LIVING THE DREAM
Jackie was born and raised in the heart of New Jersey where she spent 25 years as a classroom teacher and was a contributing education writer for the Courier Post. After retiring, she moved to a beach town on Florida's west coast and realized her dream of writing full-time. Her first novel, Project June Bug, the story of a teacher working with a student with ADHD, won several literary awards and was named "Book of the Year" by Premier Book Awards. Her second book, Jacqueline, is a middle grade historical fiction based on an experience her father (a WWII veteran) had while stationed in France shortly after D-Day. It has received an Eric Hoffer Book Award, a gold medal from the Literary Classics Book Awards, first place for middle grade fiction and runner-up for Book of the Year in the Florida Writers Association Royal Palm Literary Awards, and a gold medal from the Military Writers Society of America's Book Awards.
Her latest novel, One Small Spark, a middle grade historical set in 1770s Boston, won the Eloquent Quill Top Honors Award for Youth Fiction, a gold medal from Literary Classics International Book Awards, a silver medal from the Military Writers Society of America, and a Royal Palm Literary Silver Award. It was also chosen as a finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards and received a 5-star review from Reader's Favorite.
Several of Jackie's stories have also been included in Chicken Soup for the Soul collections.
Jackie lives in Treasure Island with her husband and two noisy macaws. She spends her spare time reading, walking on the beach, and writing a blog featuring Florida writers. She frequently travels back to New Jersey to visit her three children and six gorgeous grandkids. Life is good!
