Bio

Jessica Brody knew from a young age that she wanted to be a writer. She started “publishing” her own books when she was seven years old, binding the pages together with cardboard, wallpaper samples, and electrical tape.

After graduating from Smith College in 2001 where she double majored in Economics and French and minored in Japanese, Jessica later went on to work for MGM Studios as a Manager of Acquisitions and Business Development. In May of 2005, Jessica quit her job to follow her dream of becoming a published author.

Since then, Jessica has written and published over 20 novels for teens, tweens, and adults including Amelia Gray is Almost Okay, The Chaos of Standing Still, The Geography of Lost Things, I Speak Boy, 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, A Week of Mondays, the Unremembered trilogy, and the System Divine trilogy (a sci-fi reimagining of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables co-written by Joanne Rendell.) She’s also been hired by Disney Press to write several books based on popular Disney franchises such as Descendants and LEGO Disney Princess.

Jessica is also the author of the #1 bestselling plotting guides for novelists, Save the Cat! Writes a Novel, and Save the Cat! Writes a Young Adult Novel, (a USA Today and Indiebound bestseller) and is the founder of Writing Mastery Academy, an innovative online learning platform designed to help writers break through challenges and achieve their writing goals.

Jessica’s books have been translated in over 20 languages and several have been optioned for film and TV. She currently lives with her husband and three dogs near Portland, Oregon.

(Looking for something shorter? Click here to download Jessica’s short bio)

 

Jessica currently offers virtual school visits for schools around the world! Find out what teachers, librarians, and students have said about her presentation or how you can book an author visit!

 

15 Random (and somewhat embarrassing) Facts about Jessica:

1. She loves bananas but hates anything banana flavored.
2. She’s squeamish about bones and belly buttons.
3. She’s always secretly wanted to be a member of the Spice Girls.
4. She doesn’t like it when vegetables try to pass themselves off as dessert. (“Carrot Cake? Seriously? You’re not fooling anyone!”)
5. The first book she learned to read was Go Dog Go at age 2, although technically she probably just memorized it.
6. She can’t whistle. (And no, it’s not as simple as just putting your lips together and blowing).
7. She’s allergic to avocado (a fact that she hates because she loves guacamole!)
8. Her favorite Pixar movie is Inside Out, and the character she relates to the most is Joy.
9. She’s always had a strange obsession with the scanners at supermarket registers and now never misses an opportunity to use the self check-out lanes so she can scan her own food.
10. She loves speaking in a British accent, much to the annoyance of everyone around her.
11. She’s never been good at sports and used to hide behind the handball courts in elementary school during P.E.
12. She is a major tech-y and has to own every gadget that comes out. Regardless of whether or not she has any intention of using it.
13. She can’t stand the word “pocketbook” or “panties.”
14. Her all-time favorite foods are sushi and afternoon tea sandwiches, which she doesn’t necessarily eat together.
15. Her very first novel was called The Puppy and the Kitty and was complete with illustrations. She wrote it when she was 7. (See photo below).