SATA
ENTRY TYPE: new
WORK TITLE: Nav’s Foolproof Guide to Falling in Love
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.authorjessicalewis.com/
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY:
LAST VOLUME:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
ADDRESS
CAREER
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews June 15, 2021, review of Lewis, Jessica: BAD WITCH BURNING.
Publishers Weekly vol. 268 no. 48 Nov. 24, 2021, , “Bad Witch Burning.”. p. 98.
Kirkus Reviews July 1, 2023, , “Lewis, Jessica: MONSTROUS.”.
Publishers Weekly vol. 270 no. 29 July 17, 2023, , “Monstrous.”. p. 55.
Kirkus Reviews Apr. 1, 2025, , “Lewis, Jessica: NAV’S FOOLPROOF GUIDE TO FALLING IN LOVE.”.
Booklist vol. 121 no. 15-16 Apr., 2025. Hayes, Amber. , “Nav’s Foolproof Guide to Falling in Love.”.
Kirkus Reviews Feb. 15, 2023, , “Taylor, Jazz: STARTING FROM SCRATCH.”.
Jessica Lewis is a Black author of many genres. She has a degree in English Literature and Animal Science (the veterinarian plan did not work out). She began her publishing career in horror (Bad Witch Burning, a Bram Stoker Nominee for Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel, and Monstrous) and also writes middle grade contemporaries under the pseudonym Jazz Taylor (Meow or Never and Starting From Scratch). She has a forthcoming middle grade in September 2024 (Cool Cat) and a rom-com in 2025 (Nav’s Foolproof Guide to Falling in Love). Jessica is from Alabama, where she writes full time and lives with her way-funnier-than-her grandmother.
Jessica Lewis
Genres: Young Adult Fantasy
New and upcoming books
July 2026
thumb
Hallie's Rules for a Recovering Romantic
Novels
Bad Witch Burning (2021)
Monstrous (2023)
Nav's Foolproof Guide to Falling in Love (2025)
Hallie's Rules for a Recovering Romantic (2026)
Anthologies edited
The Grimoire of Grave Fates (2023) (with Hanna Alkaf and Margaret Owen)
Jazz Taylor
Genres: Children's Fiction
Series contributed to
Wish
Meow or Never (2019)
Starting from Scratch (2023)
Cool Cat (2024)
Debut Author Interview: Jessica Lewis and Bad Witch Burning
Happy Monday Everyone! Today I’m excited to have debut author Jessica Lewis here to share about her YA fantasy Bad Witch Burning. I’m super excited to read it because so many readers said they couldn’t put it down.
Here’s a blurb from Goodreads:
For fans of Us and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina comes a witchy story full of black girl magic as one girl’s dark ability to summon the dead offers her a chance at a new life, while revealing to her an even darker future.
Katrell doesn’t mind talking to the dead; she just wishes it made more money. Clients pay her to talk to their deceased loved ones, but it isn’t enough to support her unemployed mother and Mom’s deadbeat boyfriend-of-the-week. Things get worse, when a ghost warns her to stop the summonings or she’ll “burn everything down.” Katrell is willing to call them on their bluff, though. She has no choice. What do ghosts know about eating peanut butter for dinner?
However, when her next summoning accidentally raises someone from the dead, Katrell realizes that a live body is worth a lot more than a dead apparition. And, warning or not, she has no intention of letting this lucrative new business go.
But magic doesn’t come for free, and soon dark forces are closing in on Katrell. The further she goes, the more she risks the lives of not only herself, but those she loves. Katrell faces a choice: resign herself to poverty, or confront the darkness before it’s too late.
Hi Jessica! Thanks so much for joining us.
1. Tell us about yourself and how you became a writer.
I am a receptionist and author! I live in Alabama with my hilarious grandma. I’ve always loved stories and was a big reader growing up. I actually started writing IP, of sorts; my friends in middle school wanted me to write fan-fiction for them, so I did. I started writing original work in high school and continued from there!
2. That’s so awesome that your middle school friends encouraged you to write. Where did you get the idea for Bad Witch Burning?
BWB is largely based on my own experiences as a teen and young adult, so it’s definitely a very personal book. But the initial idea came from an anime called Violet Evergarden. It’s a very different vibe compared to BWB, but that show got me thinking about how important handwritten letters are, to both those who write them and those who receive them. I added a cool power to the letters (summoning ghosts/raising the dead) and the rest is history!
3. A lot of readers have said that they couldn’t put your story down. How did you plot out your story and try to make it a page turner?
