Hello loyal blog/website followers! If you follow me on social media, you have probably already seen this. But if you haven’t well, here’s the good news. (And if you’ve already seen it, is there such as a thing as too much celebration?) I HAVE A BOOK DEAL!!! My debut book, tentatively titled DANCING WITH LIGHTNING: A BOOK ABOUT EPILEPSY is going to be included as part of Free Spirit Publishing’s forthcoming series about disabilities for kids. Publication is set for winter 2026 and I am thrilled! I am also in the process of designing a brand new website and getting updated headshots and all ot ..read more

When writing picture books, every word counts. That’s even more true in this weekend’s beloved kidlit contest, 50 Precious Words. The challenge is to write a story appropriate for kids aged 12 or under in 50 words or less. The title does not count toward your final word count. Your story must have a beginning, middle, and end and not include illustration notes. The style can vary. It can be silly, sweet, be in prose, rhyme, free verse…really whatever works for the author! The challenge is really whittling it down to 50 words. This is a very popular contest in the writing community. Last year t ..read more

This weekend is the annual Spring Fling Kidlit Contest. Children’s authors are challenged to find a gif (or create a gif) and write a spring-inspired story geared towards children aged 12 or younger. The gif can be the only visual and 150 words is the maximum word count. That’s pretty much the gist of the contest. (You can skip to the bottom to read the entry…but I would love for you to read this whole post.) Spring is my favorite time of year, so I love reading other people’s entries, and I wasn’t planning on entering this year. I am honestly a bit burnt out on contests at the moment, and try ..read more

After a lovely summer filled with lots of writing, and some super-secret-super-fabulous-book-news that I can’t share yet, I just finished my first week back at school. I know what you’re thinking. “Jenna, you JUST went back to school? This week?” I know. I’m lucky. I had a long summer vacation. We went back the week after Labor Day. Sort of like how it was when I was a kid! I should also note that my school is not a typical school. I used to teach at a regular, public elementary school. I taught kindergarten and second grade and I loved my students! But my health deteriorated very quickly due ..read more

Hi Kidlit World! I have been wanting to write this post all month. But I haven’t had the spoons. I still don’t have the spoons, honestly, so this post will be shorter than intended. First, I want to show a picture of my local independent bookstore’s disability pride book display. Seeing this table at work everyday makes me SO happy. I feel like I belong there and I don’t have to hide myself. It is validating and affirming and I can’t even really describe how good it feels. The table has also done really well with sales, so we keep having to find new books to add to the table. We don’t carry al ..read more

Today is a special day! Today, my sweet Hamilton turns 5 years old. It also happens to be Disneyland’s birthday. And is my original due date. (If you’re doing the math, yes I was very much a preemie baby.) So, it is extra special that Hammie happened to be born on this day 5 years ago. Hamilton is the reason I get out of bed in the mornings. He brings me so much joy. More than I could ever imagine. He inspired me to write my very first picture book and is the inspiration behind many other books. He is my teaching assistant and my best bud. He is my seizure protector and my swimming partner. He ..read more

Hello from my little writing corner of the world. Pictured above, this is where I usually write. In my comfy chair at my little corner desk in my bedroom. With my service dog happily napping behind me. Or, I write from my bed, when sitting up is too much effort. Or I just want to be extra cozy. Such is the life of a disabled author. Disabled. Yes. That is the term I prefer. As a disabled person, I have noticed many non-disabled people are afraid to use the word “disabled” or “disability.” (Heck, I was afraid to use those words for a long time, too!) Instead, they resort to euphemisms such as ..read more

Happy July! We are officially in the full swing of summer, and with the start of July comes the start of Disability Pride Month! Woo-hoo! Now, some people question why I take pride in disability. In fact, a lot of people do. The sad fact is that society has labeled disability as inherently “bad” and something to be ashamed of. But disability isn’t bad. Disability is human. And 1 in 4 people will become disabled in their lifetime, whether permanently or for a temporary timeframe. The disability community is the largest minority group. So it is time we reframe our thinking about disability and y ..read more

This weekend is the 2nd Annual Kidlit Vibes Contest. How does it work? Well, you step right up to the WHEEL OF FEELS and spin a word. A vibe! Then you have 125 words to capture that vibe in a story geared at readers 12 or younger. (Ex: If you spin and land on the word: ANGRY, your story should capture that feeling.) Your entry can be lyrical/poetic and does not necessarily need a beginning, middle and end. It’s really all about the vibe! Here is the website to learn more about the contest. This year, I landed on the word NERVOUS. Which is perfect. Because I am literally always nervous about so ..read more

I have a new favorite book. Yes, another one. And this one is different from the usual books I gravitate toward. This one made me smile and actually laugh out loud as I was reading it. Any book that has the power to do that is usually a winner. Plus, it is poetic, which is always impressive. And the concept is genius. Today’s book is…ANIMALS IN PANTS. Title: ANIMALS IN PANTS Words by: Suzy Levinson Pictures by: Kristen & Kevin Howdeshell Published by: Cameron Kids/Abrams Ages: 4-9 Themes: humor, clothing, poetry, animals Synopsis: What? You’ve never seen ..read more