for best book of the year. Two of Jodi’s latest books are also finalists in the National Reader’s Choice Awards. She writes two books a year and serves as Writer in Residence at WTAMU. Jodi also founded and teaches at the WTAMU Writing Academy on campus every year in June.
Read more about Jodi at www.jodithomas.com.
Flickr Photo Gallery
We've been asking for reader photos and the response has been wonderful. Now we want to show off.
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Blog: How Do Women Really Feel?
In preparation for the May issue, we're conducting a ladies-only survey to find out how Amarillo women really feel about a variety of issues. The survey is up and running ...
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