Who?
Hello! I’m Jemima Owen, or often known as Ji, a writer, reader and coffee drinker. Mostly found doing the latter.
MA Creative Writing graduate from Bath Spa University, wife, and mum of three little hand grenades (seven, five and one). Previously (I want to say in my life in homage to Miranda Hart because she really is quite amazing), I worked as a freelance writer until the children came along and gave me the title my husband likes to call ‘Domestic Operations Manager’.
Why?
Life is busy.
I wear multiple personas: caregiver, teacher, manager, chef, nurse, cleaner, chauffeur, counsellor, referee, personal assistant, life coach, event planner, entertainer, personal stylist, sleep coach, detective, translator, travel agent, researcher, crisis negotiator, encyclopedia, laundry service, and cheerleader (you can do it husband! You can do it children! Let’s do this!). I cherish each of these roles, and I am grateful, but I’ll be honest…they wear me down. Being a writer is my secret garden (also my favourite book, The Secret Garden). It rejuvenates me, heals me, lifts me.
The biggest influence in my life is a man renowned for storytelling. His parables set the world alight. I know my short stories won’t make nearly as much of an impact, but I hope that one of my stories, one day, may ignite a spark in someone. Jesus changed my life through his stories. Aesop’s Fables have been a cherished reminder of kindness and courage. Daphne Du Maurier opened my mind to gothic prose. Sophie Kinsella took me on the funniest excursions. Frances Hodgson Burnett swept me through a beautiful garden. And P. G. Wodehouse remains a great companion on the dashboard of our family car. Much to the annoyance of my husband.
I’m a novel writer first, but it’s a marathon. Story Snapper enables me to sprint. Every photograph is an opportunity to spin up a new world but for a moment. Exploring writing styles and points of view. Story Snapper helps me let go and fans my passion for creative writing while working on the mammoth long-haul project of my novel.
What?
Some stories unfold under the warm glow in a dark fire-lit room, others under the dappled shade from an ancient oak.
Some are told beneath a starry sky, or amongst a group of campers wielding torches, and some hidden in a duvet with a trusted nightlight. The scuffled sound of pages turning, the rhythmic beating of an excitable heart, the inky letters stirring up adventure for that all-time favourite tale. There are heroes, there are villains. There is white and there is black. As well as hues that blur the lines where shadows and light intertwine. The very best for me are those fables that pierce the darkness with light. They are the stories I want to tell. When I create, I do it with that light in mind. Because, often, where there is darkness, there is light to be found.
