S. Jae-Jones (called JJ) is an artist, an adrenaline junkie, and the New York Times bestselling author of the Wintersong duology and the Guardians of Dawn series. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she now lives on the wrong coast, where she can’t believe she has to deal with winter every year. When not writing, JJ can be found working toward her next black belt degree in taekwondo, being run ragged by her twin dogs, Castor and Pollux, or indulging in her favorite hobby — collecting more hobbies.

I’m too ADHD to write a proper, coherent longer bio for myself, so you’ll just get a random assortment of facts instead, I’m afraid. In no particular order:

1. I have a skydiving license.

2. I hate doughnuts.

3. I have bipolar disorder and ADHD, which makes me the neurodivergent equivalent of a combination Taco Bell and Pizza Hut.

4. I went to an all-girls high school.

5. Korean was my first language, and while I’m fluent, I am also functionally illiterate.

6. I am BTS OT7, although I consider myself Jin sun, Jungkook moon, and Jimin rising.

7. I learned both Quenya and Sindarin in high school.

8. I first started writing because I created such elaborate tableaus of make-believe while playing pretend as a child I needed to write them down in order to keep my storylines straight.

9. I wanted to be a comics artist when I grew up, and between the ages of 9 and 14, I drew daily comics about my life instead of keeping a diary.

10. I used to fence both foil and epée.

11. My favorite English word is moot, but my favorite word of all time is Backpfeifengesicht, or “a face that cries out for a fist in it” in German.

12. My one superpower is the ability to recognize any episode of The X-Files after two seconds, based solely on Scully’s hair.

13. The three fictional characters I am most like are Lyra Silvertongue from His Dark Materials, Death of the Endless from Sandman, and Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

14. I can play the piano, flute, harp, guitar as well as someone who has hyperfocused intensely for years before abandoning music for other pursuits.

15. I studied English and American Literature, as well as Art History, at NYU.

16. I met my partner while studying abroad in London.

17. I spent childhood summers in Seoul with my grandmother.

18. My favorite animal is a baby harp seal.

19. I wanted to join SETI when I was a child, only to realize in high school that I had no aptitude for math or science.

20. I am allergic to both cats and horses.

21. I eloped in the basement of a jail.

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