Most writers will say that their careers began with a love of books. Jessica Byard's career began with a love of movies--westerns, to be exact. At the tender age of seven, she idolized film icons like John Wayne, Gary Cooper and James Stewart, and from that idolization came a need to capture the essence of western films: where good always triumphed over evil and the hero always got the girl. And, since she naturally couldn't make a movie to express her love of these stories, Jessica turned to writing--four-paged tales filled with Hollywood-styled heroism and her own sense of morality.
Even when the western phase faded and she found herself drawn to other genres (everything from detective stories with gruesome endings to slapstick comedies with musical numbers laced in-between), Jessica's love of writing continued. She wanted to write--not just to express her affection for the cinema but, also, to appease an imagination that was growing. She wanted to write; so, she did.
Jessica Byard was born in Memphis, Tennessee; during her early childhood, she moved across the Southland, living in Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Georgia all before she was six years old. When she first began writing, her family had finally settled in Robertsdale, Alabama and Jessica remained in this small-town until she was seventeen. It was at Robertsdale that Jessica was first encouraged to pursue her outlet. What had once been a child's way of expression soon became a possible future. Teachers began to nurture her abilities, giving direction to a sometimes scattershot mind. They lassoed her creativity and made her focus it, forcing her to push her skills as far as they would go to create detailed plots and concepts. They wanted her to learn.
When she was seventeen, however, Jessica left the supporting natures of her Robertsdale teachers and moved to Sylvania, Ohio. Here, she was to end her high school education but it was also a beginning. Excluded from friendships that had been built for years and separated by the obvious barrier of Northerners vs. Southerners, Jessica sought release in her writing. It was during these late teen years that she discovered a love of poetry and short stories. Before, her writing had been limited to novella-styled plots and lengthy essays. Now, she was finding joy in more poetic varieties. This ascent into poetry gave her a freedom she had never known before and tossed away any doubt she had about pursing writing as a career and lifetime love.
Jessica, while working toward a Master of Library Science degree and a Liberal Arts degree, is employed by the JBC Online E-Publishing company. Having first experienced this company through publishing a collection of stories and songs, Jessica was invited to join Julie Campbell and her staff to work as a full-time writer and editor.
