My Work
Find writing samples by clicking on the images below.
Want to know more?
Click on any of the headers below for in-depth info.
I coach authors in an online peer group and help polish their manuscripts and queries—so they can navigate the path to traditional publication with confidence and support.
The long road to becoming an agented author taught me you need peer support and a good edit to make it through the querying trenches.
I paid $600 to a research institute and drove to Texas…The tester people came back and said, “You would be good at disaster management and writing.”
I’m available for: readings of my work, author interviews, sitting on and/or facilitating a conference panel(s), delivering a keynote speech, emceeing your literary event, school visits, or leading a workshop.
Check out my full list of workshops.
Questions? Comments? Interested in booking me for a speaking event? I’d love to hear from you!
I’d love to meet you in real life. Check out my upcoming events, and hopefully I’ll see you there!
You don’t have to take my word for it.
Learn more by checking out radio spots, interviews, reviews, and video.
I’m Going to Pavlov Dog the Crap Out of this Meditation Stuff
When I saw MEDITATION on the daily schedule at my writers’ retreat my first thought was: that hippy crap will never work for me. My brain runs one-million miles per hour with no exit ramps or stop signs. There is no way in hell I’d be able to sit and chant “ohm” for an hour […]
100 Rejections. Let’s Celebrate.
I wrote this in 2016, when I was deep in the querying trenches trying to find the perfect agent. My work with YA4YA has me thinking a lot about that period of my life, because I’m trying to figure out the best way to mentor the authors I’ve decided to work with. I can’t say […]
FREE writers conference Nov 1-4 at the Jo. Co. KS Library & I’m Presenting!
In October of 2015, I took the opening pages of The Color Eater to The Johnson County Library. The library was hosting an entirely free writers’ conference, and one of the sessions involved group critiques of your work. Those critiques helped me fine tune the opening scene, the scene I sent in to Kneerim & […]
What am I working on right now?
Jessica Conoley – The Color Eater excerpt from J BOND CINEMA on Vimeo.
To learn more about The Color Eater, sign up for my newsletter and you’ll receive an in-depth sneak peek of the novel!
What you are saying.
Quotes from my readers.
“Thank you SO much for your edit letter and comments within the manuscript.
So helpful, constructive, thought-provoking and spot on. You have picked me up on so many things I didn’t even know I was doing!
Thank you so much for energising* me to make this story into something so much better than it is. I know I can make it 100 times better and your suggestions have guided me on how to do that!”
*Paula lives in Australia, so I kept her Australian spelling as is.
- Paula G.-Coaching Client in response to Developmental Edit LetterI appreciate how Jessica provides pragmatic, practical advice as well as affirming the lived, often times emotional experience of being a writer.
- Mary S.-Attendee of How to Find (and Be) A Great Critique Partner WorkshopI’m a young writer feeling lost in the publishing world. I have love for my writing and what I have created, but the process of publishing has dismayed me. Jessica’s presentation gave me reassurance, hope, and understanding.
- Janie R.-Attendee of Paths to Traditional Publication Workshop