jodi cowles

JODI COWLES is an American author who spent eight years living (and mostly loving) life with her husband and daughter in Istanbul, Turkey. Spending more than half her adult life living and working in seven different countries, her time abroad expanded her vision of the world and allowed her to collect stories along the way. Armed with an endless supply of culture-clashing mishaps, inappropriate marriage proposals, and language barrier misfires, Jodi’s writing gets to the heart of the matter: the human connection present in every country and culture.

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Not convinced yet? Read the intro and first chapter here!

Amanda Morris is in over her head.

I don’t want to give you the wrong impression within five minutes of meeting, but I feel like I should probably be up front and tell you that, barring divine intervention, the 80-ish-year-old woman currently patting my butt is the only patting of my butt that you’ll be forced to bear witness to for the duration of this, my tale of casting off the known and running into the wild. Oh wait, that title’s already taken.

Regardless, this is not going to be a grand operatic tale where you cheer from the sidelines as I walk through a giant life crisis that causes me to pack up my things and hike across Turkey whilst entertaining you with all the men with whom I’m sleeping.

That’s not to say I’m not susceptible to handsome men, because let me tell you, in my limited experience Turkish men are quite handsome and I might have to throw up a few personal boundaries so I don’t accidentally suscept to one of them.

It’s also not to say I wasn’t having a life crisis, double-negative notwithstanding, because obviously something was going on or I wouldn’t have made such a drastic choice—but the bottom line is that sleeping my way across any geographical region, foreign or domestic, is not really my cup of çay.

Join Amanda on her hilarious and culture-clashing adventures as she learns Turkish, dodges snide 8th-grade remarks, and stumbles her way through her first year at I-Squared, the Istanbul International School.


Perfect for those who love to laugh, travel, and read about other cultures.


What Readers are Saying About Cold Turkey
“My recommendation: Buy this book and escape with Amanda to Turkey for an experience of a lifetime!”

“I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Thank you for the trip back to Turkey and to my expat life. So much of what you wrote resonated with me and I loved the sense of humor you communicated, even when dealing with challenges and trials.”

“This book will strike a chord with anyone who has ever moved overseas and experienced culture shock, for anyone who’s gone through the myriad of emotions that come as a result of relocating to a new country, or for those who want to understand the experience of a friend or family member who is living cross-culturally.”

“It is a refreshing read that had me laughing at times, crying tears of joy, and smiling at how beautifully written it is. This book is an absolute must-read! It felt as if I was in Istanbul because of Jodi’s carefully crafted writing.”

* The above links are Amazon affiliate links which provide the author with a small commission at no additional cost to you. 😉

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In a watery world of pain, rescuers bring a cure to any who want their thirst satisfied. But many in pain turn to cheap substitutes, eventually finding themselves deeper and deeper in a meaningless life with a bleak future.

Thirst is a haunting allegory in a water-filled world with the constant fear of what lurks just below the surface. Some of the danger rises out of the deep to destroy, while other danger is self-inflicted; but safety isn’t a destination or a guarantee to those who have the cure. Can redemption exist in a world that works against each character?

Thirst beckons the reader to evaluate their own cure for pain to see if it truly quenches. Through the eyes of key characters, author Jodi Cowles parses out the consequences of deliberate and passive choices in faith, life, and relationships, while looking for where light emerges from the darkness.

This poignant allegory is for people who love stories with depth, parallel meaning, and those who hold out for hope.

What readers are saying:

“Captivating and unlike anything else I’ve ever read.”
– P.K. Amazon Review

“This is an easy read, not because it is short, but because it is action packed and unfolds like a puzzle. You can’t wait to discover what’s next and how all the events are tied together. Once you start reading THIRST, you won’t put it down until you are finished.”
– M. Amazon Review

“The analogy is beautifully written and is grippingly honest in its depiction of the fight for life that goes on deep inside us. Like any truly great analogy, it touches on realities and truths in powerful ways we’re not otherwise ready to reckon with directly. Thirst is a story that sticks with you and gives insight long after you’ve read it.”
– P. Amazon Review

* The above links are Amazon affiliate links which provide the author with a small commission at no additional cost to you. 😉

Sketching Faith: Jodi sends out a weekly email with a faith-based creative writing piece. Click here to sign up.

• IG: Cup of Joy
• IG: Surface Happiness
• IG: Old-Time, Iffy, Faithless Saints
• IG: Rejoice. Rejoice!
• Can I Just Sit Here?
• There Is Victory If You’ll Grasp It.
• You Wrap Me in Your Favor.
• Easter 2021: Remember. Saturday. These Empty Graves.
• Psalm 153. (Text Version)
• Psalm 136, Reimagined. (Text Version.)
• Isaiah 26:12-15. (Text Version.)
• Kneeling, a Lament.
• Night Watchman.
• Kindness.
• Traces.
• Brand New.
• Solace.
• Green Still Pastures.
• The Deep End.
• I Could Not But Climb.
• Separation.
• Thanksgiving.