Author. Hiker. Occasional Yogi. Equestrian. Couch Potato. Traveler. Music lover. Sailor. Tailor. Enjoys suffering from being interested in everything.
Jolene is a third-generation Alaskan who grew up on a small lake north of Anchorage. She spent her early years in boats, exploring Alaskan beaches, playing in lakes, riding horses, and fishing out of her dad’s small bush plane. Her claims to fame include being part of the local Jr Olympic Equestrian Team, sailing in the Bermuda Triangle, and having a character named after her in the movie The Road to Ballycastle.
After teaching middle and high school, Jolene began her publishing career in 2010. She spent about a decade as a freelance editor, specializing in helping authors talk through plot. She has written all over the genre map, often re-organizes how she approaches her creativity, and currently splits her time between writing books and riding horses.
After writing all the young adult stories she wished she’d had in high school, she’s jumped back into writing paranormal thrillers that were inspired by growing up on Unsolved Mysteries, Urban Legends, Stephen King, and the X-Files.
She currently lives with her husband, college-age kiddos, and NUMEROUS animals on her horse farm in Western Colorado.
You can find Jolene online at http://www.jowritesbooks.com or http://www.jolenebperry.com
Represented by Kristen Terrette of Martin Newel Lit Management. http://www.martinlit.com
I grew up with the kind of dad who used a lighter to detect possible gas leaks in gas lines. A dad who said things like, “They let electricians do it! Of course you can wire your house!”
Because of this line of thinking, and my mother’s ENDLESS patience and support, I competitively show-jumped, I went to college, I became a teacher, I tried new things. Every year. At least one. Because of my dad, I drew plans for a house, because hey, they let architects do it! And then twice (because much like childbirth, you forget the pain) we built two houses starting with the plans, all the way to the final bits of paint on the walls. And there is nothing like building your own home.
But when it came to thing that I wanted to do more than anything else, that thing that felt so unattainable, I put off trying. I put it off by switching away from an English major in college. By keeping only a moderate journal. By quashing the idea as soon as it formed.
And then blogging became a thing. A big thing. Everyone had a blog! Even stay at home mom’s like me! And it was a struggle learning to stay home with the same single, small person every day after herding classrooms of middle and high school students. So I began to blog. The first ones were clunky, but they got better, more succinct. The writing came easier. Sharing small stories about our day became easier. That brilliant part of storytelling where some tidbit from the beginning, comes back around in the end… That got easier too.
So, one day I’m playing my guitar (guitarists do it!) and I had this idea for a story. We were feeling particularly broke at the time (student loans – almost everyone does it!) and driving up the road when I mentioned having this idea for a scene or story, and my husband said, “Why don’t you write that down? Just for fun?”
He had no idea what he would start with those few words.
I’ve been publishing for over fifteen years, worked with five publishers, done literary internships, switched agents, seen a few successes and many failures. There’s no place I’d rather be.
~ Jo
ANOTHER FIRST-PERSON BIO (to anyone visiting – out of sight, out of mind is a super common theme amongst us ADHD peoples, so this bio is ALSO on this page. Feel free to sigh and ignore)
I’ve written books for large publishers, mid-sized publishers, small presses, and I’ve published a handful of books on my own. This is a good measure of how I live my life – “That sounds interesting, let’s check it out…”
I was born in Anchorage and grew up in South-central Alaska. I’m a third generation Alaskan and much of my family lives in Canada and on the islands of Southeast Alaska.
I play mediocre guitar, am an amateur portrait photographer of people and horses, and I love being outside. When my parents retired, I had the VERY fortunate opportunity to sail with them in the Caribbean for a month. Twice. We passed through the Bermuda Triangle on my first voyage out of sight of land.
On my high school graduation night, I kissed a guy I’d wanted to kiss for a long time – we got married a few years later. We’ve survived military deployments, big moves, big school, building houses, and so much more. We now live on a horse farm in Colorado with many equine friends, 5 cats, 3 dogs, and 2 goats.
You can find my farm: http://www.compasslineequestrian.com
Jo Writes Books 