Jenna Streety is a romantic science-fiction and fantasy author currently located in Southern California. Her love of spellbinding stories manifests in her Spicy Viking Romantasy novel, Between The Shadows And The Dawn, and her forthcoming space opera series, Spaceborne. When she isn’t writing stories full of soulmates and stardust, she’s casting spells in the woods with her kin.
Born in Southern California to a Canadian carny and a beauty pageant queen, Jenna grew up fast around a fantastical variety of people going in and out of their full home.
Hippies who refused to wear shoes, entrepreneurs who shrugged off the 9-to-5 grind, small Hollywood stars, and artists of all walks of life were regular guests in her life.
Unfortunately, an exciting upbringing leaves little room for crucial foundations. In a “no child left behind” era, Jenna was—you guessed it—left behind. With no support for her early diagnosis of dyslexia, she was still at a first grade reading level by the fifth grade.
Enter her Ms. Honey, her sixth grade English teacher Mr. Luce. With the rise of the hit series Twilight and a teacher who finally cared enough to try, Jenna discovered a deep love for reading, writing, and storytelling that would follow her through life.
For years, there was her passion for writing and her Virgo-brain that desired to accomplish every goal on her to-do-list. That carried her through the darker years of her life, including a traumatic brain injury that stole most of her childhood memories.
But her amnesia couldn’t take away the painful reminders of the deaths of her grandfather, uncle, and father before the age of seventeen. In those years, her only solace was in the stories she read and wrote. They were her escape and constant companion when everything else in her life felt uncertain.
All that pain contributed to her emotional attachment to stories and fueled her desire to work just as hard as the people believed in her—especially the ones beyond the grave.
Growing up with a mix of entrepreneurs and artists taught her the importance of working hard for your goals, but there was still one important element missing. Jenna worked hard, achieved the ‘steady’ corporate lifestyle a child of an immigrant is always told to strive for, but it all felt . . . empty.
She was left unfulfilled. She went to college, but she dropped out three times. She was promoted to Project Manager at an international marketing firm, the stuff of her teenage dreams, but it never felt real.
So, what do you do when you’ve achieved all your dreams and still feel like you’re not satisficed? Some people crash out (she tried that), others worked even harder to find that missing purpose (overworking is what killed her dad), some detached from work entirely (she had bills to pay so that was impossible).
Her only option? Stare at the wall wondering where she was going wrong in life.
A flash of light in the darkness.
The one constant, shining light in all the chaos of her life was always her partner. In 2024, they became husband and wife in the stunning hills of Solvang, California with a small group of their closest friends and family.
It struck her then: how could this one part of her life feel so right even while everything else seemed so wrong?
She quickly realized that her relationship worked because she was following her heart with each decision. There weren’t any worries about what other people would think of their small guest list or concerns over not doing the right thing. She knew what she and her husband wanted and they worked hard to get there—together.
In an effort to follow her heart in all areas of her life, she posted a video to begin her journey documenting how much she could change her life in six months. It wasn’t meant to take off or inspire others. It was merely a form of accountability.
However, that video dropped at the same time as a major crossroads in her life. By episode two of the series, she was laid off by that “steady” corporate job she’d spent three years at with zero notice. It was almost like the Universe was screaming at her that this was her time.
She only had to be brave enough to take the chance. On herself. On her dreams of being a full time author. On truly changing her life in only a matter of months for the better.
Like any hero’s journey, there is always that moment of self-doubt. That chance to walk away from your goals or step into a brighter future. One build brick-by-brick with your own two hands. Something entirely focused on that dream hidden in your heart.
While Jenna knew that was the future she wanted, she wasn’t sure if she was ready. Yes, the Universe practically waved a giant sign in the form of being laid off that told her she was entering a new era, but cosmic beings rarely have a grasp on the stark reality of the world.
She needed to eat. She needed a roof over her head. She had bills and credit cards to pay.
Chasing your dreams isn’t always lucrative. She had no illusions about that. Since she first picked up a pen to write, she was told being an author wasn’t the path towards financial freedom or success. She found herself staring at the ceiling yet again, questioning her next move.
Sorry to leave you on a cliffhanger, but staring at that ceiling is still where Jenna is today. She’s still posting her 6 months to change her life challenge videos. Still writing her books as she questions whether getting a day job again is even right for her—or if she’ll even have a choice at the end of the day.
She still has those bills after all.
However, she’s already gained so much in this early part of her journey. She knows she’s not willing to work somewhere that doesn’t light her up on the inside or stay in a place that her heart is screaming is wrong for her.
She’s still chasing that dream of being a full time author. Of owning her own business like her parents did. And she’s just getting started . . .
Coming soon to the newsletter are the alternative scenes from Between The Shadows And The Dawn if the slow burn wasn’t so slow burn.
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