Jess Yielding, Sci-Fi & Fantasy author

“Perfectionism has prevented me from doing many things in my life, but none more so than writing.”

I write character-driven science fiction and fantasy with a sharp edge and a sense of humor. My stories explore power imbalances within late-stage capitalist systems and what those pressures drive people to do.

Books have a certain kind of gravity, one to which I have always been irresistibly drawn. When I was a child, I would climb my neighbor’s magnolia tree and sit in the branches reading for hours, with nothing to distract me but the chirping of birds. I am certain my neighbor had no idea, and I felt no inclination to tell them. Their tree became my magical wardrobe, transporting me to different worlds for years.

When I wasn’t up the magnolia tree, I was at the library. Some of my fondest memories live in those dusty aisles, where I spent hours every Saturday sitting on the floor flipping through Garfield comics. Reading followed me into school, where students were required to participate in a program called Accelerated Reader. We read books independently and took short computer-based quizzes to earn points. I was voraciously devouring books at a speed that could embarrass a wildebeest, and I accumulated so many points that it eventually got the attention of my teachers. They gave me an award in front of the entire school for having read the most books, which did little to improve my social standing.

Unlike many childhood fancies, my love of books never faded. I studied creative writing in college and earned my undergraduate degree with the hopes of becoming a novelist. Life, as it so often does, had other plans. I joined the Navy out of necessity and returned to school afterward, using the GI Bill to continue my education. I obtained my master’s degree in literature and planned to pursue a doctorate and teach at a university. Once more, life intervened. I needed something more stable. I went on to earn a second bachelor’s degree in computer science.

My gamble paid off. I landed a job immediately upon graduation and just as quickly realized it was not for me. My husband encouraged me to stop working and do whatever I wanted instead. So, with his support, I quit my job. At first, I delved into video game development as I had long been an avid gamer. I have such fond memories now of sitting in front of my computer making pixel art animations for our game, Sourdough Sally. We never released the game but plan to revisit it someday.

I loved developing games, but there was a problem. I was only one person, and it would take years before I could produce a game and generate revenue. In addition, I have struggled with perfectionism all my life. Doing art was difficult for me, as I would get stuck trying to make each pixel perfect and make no progress.I needed to do something else.

Fortunately for me, I have more interests than I have time for, so I turned to bread instead. Baking has long been a hobby of mine, and with the encouragement of my husband, I opened a sourdough bakery, like the good millennial I am. It has grown into something far more successful than even I thought possible.

The bakery has taught me many things. Perhaps one of the most important things it has taught me is how to give perfectionism some time off. Perfectionism has prevented me from doing many things in my life, but none more so than writing. Reading as hungrily as I did made me want to write as well. It is difficult to have that creativity stunted by failing to try.

Baking is a skill that, like writing, benefits greatly from repeated practice. As I grew my business, I made more than my fair share of mistakes and produced many things that did not turn out how I wanted. Over time, I began to realize that it was okay. Even when something went wrong, the sun still came up the next day. Life moved on, and so did I. It gave me the courage I had been lacking to pick up my pen and finally do what I had long wanted. Write.

So here I am. I now live in Northern California with my husband, two cats, and a surprising number of wild turkeys, writing books on the days I am not baking. If you are interested in my stories, you can read for free on Royal Road. I post a new chapter every week.