about the author

I’ve always had an overactive imagination.

So I decided to use it. I’m currently a writer and librarian living just outside of Washington, D.C. with my family. I can often be found curled up with a mug of tea, working on novels for teens and adults. While my work spans age categories and genres, it tends to explore themes of belonging and family, and features girls and women who are braver (and stronger) than they know.

I have a BA in Medieval Studies from The Ohio State University and a MLIS in Library Science from Drexel University. I am an alumna of Blue Stoop’s 2019 YA Novel Intensive & the 2021 Tin House YA Workshop, and served as a 2021 YA Mentor for Pitch Wars. Currently, I am a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and the Historical Novel Society, and in the past, I have been a member of RWA, SCBWI, and the ALA.

A Deadly Endeavor was a 2025 Agatha Award Nominee for Best First Mystery.

I am represented by Amy Giuffrida of the Belcastro Agency.

Press Kit

official bio

Jenny Adams has always had an overactive imagination. She turned her love of books and stories into a career as a librarian and Agatha Award nominated novelist. She holds degrees in Medieval Studies and Library Science from The Ohio State University and Drexel University, and currently lives in Alexandria, Virginia with her family.

frequently asked questions

I am represented by Amy Giuffrida of the Belcastro Agency.

I am! Please send blurb requests through my agent, Amy Giuffrida.

Never say never! But right now, I’m working on a new project in a different genre.

A DEADLY ENDEAVOR was my seventh complete novel. I’m currently working on novels 9 and 10!

Short answer: a long time. Long answer? I started seriously writing in 2010, though my first few manuscripts were purely practice. I signed with my agent in 2021, almost a decade after the first query I ever sent…and with my sixth manuscript. A Deadly Endeavor was my seventh manuscript but first traditionally published book. It was also the first manuscript I wrote for an adult audience, and the first mystery I wrote. It was on submission for approximately five months before it sold, and published fourteen years after I finished my first manuscript!

As a working writer with a full-time day job, a family, and other obligations, I’m unable to read your manuscript or give you specific advice. You might have luck finding readers in Maggie Stiefvater’s Critique Partner Matchup Group,or through an organization like SCBWI or SINC. I would also suggest looking at local or online writer’s organizations that are offering workshops or classes; I have loved the courses I’ve taken through the McCormack Writing Center (formerly Tin House), Blue Stoop in Philadelphia, and Boyd’s Mills (formerly Highlights Workshop).I know classes and workshops can be costly, but many of these organizations offer scholarships for writers in need!