Jennifer was born in a small town in North Central Texas the same year Humphrey Bogart died, "Beatnik" became a commonly used word in the American vocabulary and the first living being - a dog - orbited outer space on Sputnik II. At the age of one, she moved with her family to California and, over the next 10 years, moved 22 more times within six different states. During this time, Jennifer found familiarity in books. In fact, she enjoyed reading stories so much she began writing her own. After winning first place in a fifth-grade essay contest, when anyone asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, Jennifer said, "A writer."