About me
Hi there! I’m Jessica and books are my favorite thing. As a child, I spent every bit of my free time reading and writing stories, dreaming of one day becoming a real author. Now I have the joy of being exactly what I always hoped to be when I grew up!
I write lyrical picture books that invite young readers to step into a moment in time. My life as a second-generation homeschooler deeply informs my storytelling as I seek to write books that cultivate meaningful connections while opening the world to curious young minds.
When not reading or writing, I can often be found spending time with family, baking mediocre sourdough loaves, and lesson planning literature-based learning for my children and our homeschool co-op. I live in Arizona with my husband, our three children, and two very silly dogs.
​
I am represented by Anjanette Barr with Dunham Literary.
​
When I was seven years old, I came across a journal in the aisle of a store now long-since forgotten. Small, yellow, plastered with a picture of Scooby Doo on the cover, and complete with a working lock and key. It was perfect. I saved up my money and begged my mom to take me back to the store so I could buy it. And that was the first thing I ever purchased with my own money, a place to safely store my words. I learned that writing is the way I feel most like myself.
The Story Behind the Stories
When I turned 9, I was gifted a book-making kit for my birthday. I wrote and illustrated a book about a cat in an identity crisis. I sat outside all that summer, under the trees in my yard in New York, and wrote and wrote and wrote (and drew a little). I learned that someday, I wanted to be part of the story of making stories. I wanted to be a author.
I also learned that sadly, I am NOT an illustrator.
When I was 16, I collected family stories for a school project. I wrote a special one about my grandma and when I shared it with her, she told me I would publish a book someday. I learned that stories are everywhere and that my favorite stories are the ones grounded in heart and truth. And for the first time, I believed I could really write them.
When I was 31, I wrote a book for real. I typed the words in bursts during the summer of 2023. I wrote as I watched from the sidelines of my son's karate class. I wrote from the passenger seat of the car. I researched and interviewed experts every chance I got. I visited beautiful places for education and inspiration. I knew in my heart that this story was special. At the beginning of 2024, it received an offer of representation from my now-agent, Anjanette Barr, and was shortly under contract with Gnome Road Publishing. It is set to release in the fall of 2026!
I learned that writing books for children is challenging, soul-stretching, important work. I learned that sometimes, God blesses us with exactly what we always hoped for. And I learned to say, "Yes, you can!" to every kid who shares their big ideas and dreams with me.
