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Author Hillary Jordan talked about her extensive research to write “Mudbound” citing farming books as well as first person narratives of midwives, share croppers, and World War 2 bombers. Jordan spoke at PCC’s Creveling Lounge on Friday about her novel “Mudbound.” The event was a Q&A as part of Pasadena Public Library’s One City, One Story event.

Jordan talked about her upcoming book “When She Woke,” describing the novel as her version of “The Scarlet Letter,” taking place in a dystopia future controlled by the extreme right wing. She is also writing a spinoff of “Mudbound” following the character Ronsel.

Jordan cited a few reasons for writing “When She Woke.” She said the right wing “started to get bad during the Bush era, with integration of faith and state.”

She also read a study that found that most people who associate themselves with the Tea Party tend to be racist. Jordan said she believes “most Americans are moderates.”

Jordan said she finished the first draft of “Mudbound” when she made a bet with her friend on New Year’s Eve, saying that whoever did not finish by April owed the other $1,000.

Jordan read a short passage from “Mudbound,” as the character Florence, in a Mississippi accent.

“[When I] toured the South, [Mudbound] was well received,” Jordan said.

The audience consisted of a handful of PCC students, a book club from San Diego, and the rest were mostly older women. Jordan explained that most fiction readers and most book club members are women. “Mudbound” has been successful in book clubs.

Jordan said she writes by “pulling [words] out of my head sentence by sentence” as opposed to author’s who make outlines.

She said that when she was in school she “wanted to be a lawyer” but ended up in advertising and said that “money didn’t bring happiness.

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