A Lifelong Passion for Storytelling

Jessica Wolford Barnes is an aspiring author with a lifelong passion for storytelling. Born and raised in Gaithersburg, MD, she now lives in Aurora, CO with her husband, Matt, and dog, Tater Tot. Her journey into the world of writing began when she was a child making up stories about a magical mouse named Starcaster and murderous pumpkins for her elementary school’s literary magazine.

Since then, Jessica has been drawing continual inspiration from her life and the world around her to add depth to her stories and beloved characters. Through writing, Jessica explores themes of mental health, self-acceptance, and self-love.

Writing also bleeds into Jessica’s hobbies as she loves to create fan fiction for her favorite characters. When she isn’t at her laptop writing, Jessica can be found hiking with her dog, reading spicy fiction, or playing Baldur’s Gate 3.

Though unpublished, Jessica is dedicated to quality storytelling. She has placed in NYC Midnight’s flash fiction and micro fiction competitions and her writing style is said to be “compelling” and “immersive.” She co-created and co-led the Creative Writing Residential Learning Community in college.

These days, you can find Jessica finishing up her premier novel, Forgotten. Send her a note at JWolfordBarnes@gmail.com to get in touch.

What Readers Are Saying

  • CO Gold Rush Literary Awards Contest Judge

    “It was a pleasure reading Forgotten. It’s a well written, creative story with an interesting premise that presents a new twist on the sci-fi theme of false memories. And, because of all that, it’s not easy to provide a lot of substantive critique that would improve the story.”

  • CASEY E.

    “As soon as I read the first sentence, I couldn't stop reading! It's absolutely amazing!”

  • CO Gold Rush Literary Awards Contest Judge

    “Your scenes are well crafted. I enjoyed the section of chapter two the most because your descriptions really shined there.”

  • AMANDA R.

    “Wow! Felt like I was holding my breath the entire time and kept wanting to read faster and faster to find out what happens.”

  • CO Gold Rush Literary Awards Contest Judge

    “You have an intriguing story here, and the premise sounds like something I would readily pick up.”

  • NYC MIDNIGHT JUDGE 2034

    “[Jessica] demonstrates how narration can be used to create one long inner monologue that captures a dynamic range of ways to illustrate a powerful emotion overwhelming a character. “

  • CO Gold Rush Literary Awards Contest Judge

    “...this will be an excellent story. You already write wonderful descriptions and have a strong narrative voice. All you need to do is revise and polish a little. This was a fun read, and I wish you the best of luck with this manuscript. ”

  • CHALYN L.

    “I would read the HECK out of this book if it was for sale at the bookstore.”

  • User: "Happy In The Wall"

    “That was great! Can't wait for the next chapter. You got me hooked.”

  • KEVIN W.

    “I absolutely love it! Great writing and had me wanting more!”

  • NELLY U.

    “Please keep writing, this is amazing!”

  • User: "FireTurnsToAsh"

    “Why is this kinda addicting?”

  • MARK N.

    “What a cool twist!”

  • User: "Bem3373"

    “Very addicting! I'm now hooked! Can't wait for the next chapter.”

  • EMMA B.

    “Such wonderful writing.”

  • Tamara Evans

    “UGH! You make me sick (in a good way)! This is so good I'm nauseated that there isn't more (though that's really not fair considering you've updated daily, haha)! But I'm also insanely happy that you've cooked up such a wonderfully unique idea which works so INSANELY well in this application... good lord have you made my week. ;)”

“Storytelling has been, and always will be, my passion.”

- Jessica Wolford Barnes