About Jessica
As a child, I was rarely without a book. Hiding under the covers with a flashlight and a novel? That was me. Ignoring friends at sleepovers to read? Also me. Picking books as her bat mitzvah theme in 1994? Yes, but I promise you I had friends.
Like many good readers, I’d often wonder if there was a book inside me, waiting to get out. While I did write a sex and relationship column for my college newspaper (I am cringing as I feel you Googling it), and spent my twenties ghost-writing dating app profiles for my friends, writing fiction remained a casual fantasy, a glimmer of something maybe I could do, one day.
The truth is, I am nothing if not pragmatic, and law school was the logical path. Off I went, and out came a bona fide product liability defense lawyer. What could be sexier than that?
Along the way, I would jot down book ideas, but I am a full-time working mom and my smidge of free time went to scrolling on my phone, (often while) watching decent television, and of course, reading wonderful books. I’d mention in passing to friends or colleagues that what I really wanted to do was write, but I had nothing to show for it, well, other than a bunch of really well drafted motions for summary judgment and a list of half-baked ideas.
Then, in the Spring of 2021, I experienced an unthinkable loss. The incredibly unfair, still mind-boggling death of an extraordinary friend to melanoma. Suzanne Leeds Klein was a light, a cheerleader, the most supportive friend to many. Her cries of “Oh my god, you’re so gorgeous and talented!” is what got me and my friends through some tough times in college. With Suz’s voice in my head, I put down my phone, turned off the television, and entered the world of Rachel and Jack.
Wherever this adventure leads me, I will always be grateful that I took this chance. And I'm so happy to be meeting you here.
Love,
Jess
Photo by Amanda Berce