INCLUDAS Publishing’s newest author is book coach, teacher, and widely published short story and flash fiction writer Jennifer Dickinson, whose own experiences as a theater student with a stutter have inspired her middle grade debut, starring theater enthusiast Maggie Pierson.

Dickinson’s debut novel follows Maggie Pierson, an 11-year-old aspiring actress starting sixth grade at a new school with her best friend, Francesca. Their first day of school is full of shared dreams about auditioning for the school’s fall play, Dahlia Rockets to Space—until Francesca falls under the spell of Valentine, a know-it-all classmate and experienced actress who teases Maggie about her stutter. Maggie’s disability has never held her back from performing before, but in the face of new insecurities and her best friend’s abandonment, quitting seems like Maggie’s best choice. How will Maggie find the courage to not hide her voice and follow her father’s motto of Rock the Risk to pursue her big acting dreams?

Dickinson wanted to capture the journey she took when she acted in her first play, The Wizard of Oz. She participated in theater throughout her life, including at the women’s college she attended where all the parts were played by girls—just like in Maggie’s show. When writing the novel, Dickinson got to create an original play in which her protagonist could really shine: 

“I didn’t write a full play, but coming up with ideas about the girl who builds a rocket ship in her garage… I had a lot of fun with that,” Dickinson said. “Since I have a theatrical background, I kind of got to go back in time. It was like exercising a muscle that I hadn’t exercised in a long time.”

Dickinson’s main goal while writing the novel was to strive for authenticity. The character of Olivia was inspired by a real student swimmer with a cochlear implant, who enthusiastically provided Dickinson with feedback on how to accurately portray Olivia’s story. Dickinson had some introspection of her own to share through Maggie’s story, even when it required accessing difficult memories:

“I actually found that I started stuttering again because it was so deeply psychological to unpack all of those feelings from the past,” Dickinson explained. “It was fun to write a lot of it, but harder to write other parts. I was having to channel the past to be able to authentically represent it.”

From relating to the outspoken nature of Beverly Cleary’s Ramona Quimby to writing a book that reminds her niece of Judy Blume, Dickinson is making her mark on the children’s writing space. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband. As a book coach and writing teacher for women in Los Angeles, Jennifer now creates safe spaces for women to feel empowered by embracing their vulnerabilities through writing. When she’s not writing, coaching, or teaching, you can find her in her garden, tending to the rose bushes and persimmon trees in her backyard.