Codi Schneider
Codi Schneider is the author of COLD SNAP: A Viking Cat Mystery (SparkPress). She was raised in the snowy mountains of Colorado on a steady diet of books. She is a mystery-loving animal enthusiast who, when not writing, can be found traveling the world on horseback. She lives in Denver with her husband, two horses, and a cat who is not a Viking but a lover of REM sleep.
Instagram: @codi_schneider
Favorite non-reading activity?
Some of my favorite activities (because I can’t just choose one) are jumping my Highland Pony, Sarge, yoga, and trail running. Often prone to wanderlust, I love traveling, and as an equestrian, I’ve found that nothing compares to traveling by horseback and viewing foreign lands from between the twin canoes of a horse’s ears.
Have you ever experienced Imposter Syndrome?
Yes and more than once! No matter how much I write, I sometimes feel like I have no idea what I’m doing, especially when I sit down to start a new project or when I’m trying to explain my project to someone else. The age-old question of “What’s your book about?” never ceases to be a struggle and my ensuing elevator pitch can feel inadequate, even when the book is post-publication. However, after speaking with other artists, I’ve realized I’m not alone in this. I think it’s something a lot of us struggle with as creativity is often a mystery, even to those of us who create.
Not all books are for all readers . . . when you start a book and you just don’t like it, how long do you read until you bail?
Honestly, I rarely bail on a book. Even if it’s not to my taste, I’ll finish it simply out of curiosity. I have to know how it ends. When I stop reading a book for pleasure though, my brain switches into analysis mode and I spend the remaining pages asking myself why the book isn’t hooking me. Is it the plot? The characters? Bad writing? You can always learn something.
Is there another profession you would like to try?
Equine massage therapist. I didn’t know this job existed until a few years ago, and it immediately caught my attention. Though I doubt I’ll ever get certified to do this, I may create a character who is and then live vicariously through them.
What brings you great joy?
Water—watching it ripple and roll. Swimming in a cool forest lake, haunted by the call of a loon. A horse’s eye and a cat’s purr. Coffee swirled with oat milk.
