Jordan Kopy is the author of the new middle grade novel Theodora Hendrix and the Monstrous League of Monsters. She lives in London.
Q: What inspired you to write Theodora Hendrix and the Monstrous League of Monsters, and how did you create your character Theodora?
A: I had just finished the third revision of my first manuscript. At that point, I’d spent six years working on it on and off, and I felt like I needed some space from it; when you’re living in one story for that long, it can be really hard to be objective about what’s working and what’s not.
Around that time my mom flew in for a visit and we watched one of our favorite movies, My Cousin Vinny. Fred Gwynne, who played the judge, also played Herman Munster on The Munsters, a black-and-white television show from the ‘60s.
That fact must have been in the back of my mind when I went to sleep, because I woke up the following morning with an idea for a story about a 10-year-old girl living with a family of monster superheroes.
I knew I wanted my main character to be a strong-willed, independent girl with a flair for getting into trouble and a habit of breaking the rules when she deems it necessary – namely in her efforts to save her family.
I also knew I wanted her to be a bit of a misfit: until she meets Dexter Adebola, the new kid at Appleton Elementary, Theodora doesn’t have any human friends and spends most of her time with Sherman, a talking, top-hat-wearing tarantula.
As far as her name goes, “Theodora” just popped into my head, and that was that. I later learned that Theodora was the name of my great-great-grandmother, so that was very special for my (late) grandfather!
Q: Did you know how the story would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?
A: When I sit down to start a manuscript, I typically know the beginning and the ending, then figure out how to get from one point to the other along the way.
But with Theodora Hendrix and the Monstrous League of Monsters, I had only the first line: “I’m going to tell you a secret.” Two hours later, I’d written what would become the novel’s opening chapters. From there, the major plot points – including the ending! – were very clear in mind.
By the time I’d finished my revisions, I had swapped out one character which my editor felt was too scary and tightened some scenes, but plot-wise not much changed from what I’d originally drafted.
Q: What do you see as the role of magic in the novel?
A: Magic plays a significant role in the novel!
For starters, the members of Theodora’s family, who also make up the London branch of the Monstrous League of Monsters (the MLM for short), are supernatural beings with various powers: there’s Wilhelmina, a spellcasting witch; there’s Marty the werewolf, who uses his super-strength to make quick work of his enemies; and of course, Dracula (yes, the Dracula), a vampire, who can turn into a colony of bats.
Then there’s the MLM mansion, which is imbued with all sorts of magic: a rippling staircase which turns into a slide when asked politely; a trio of talking animal heads which grant or deny entry to the lair of a Wosnak, an ancient, wish-granting creature with the body of a cobra and the face of a woman; a tunnel connecting the library to the mausoleum, which can only be accessed via a secret passageway.
Weaving the strands of magic throughout a narrative is one of my favorite parts of writing – I love playing with the worldbuilding!
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story?
A: Firstly, I hope readers walk away thinking, wow, that was so much fun! Theodora Hendrix and the Monstrous League of Monsters offers a mix of comedy, (light) horror, mystery, and adventure, so I hope that readers enjoy these different elements.
But I also hope that readers – especially young readers – take away a sense of being seen and heard; being a kid is tough! There’s so much pressure to fit in, or to look or act in a certain way, that it can feel quite overwhelming. I also want them to feel celebrated for the traits which make them “unique” – that where the real beauty lies!
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I’m currently working on two manuscripts. One is another contemporary fantasy middle grade novel, and the other is a dark young adult contemporary fantasy. They’re very different stories and I’m having a blast writing both!
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I wrote most of my novel with my naughty – but lovable! – cat sitting on my lap; she inspired the character of Bandit, a masked vampire-cat. Also, thank you so much for having me!
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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