About Jessica
Jessica Iwanski is a children’s writer with a passion for all things books and reading. She loves drawing inspiration from true stories and enjoys the challenge of bringing new life to overlooked historical and cultural gems. As a second-generation homeschooler, Jessica can often be found planning literature-based learning for her children and their homeschool co-op. In her free time, Jessica enjoys spending time with her family, baking mediocre sourdough loaves, and trying to find her next favorite read – or else, trying to write it!
Jessica lives in Arizona with her husband, three children, one big Golden Retriever, and one little curly pup (who the family agrees is probably a cat in disguise). She is 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 writer.
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!" whenever a kid shares their dream with me.