This is a hard question! I knew I wanted it to have a quick pace, since the theme was fire (burns hot, quick, and then it’s over, but can still leave a lot of damage and impact), so I guess I just thought about fast pacing and what might hook me as a reader.
4. You also have a day job. What’s your writing schedule like and how do you continue to write books on a contract with limited time to write?
I won’t lie; it’s very difficult. I work at my day job Monday through Friday, so I usually try to dedicate three hours to writing time (which includes drafting, editing, strategizing about my career, answering emails, interviews, etc.) after work. I also use all weekend to write. It’s a little depressing because I usually don’t have time for hobbies or friends, but I have to get the work done!
5. I admire your dedication to your writing given your busy day job. What was a challenge you had in writing Bad Witch Burning? How did you overcome it?
It was very difficult to edit BWB at first because it’s a very personal story. It felt like my editor was critiquing my story rather than the book. But I took a deep breath and edited in small chunks with a lot of breaks, and I got through it!
6. Share what developing Katrell as a character was like for you. What are three things you like about her?
Katrell is such a fun character!! She’s tough as nails, vulnerable at times, absolutely rabid at other times. I had a blast creating her. My three things I love about her: she’s tenacious, not afraid to cry when things get tough, and loyal to her friends.
7. Your agent is Holly Root. How did she become your agent and what was your road to publication like?
A brief history of my road to publication…
-Wrote my first book and queried it. Got 64 rejections. Shelved
-Wrote my second book. Couldn’t figure out what was wrong with it. Shelved
-Wrote my third book, then called Wildfire, now called Bad Witch Burning. Entered into Pitch Wars. Got in!
-Did Pitch Wars (class of 2018). Signed with my wonderful agent, Holly Root, in March 2019.
-Got an offer on Wildfire/BWB in June 2019!
And that’s it! A long, winding road, but very exciting and so worth it. My agent is the best advocate (and is generally spectacular), and I’m so proud of how BWB has turned out.
8. Bad Witch Burning is your second book to release this year. You also have a debut MG contemporary Meow or Never: A Wish Novel, that released under your pen name, Jazz Taylor, in January 2021. In addition, Monster, a YA horror, will release in September 2022. How has it been releasing two books in one year as a debut author while getting your next book ready for publication?
It's been very stressful! I just do the best I can with the time I have. I was very lucky that MONSTER was already written when my editor bought it, so at least I didn’t have to draft it from scratch. But juggling everything is very tough. I’ll be super relieved once BWB is out in the world and I can take a small breather!
9. How are you planning to market Bad Witch Burning? What did you learn from marketing Meow or Never that is affecting your decisions for this book?
MG marketing and YA marketing are so different. They’re also different genres (my MG is contemporary, BWB is fantasy/horror), so the reader-base is completely different. Though right now, I’m just doing the best I can without sacrificing my mental health. There are only so many hours in a day, and I spend 10 on my day job, 3 on writing, and the rest eating/sleeping!
10. What are you working on now?
I’ve been working on my next YA, but it’s a surprise!! Stay tuned and hopefully I’ll have news to share soon 😊
Thanks for sharing all your advice, Jessica. You can find Jessica at twitter: https://twitter.com/JLew100 and website: https://www.authorjessicalewis.com/
Lewis, Jessica BAD WITCH BURNING Delacorte (Teen None) $17.99 8, 24 ISBN: 978-0-593-17738-9
Desperate for money, a teen uses her superpowers to connect with the dead.
Katrell Davis can talk to the dead. She doesn’t know why or even how her powers work, but for a small fee, clients pay her to communicate with their deceased loved ones. When she accidentally brings her dog back from the dead, everything changes. Understanding that a live body is worth a lot more than a ghost—and she might not have to worry anymore about the bills each week—Katrell moves forward with this lucrative new business even as each resurrection makes her sicker than the last. When bad things start happening and she attracts the attention of some dangerous people, she must decide whether the money is worth it. There are pacing challenges toward the end as the narrative stalls due to some repetition, but the character development is outstanding, and each character is drawn in a way that evokes a reaction—even if it is anger or disgust. The positioning of school as a hindrance to earning money for daily survival expertly shines light on the experiences of people facing food insecurity. The exploration of foster care and related fears around the ramifications of entering the system are well written, with just enough information to cultivate understanding without overexposing young readers to trauma. Primary characters are Black.
