Here's my official biography:
Jolene grew up on a farm, surrounded by animals, plants, and history. She is an award-winning teacher-librarian and has been working with diverse learners at Denver Academy for the past 27 years. She holds a Master’s degree in Library Science. She’s a wife of 24 years and mama to two young adults, three dogs, a cat who plays fetch, and an ever-rotating variety of other animals including crested geckos, frogs, a ferret, and a rescue squirrel. She’s an active member of SCBWI and The Author’s Guild, a We Need Diverse Books mentorship finalist, a Writing with the Stars mentee, a Highlights Foundation scholarship winner, and the winner of the Cynthia Levinson nonfiction picture book biography scholarship to the Writing Barn. She’s an active member of the Perfect 2020 PBs group, a member of the critique group 6 Ladies and a MANuscript, and a co-creator of #KidlitZombieWeek.
Jolene is represented by agent Kaitlyn Sanchez.
And here's another biography that gives you a little more information about me in first person. ;)
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Age 4 with my favorite book and rock. |
I've been a school librarian for the past 27 years, and I love helping students find their perfect book. After I had my own kids, though, for a little while I was so busy being a mom that I forgot some of the other things that nurture my soul. When a brilliant woman I knew, Rae, lost her fight with breast cancer, I realized that I needed to stop waiting for my dreams to come true and take steps to make them come true. So I started writing again.
I dream that the books I write will become someone's perfect book. I can't imagine anything more magical than that! One of my other dreams is to change the world, one reader at a time. I have lots of dreams. None of them include Rocky Mountain Oysters. :)