Traci L. Jones was born in Monmouth, Illinois and raised in Denver, Colorado. She has a BA in Psychology from Pomona College, in Claremont, California, and a M.S. in Advertising from the University of Denver.
While working towards a Certificate in Creative Writing, a homework assignment led to the start of her first novel. Standing Against the Wind, her debut novel, was published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) in 2006 and won the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award in 2007. FSG would also publish Finding My Place (2010) and Silhouetted by the Blue (2011). In 2018 she signed with Metamorphosis Literary Agency, to represent her manuscripts Ransoming the Captive, A Blossom Within and Vue. Her agent is Amy Rivers.
In 2016, Jones joined the Mile Hi MFA in Creative Writing program at Regis University in Denver, Colorado, where she teaches young adult fiction. In the summer of 2020, she joined Lighthouse Writers Workshop as a YA instructor.
Mentor Statement
What I hope students can expect from me is someone who supports and encourages them. To write is to be rejected, so while they are studying with me, I try to be a safe space for them. I want them to feel comfortable trying new things, writing a shitty first draft. By the end of the semester I want then to feel like they've grown as a writer. I am a fan of the big mind dump. Write whatever comes to mind. Include characters that pop into your head, plots that seem crazy, subplots that go nowhere. I think everything is fair game especially in that first draft. Then you can edit and sculpt your work from there. Refinement and focus are for the later drafts. I believe that if you are so busy worrying about grammar and perfection, you'll never get a finished work--your creativity will be hamstrung by your need for perfection. Then in the later semesters, it's time for refinement and focus. Your final draft is the time to call upon all the skills you learn during craft sessions during the last three semesters. What is your character growth? How does your setting effect your story line? Does your dialogue weigh down your manuscript? Is your writing voice discernible? As a mentor I try to be 2/3 sounding board/voice of encouragement and 1/3 Personal Nag and Editor.