A gripping, supernatural twist on the no-win decisions created by the cycle of poverty. (Paranormal. 13-18)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Lewis, Jessica: BAD WITCH BURNING." Kirkus Reviews, 15 June 2021. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A667041817/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=fde62f31. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
Jessica Lewis. Delacorte, $17.99 (368p) ISBN 978-0-593-17738-9
Katrell Davis, 16, is at the end of her rope living with her unemployed mother and her mother's perpetually abusive boyfriend. Failing most of her classes, she supplemenrs her meager income flipping burgers by communicating with the dead for pay. During a seance with her best friend Will, Will's late grandmother cautions that if Katrell continues to contact the deceased, she'll burn herself and everything around her. Following a violent encounter with her mother's boyfriend that leaves her beloved dog dead, Katrell discovers a frightening new dimension to her power--she can resurrect the departed. Despite dire warnings against using her burgeoning powers, Katrell becomes desperate for cash when her work hours are cut and she discovers that her mother has squandered the money meant for rent and the electric bill. So she takes her chances, embarking on a series of 10 resurrections, each more financially lucrative than the last. But with great power comes unwanted attention--and unintended consequences that show Katrell just what it means for everything to burn. As intense emotions leap from the page in every vibrantly depicted scene, Lewis's YA debut portrays borh Katrell's hopeless love for her manipulative mother and her fear of abject poverty with stinging realism. Katrell and former foster child Will are two kind, passionate, stubborn Black teens who want only the best for each other after having endured the worst. Their wonderful connection anchors this chillingly supernatural tale, easily breathing life into its world full of ghosts. Ages 12-up.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Bad Witch Burning." Publishers Weekly, vol. 268, no. 48, 24 Nov. 2021, p. 98. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A686559754/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=0519c38f. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
Lewis, Jessica MONSTROUS Delacorte (Teen None) $12.99 9, 12 ISBN: 9780593434819
Something terribly wrong is going on in Sanctum, Alabama.
Folks keep mysteriously dying in the small town. Meanwhile, Latavia must follow Auntie's strict rules: stay inside at night, come right home after church, and keep out of the foreboding Red Wood. To Latavia's relief, there are only a few weeks to go before she's off to the University of Georgia. That's plenty of time to visit her crush, Allison, at the ice cream shop and hang out with her geeky younger cousin, Jade. Getting ready for a party one night, Latavia falls prey to a group of townsfolk who take her deep into Red Wood with violent force. In the woods, she's left as a sacrifice for a monster that slithers out of the darkness. The gigantic snake, however, speaks--and Latavia strikes a scandalous deal. If she destroys the magical barriers protecting the town from the creature's wrath, she can go free and get revenge against those who sentenced her to death. A frantic supernatural thriller, Lewis' latest careens from light bloodshed to melodrama with impressive abandon. It also lightly explores racial inequity; Latavia is Black in a seemingly predominantly white town in the American South. Underdeveloped secondary characters smooth the moral quandaries that Latavia faces to their absolute, moral extremes. Overall, this offers an intriguing, at times spellbinding peek into antiheroic actions and an overt meditation on what it means to be monstrous.
Fantastically vicious. (Supernatural thriller. 14-18)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Lewis, Jessica: MONSTROUS." Kirkus Reviews, 1 July 2023. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A754971940/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=98c60485. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
* Monstrous
Jessica Lewis. Delacorte, $12.99 paper (432p) ISBN 978-0-5934-3481-9
In this wildly inventive paranormal horror novel by Lewis (Bad Witch Burning), gay Black 18-year-old Latavia Johnson is spending the summer in Sanctum, Ala., with her aunt before her freshman year at the University of Georgia. Latavia has only been there for six weeks; in that time, she's attended three closed-casket funerals, all for community members who died suddenly under mysterious circumstances. With just a few weeks to go before school begins, Latavia is detetmined to stay out of trouble by following Auntie's occasionally grating rules: don't stay out after dark, and never enter Red Wood, the eerie local forest. But trouble finds her when a group of townspeople restrain her to a stone altar in the woods to be sacrificed to an unknown monster. A giant talking snake appears, and Latavia strikes a deal--she will help him overcome magical barriers that prevent him from wreaking havoc on the town if he agrees to destroy those who tried to sacrifice her. Latavia and the serpent's darkly humorous banter depicts the duo as an oddball pair; combined with the protagonist's blossoming romance with a white teenage resident, Lewis provides elevating levity to the outlandish--and captivating--premise. Ages 14--up. Agent: Holly Root. Root Literary. (Sept.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Monstrous." Publishers Weekly, vol. 270, no. 29, 17 July 2023, p. 55. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A759054753/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c039b2d7. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
Lewis, Jessica NAV'S FOOLPROOF GUIDE TO FALLING IN LOVE Harper/HarperCollins (Teen None) $19.99 4, 29 ISBN: 9781335012388
A lesbian who doesn't believe in love plays dating coach.
