
She is a Professor of English at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California and teaches novel writing online for UCLA Extension and in the online MFA program for Southern New Hampshire University.
Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, she now lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband.
Caught
written by Jessica Barksdale
Caught is a story about a woman whose life has mostly occurred around her. She has watched things transpire, rather than acting to make them happen. But one day, something happens that suddenly upends her life and forces her to make changes and decisions.
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Q&A with Jessica
Tell us about your story...
What was the inspiration for this story?
I happened to be very inspired by my street—lots went on with the neighbors, with fires, with drivers, even a murder, sadly, which involved a police chase and several fire trucks—and I just started to imagine what might have happened if that that kid and I went head-to-head, so to speak.
What have you recently read that you loved?
Someday I want to...
What do you like to do when you're not writing?
Do you have any hidden talents?
On the weekends I like to...
Do you have any guilty pleasures?
What's the best sound in the world?
Tomorrow I absolutely refuse to...
Who / What makes you laugh?
What's the best thing that's happened to you recently?

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Caught
Jessica BarksdaleJessica Barksdale’s fifteenth novel, The Play’s the Thing, and her second poetry collection, Grim Honey, are forthcoming. She is a Professor of English at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California and teaches novel writing online for UCLA Extension and in the online MFA program for Southern New Hampshire University. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, she now...