J. Elle is a New York Times bestselling author and a prolific Black author and advocate for marginalized voices in both publishing and her community. Her debut novel, Wings of Ebony, sold in a six-figure pre-empt and is part of a YA fantasy duology about a Black girl from a poor neighborhood who learns she’s magical. The sequel Ashes of Gold releases Jan. 2022.

Elle also sold, at auction, A Taste of Magic, a MG contemporary fantasy duology about a Black girl who learns she’s a witch and fights to save her inner-city magic school with baking. Park Row Magic Academy: A Taste of Magic is on Bloomsbury’s Spring 2022 list.

From growing up poor to being a first generation college student, Elle’s tenacity and passion for empowering others dates back to her first career in education, teaching tweens and teens from traditionally underserved areas to fight for their dreams. More recently, as the founder of the “Your Story Is Your Power”, a creative writing workshop, she mentors students on the craft of writing and the importance of sharing stories from their perspective.

Elle has worked as an Editorial Intern at P.S. Literary Agency and Gelfman / ICM Partners. She’s also served as a mentor for both Pitchwars and Author Mentor Match. Elle is the founder and co-host of #MondayMixer, a Twitter chat to engage writers on the platform with networking opportunities, writing questions, and encouragement. In her spare time you’ll find her cooking up some dish true to her Texas and Louisiana roots, loving on her three littles, and traveling the country with her nomadic spouse. Learn more at https://authorjelle.com and https://www.wingsofebony.com.

WINGS OF EBONY (Jan 2021)

School Library Journal starred review: “An ode to family, true belonging, and magic. Highly recommended for all collections.” 

Kirkus review: “Heart stopping action and intrigue from cover to cover.”

Publisher’s Weekly review: “Full of grief, love, and vengeance, this poignant debut encourages readers to embrace the whole of their identities to overcome pain.”

School & Library Visits

Author visits serve as a bridge to connect young readers with the world and those around them. J. Elle’s presentations are equal parts fun and interactive to help students want to engage with the content. Expect active icebreakers, writing hacks & craft, the author journey, Q&A, real world issue tie ins, integration of multimedia and social media, cross-discipline application and much more.

Sampling of School Visit Presentations

• Day In An Author’s Life: A walk through the life of an author, how J.Elle became an author, and an inside peek at what she’s currently working on. Appropriate for all ages. Most common selection!
• Wings Of Ebony Guided Discussion: A seminar style discussion around the themes in Wings of Ebony, both as a body of narrative fiction, and its real world relevance.
• The Life Of A Book (also called Publishing 101): The journey of a book from idea to bookshelves. This presentation can be tailored for elementary through adult audiences.
• But I Don’t Want To Talk About Race: A kid-friendly examination of the intersection of racism, allyship and privilege: A seminar style discussion about defining “racism, allyship, and privilege” and what these terms have to do with our world. Appropriate for ages 13 and up.
• WORKSHOP//Tap Into Your Inner Author: An interactive hands-on walk through the basics of story creation. Appropriate for ages 13 and up.
• WORKSHOP//Magical Worldbuilding: How To: An exercise in creating a magical world. Appropriate for ages 13 and up.

Keynotes & Breakout Sessions

Available upon request. J. Elle tailors her keynotes to every conference, festival, author series, college address. As a former educator, she’s an incredible inspirational speaker and motivator. She’s also available for professional development days and assemblies.

Website

Availability and Honorariums