Naveah has never had "an official girlfriend"--she's against dating on principle; relationships are too "messy." Instead, Nav keeps things casual and fun, unlike her bisexual best friend, Hallie (both girls are Black). Hallie is constantly getting her heart broken. After Hallie's latest boyfriend turns out to be a cheater, Nav is determined to fix things for her. The problem is that Hallie is headed to an academic summer camp Nav didn't get into. Then Italian and Mexican American new girl Gia, who has social anxiety and whose mom is a sponsor for Hallie's camp, asks Nav for help getting Hallie's attention. Nav agrees to teach Gia how to win over Hallie in exchange for the spot at camp that Gia's planning to give up. Since Nav is good at flirting, this should be simple--but after Gia's anxiety ruins her first date with Hallie, Nav has to go back to basics with her romance lessons. When Nav starts to have feelings for Gia, she panics. Nav hates change--and now she has to decide whether her perfect summer plan is more important than taking a chance on love. The highly relatable characters make cringeworthy mistakes while also showing their vulnerability. This book is about more than just romantic love: Lewis balances family trauma and complicated relationships with depictions of strong support systems.
Funny, serious, and adorably awkward in all the best ways.(Romance. 12-18)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Lewis, Jessica: NAV'S FOOLPROOF GUIDE TO FALLING IN LOVE." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Apr. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A832991625/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=71985aac. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
* Nav's Foolproof Guide to Falling in Love. By Jessica Lewis. Apr. 2025. 384p. Harper, $19.99 (9781335012388). Gr. 9-12.
Naveah, or Nav, has had a rough couple of years: her mother abandoned her family, and she just learned that she won't be able to attend camp with her best friend, Hallie. She spends her time drinking too much at parties and comforting Hallie through her many heartbreaks. When a shy new student, Gia, expresses an interest in Hallie but has no confidence to approach her, Nav agrees to take Gia under her wing to teach her the art of flirting. Through their lessons, Nav empowers Gia to navigate her general anxiety disorder, and Gia helps Nav face her unhealthy coping mechanisms and move forward after her mother's betrayal, all while falling in love along the way. Lewis crafts a moving romance that perfectly balances a sweet love story with authentic teen challenges. Gia feels isolated because of her anxiety, and Nav's relationship with her dad has been fraught ever since her mother left. While Gia and Nav are quite different, they lean on each other and are inspired to be better versions of themselves. Nav's journey is particularly moving: she exhibits destructive behavior and risks her closest relationships, but her growth throughout is satisfying, and her interactions with Gia are nothing short of adorable. Come for the fluffy romance; stay for the incredible characters.--Amber Hayes
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Hayes, Amber. "Nav's Foolproof Guide to Falling in Love." Booklist, vol. 121, no. 15-16, Apr. 2025, pp. 105+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A847030578/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b2f5be9c. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
Taylor, Jazz STARTING FROM SCRATCH Scholastic (Children's None) $7.99 4, 4 ISBN: 9781338803297
A middle schooler is unsettled by her new blended family.
Janie relies on a rigid color-coded schedule to feel in control of her life, both at home and at school. She's OK with her mom's marriage to firefighter Keisha, but when Keisha's daughter, Makayla, moves in with her cat, Pumpkin, Janie is alarmed. After a bad experience, Janie hates cats, and she tries to avoid Pumpkin. On top of that, Janie's mom pushes her to include Makayla in her activities. Before long, Makayla connects with Janie's friends, and Janie feels excluded. All these changes disrupt her careful plans, causing a rift between Janie and her mom. Eventually, readers realize that Janie's dependence on schedules is connected to a difficult time in her family's past as well as her desire to keep the peace within her circle of friends. Ultimately, Janie must confront the changes her new family configuration has brought and learn to accept some uncertainty in her life. In this novel centering Black characters, Janie is a sympathetic protagonist coping with both tween growing pains and a mother who has faced some challenges. Members of the diverse supporting cast of characters are engaging, particularly new stepmom Keisha; Janie's friend Dani, who is nonbinary; and Lula, an elderly friend from a local nursing home. The drama within family and friendships is realistically handled.
A comforting read with both serious and lighter coming-of-age issues. (Fiction. 8-12)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Taylor, Jazz: STARTING FROM SCRATCH." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Feb. 2023. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A736806100/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c8dec26c. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.