J. J. Ferrer

Jayne Jaudon Ferrer has been passionate about words for as long as she can remember--and she credits Lola Dietz, the first librarian she ever knew--for that wonderful gift. "My hometown church was blessed to have an exceptional library and a full-time librarian," the author recalls. "Mrs. Dietz introduced me to A Child's Garden of Verses, to Beverly Cleary, to Maj Lindman, and taught me the joy of reading and the satisfaction of a good story when I was still a toddler." Ferrer also credits several teachers and mentors who recognized and encouraged her gift with words for leading her to a career in writing. "I grew up in a small town where everyone knew everybody. You couldn't get away with a thing, of course, but the affection and interest and support was amazing. I HAD to be successful; I couldn't let those people down!"

Working initially as an advertising copywriter, then as a freelance journalist, Ferrer began writing books after her first child was born. Her collections of poetry about the bliss and bedlam of motherhood have been published in multiple editions, and Kirkus Reviews calls her nonfiction book, The Art of Stone Skipping and Other Fun Old-Time Games, "a wonderful resource."

Jayne's newest book is a novel, Hayley and the Hot Flashes. The story of a middle-aged country music diva reconnecting with her four best friends from high school, it delivers a powerful message about the value of relationships, the importance of going after your dreams, and the fact that being over 40 means you're probably a lot smarter than you used to be.

While more fiction projects are in the works, Ferrer's enthusiasm for poetry will never wane. "Too many people write it off as boring because some teacher crammed too much Wordsworth and Yeats down their throat and never told them about Ogden Nash or Edgar Guest."