Hi, I’m jenny
I teach, read, and write books, all for young people. Really, I never finished growing up myself, and that’s just the way I like it.
Currently, I am a Teacher/Librarian for third-sixth graders, and I love it! I read and write Middle Grade books, I talk about Middle Grade books, sometimes I even dream about Middle Grade books.
When I’m not doing those things, I like to hike, bake everything sweet and tasty, and take care of our little flock of chickens.
I also like to teach writing and idea-generation to kids and adults. Click the link below to find some inspiring ideas to use at home, in the classroom, or for a writing group.
My writing journey
I wrote my first book in the fifth grade.
It was a collaboration with a friend of mine about a society of advanced wolves and their adventures. Making friends was hard for me as a kid, but we bonded over our love of creative things. While other kids were running around playing tag and squishing ants on the blacktop, we were working on our story. We worked on that book at recess, free time, whenever we could squeeze it in. Then, I’d go home after school and work on it some more. Writing had become my happy place. It still is.
In college I wrote mostly poetry. I didn’t share my writing much. I wrote for myself at the back tables of dim coffee shops. I think my experience in poetry shows in my writing even now. I still love the way words sound, their meanings, the music of a well-written sentence. And that explains why I keep at it.
I never really liked adult books much, so when I became a teacher that was the perfect excuse to keep reading my favorite books of all: Middle Grade. I told people it was a job requirement. Research, I said. It helps my students. That was true, but really I read those stories because I loved them. Middle Grade books have adventure, emotion, fun, and heart. We all need more of that, maybe adults most of all. Middle Grade forever!
weird is the new cool
My philosophy is that if you have an idea for a story, write it. Don’t worry about if it sounds strange, or you think other people won’t like it. I guarantee there is someone out there just waiting for you to put that story down on paper. They need it.