Follow Jenny on Instagram.

Autobiography 

my life in photos

Full Circle
 Even before I could read them, I loved books. I was born in Salisbury, NC, where I live now. In many ways, my life has come full circle. Every week, my mom took me and my sisters to Rowan Public Library, where I now serve as president of the Friends of the Library board and manage the Second Saturday Bookshop, which raises money for my library. In this photo, circa 1968, you will see my sister Sally behind me.

Mom at her bridge table
Before she became a card shark, Jayne was a championship golfer. 

sisters 
I am one of three sisters; I'm the oldest. Leigh, in the pink scarf, is the youngest and funniest and most tech-savvy. Sally, on the right, is a great reader, and she has helped advise me on many a first and second and third or fourth or fifth draft. 

I would not want to live in a world without books or dogs... or students. Right now, I teach adults how to read through the Rowan County Literacy Council. My students end up teaching me, too. (VERY nice.)

... or friends. 
I met Anne, Claudia, and Mary Ann through community theatre, which has delighted me since I was a kid. My interest has evolved from acting to directing to playwriting, though my favorite role has always been audience member. 

i married a high-school math teacher, who happens to enjoy reading as much as I do. Here's Steve with our dog Oliver (who preceded Lotty).

My Desk
Where the magic happens, and where I try to avoid cliches such as "where the magic happens." I don't have to sit here to write; I've reached the point where I can work on a manuscript anywhere (as long as the battery on my laptop holds out). 

Lotty keeps me company while i write though she would rather be chasing squirrels.

being a tourist
I appreciate any opportunity to walk through new landscapes because I find stories there. (Here I am in Honfleur, France.) I don't believe in writer's block. If I get stuck, I start the story from another character's point of view, and when I need to clear my mind or refill it, I walk Lotty around the neighborhood. Works every time.

my earliest attempts, circa 1975