May 3, 2023

THE QUARRY GIRLS Won!

I am thrilled to report that The Quarry Girls won the Minnesota Book Award for Genre Fiction last night!

I'm still walking on stars.

It was wonderful to feel part of a larger community of writers, as well as to support libraries and librarians at a time when they’re both under attack. It’s never been more important to tell stories that upset the status quo, or to support writers on the margins. Keep reading dangerous books!

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March 25, 2023

The Best Book for You

Jess here. Did you know I've written 20+ books across genres? Maybe you came to me via my true-crime-inspired thrillers, like The Quarry Girls, or my laugh-out-loud-funny romcom mysteries, or my young adult fantasy, or maybe even my children's picture book. If you enjoyed it (I sure hope you enjoyed it), you might be curious which book to read next.

Please allow me to introduce you to the Book Butler.

It's a quick, fun, and easy way to be directed to the perfect book for your mood. Best of all, you don't have to enter any information; just click some buttons and voila! Your perfect pick will be revealed to you, along with several options for accessing it (including your local library or bookstore, when available).

Enjoy! And thanks for stopping by. 😊

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February 1, 2023

Minnesota Book Award Nomination!

The Quarry Girls has been nominated for a Minnesota Book Award! I am over the moon. The MBAs have always guided my book-buying and book-checking-out choices, and so to see my name on that list is next level. It’s extra special because I’m so proud of The Quarry Girls. It was important to me to capture the joy and terror of growing up in the Midwest in the ‘70s, and I love seeing the book resonate with readers.

Thank you to The Friends of the St. Paul Library and librarians and booksellers for this incredible honor!

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The Quarry Girls opening lines:

That summer, the summer of ’77, everything had edges.

Our laughter, the sideways glances we gave and got. Even the air was blade-sharp. I figured it was because we were growing up. The law might not recognize it, but fifteen’s a girl and sixteen a woman and you get no map from one land to the next. They airdrop you in, booting a bag of Kissing Potions lip gloss and off-the-shoulder blouses after you. As you’re plummeting, trying to release your parachute and grab for that bag at the same time, they holler out you’re pretty, like they’re giving you some sort of gift, some vital key, but really, it’s meant to distract you from yanking your cord.

Girls who land broken are easy prey.

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