Jess is an Australian children’s author, passionate about empowering kids and sparking imagination. Her stories are full of humour and heart, often exploring the world from a neurodivergent perspective. With a background in speech pathology and disability services, Jess now pursues her love of words by weaving stories with a subtle message of inclusivity. Aside from writing, Jess enjoys coffee (who doesn’t?) and spoonerisms (doo husn’t?!).
WHAT CYA CONFERENCE DID FOR ME
In 2021, having recently embarked on my children's writing journey, I entered the CYA competition and was astonished to hear I won second place in my category! As a new author, that was a huge confidence boost, and the feedback I received on my entries was extremely helpful in facilitating further editing of my stories.
A year later, I booked my first CYA editor assessments, and the lead up to these and the competition really drove my creativity for the first half of the year. Meeting the editors was a fantastic opportunity to learn from the experts and receive guidance on my manuscripts. During my session with Coral Huckstep from Affirm Press, I was excited to hear that she thought my stories could find a place in the Affirm Press collection! A short while later, I signed the contract for my debut picture book. I was over the moon and so very thankful that I had this opportunity through CYA.
My debut picture book, Bernie Thinks in Boxes, is a story about thinking differently and navigating change in a neurotypical world. It’s due for release by Affirm Press in July 2024.
Read Jess's blog post for the AWC
CYA is not affiliated with the AWC.
