Tesa Jones: Published Author, Writer, Storyteller and Reporter for LKN Connect

I’m often asked . . . “How did you get started in the writing arena?”  The answer is slightly complicated.  
I’m dyslexic.  Reading and writing were extremely difficult for me as a child and the obstacles seemed insurmountable at the time.  However, one Christmas – my grandmother gave me a priceless gift – a diary.  When I unwrapped the present, she whispered in my ear, “Write what you feel in your heart.”   

The diary had a lock and key – so I was confident no one could see my mistakes in spelling and grammar.  For the first time in my short life, I wrote daily and the words came pouring out of me.  The more I wrote – the better I got at it.  
As a freshman in high school, I took a typing class and discovered that my fingers on the keyboard could spell better than my hand with a pen on paper.  It was a “trick” I learned to by-pass my handicap.  My junior year, I took a creative writing class and loved it.  My short stories became a favorite of my classmates and my teacher.  I began to dream of writing a novel one day.

Several years later – after graduating from Elon College, getting married and having my first child – imaginary characters began to dance in my head and a story started to unfold.  

Although the initial 1000 page manuscript was typed in three short months — my family and LIFE kept me very busy; as a result, it took over two decades to polish, complete and get my first novel published. 

When my children “left the nest,” I needed to “reinvent myself” – book tours, interviews, speaking engagements and book clubs filled my days – plus – I wrote a second novel.  And – the rest – as they say – is history!