Latest Work

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.

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.

Adventure awaits you.

Cold turkey

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! 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.

M. Manning

I both laughed and cried my way
through this book. It's a splendid
story about diving head first into a
new culture, and, despite
difficulties, growing to love a new
country...

Janet

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.

Rachael

from the readers

Some Wandered in the Desert

Thirst

The Minor Protection Act

JOY’s World

Additional titles

Stories of
Faith, Fire,

and the Fierce
fight for joy

"Hello Matt, my name is Amal. I have kidnapped your sister and your friend."

A story of the redeemed

"Hello Matt, my name is Amal. I have kidnapped your sister and your friend."

Becca is an international aid worker, living in Egypt and determined to rescue trafficked
women. Meanwhile, her brother, Matt, works to rescue big names from impending scandals
at a large PR firm in Portland and does anything to distract himself from past hurt and pain.
When one of his clients lands the company in hot water, in an attempt to cover a story that
could ruin them all, Matt sends his loyal friend Kate to North Africa to investigate, with
Becca as her tour guide. What was an inconvenient detour becomes an international
kidnapping incident, led by Amal, a burdened and empathetic man searching for his own
purpose.

What follows is the harrowing and suspenseful story of two women, who were strangers not
two days before, attempting to survive, their kidnapper’s wavering determination to
complete his job, and a brother back home fighting to negotiate their safe return while
evading his own demons.

Will Matt succeed before time runs out? Will Becca and Kate survive together, or kill the
other first? In their darkest moments, what secrets will emerge?

An intriguing, face-paced, and suspenseful story, Some Wandered in the Desert reminds us
that even those with the strongest exteriors are just covering up their own inner, secret
battle.

some wandered in

the desert

I read this book with great
trepidation to find out what
happened to the two ladies that were
abducted in a foreign land. It is well-
written and I hope there is a sequel.

Amazon Customer

Gripping! I've never read a story that
was so personal, the characters so
real, the events so detailed and true
to life. It's as if this author lived
through this tale of faith and survival
herself. The images still are
imprinted on my mind months after
reading it. This story should be a
movie!

Paula Keller

Great book. I would recommend it to
anyone who wants a fast paced read.
Very gripping, about two women
who are taken hostage and how God
gives them the strength to face their
fear, pain, hunger, and thirst. Well
written with well rounded
protagonists.

Beads

I laughed, I cried, I was mad at you
(especially because of that last
scene!), and it was amazing.

You are a gifted storyteller, thank you
for sharing your gift!

Tony Miltenberger

“I want to spend the one small life I have in defiance of the way things are.”

10th Anniversary Edition: A
Riveting Spiritual Allegory

“I want to spend the one small life I have in defiance of the way things are.”

In a watery world of pain, rescuers bring a cure to any who want their thirst satisfied. But
many 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.

thirst

Took me awhile to figure out the
story... very subtle use of analogy and
now I think about it a lot. Helps me
to understand it or talk to someone
who refuses to believe what God has
for them. Amazing. Going to read it
again now to get more from it.

Karen Kirkham

Powerful in its storyline and
characters. I enjoyed the futuristic
feel of this book (like something from
the Mad Max era) but it's message of
life-giving Water fits well into our
culture today. Thanks for a great
read.

Paula Keller

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. Coming from a family of
alcoholics,I totally could identify with the characters in the book. We all
try to quench the thirst God created inside us with everything else but
the living water that Jesus freely gives to us. Highly recommend!

BSUFAN

What happens when your beliefs no longer align with the majority?

20th Anniversary Edition:

What happens when your beliefs no longer align with the majority?

What happens when your beliefs no longer align with the majority? What if, fed up with the
backward behaviors of the minority, that same majority decides to act for the “common
good” and legislate appropriate behavior?

Would your beliefs and behaviors make the cut? And what would you do if your strongest-
held beliefs are no longer tolerated?

Written more than twenty years ago, before smartphones and social media, canceling and
sanctuary cities, JODI COWLES thought-provoking debut novel reads like a prophetic fever
dream.

From a Reader:

"Do you want to be scared? I'm not talking the kind of scared you find in horror books. No, I'm
talking the kind of scared you find on a gripping trip between front and back covers of a novel that
scares you with it's plausibility. That's what The Minor Protection Act did for me. And it entertained
me too, making me flip the page till there were no more pages to flip. A definite thriller with its mix
of politics and Christianity, intrigue and romance, and failure and redemption."

The Minor Protection Act

Enter Joy’s captivating world, where languages weave magic!

A growing collection

A Bilingual Adventure in English and Turkish

Enter Joy’s captivating world, where
languages weave magic!

Inspired by a bilingual, globetrotting child
named Joy, this series celebrates the adventures
of bilingual and multilingual kids like her.

joy’s world

Joy’s World Books are inspired by my bilingual, language-loving, third culture kid, Joy. She
was born in Istanbul, Turkey, and didn’t set foot in another country until she was almost four
years old. According to her, she speaks “all the languages,” but if you were to test her, she’d
be most fluent in English and Turkish. She’s starting Spanish immersion preschool in the fall,
but for now chooses a different language every time she watches her show.

This series is for her, and for all the other bi- and multilingual children like her, growing up
around the world, in and out of their passport countries. They’re for kids who love languages,
and love cultures, and for the parents who want them to know more about this beautiful
world they’re growing up in.

Joy’s World: The Cousins are Coming is a delightful
book that is perfect for opening up the world to young
readers. The story is a peek into little Joy’s life in
Istanbul. She is excited to show her cousins around her
favorite places in the city while teaching them Turkish
words and phrases. The illustrations are delightful and
will captivate young readers. Makes a great gift, too!

LStewart

This is a cleverly written book to engage a child in
learning words in a different language. I
especially liked the glossary, which will be fun for
my granddaughter to use when she is old enough
to read the book by herself. The illustrations are
colorful and interesting. I'm hoping the author
will add an English/Portugese edition!

JMG

Wonderful for any kids to help them
understand a bit about cross cultural living
and bilingual adventures. Well written and
fun and insightful. Beautiful, brightly
coloured artwork.

LNCSMOM

Multiple Pens, One Story

collaborations

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.

socials

let’s

connect