In the sixth grade, Jenny Mattern’s teacher wrote a note at the top of one of her stories telling her to keep up the “great” work. The quotation marks around the word great have haunted her ever since. In addition to creating stories that she hopes will finally meet Mrs. G’s approval, Jenny spends her free moments writing poetry, experimenting with new recipes, and chasing the high of her September 2024 Wordle-in-one.

Born and raised in the Seattle area, Jenny now lives in Montana with her family and a menagerie of pets. Where the Light Shines In is her debut novel.