Jennifer Trujillo VanDyke
Jennifer Trujillo VanDyke’s love of reading was first ignited when she was twelve years old, and her mother gave her the boxed set of C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia. Although she excelled in writing classes throughout her school years, Jennifer never imagined writing a book of her own one day, let alone a book series.
When she married her best friend, Wes VanDyke, she became a mother and also sprouted the idea for Floating. She wrote and re-wrote amid many other endeavors: earning a master’s degree in applied linguistics, teaching English as a Second Language, singing in the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, and taking drawing, painting, and pottery classes. Then, with the onset of the pandemic in 2020, she was finally able to dedicate time to completing this first book in the trilogy of Lucy Callaghan’s fantastic story.
Jennifer and Wes divide their time between family and friends living in Northern Utah and Southern Nevada, In her spare time, Jennifer enjoys playing with her grandson and solving crossword puzzles.
In Her Own Words
Favorite Person:
My best friend is my husband, Wes. He flies and builds airplanes as a hobby. Here’s a picture of us flying during the pandemic.
We love traveling together, playing with our puppies, Meisje and Zuzu, and watching movies. (I know that sounds boring, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with boring.)
Some of the Books I Love:
(in no particular order except for The Chronicles of Narnia):
The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
Ender Series, Orson Scott Card
Sarah, Orson Scott Card
The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
The Book Thief, Markus Zusak
Favorite Candy:
My all-time favorite go-to candy, especially for movies or road trips, would have to be Candy Necklaces. (They have to be the real kind, though, not the imitations.) The one place I can always find the good kind is the at the gas station in Moapa, Nevada.
When Wes and I took a road trip from Cal-Nev-Ari, Nevada, to Osh Kosh, Wisconsin, we bought candy necklaces at every gas station that had them along the way, just for comparisons. There were a couple of places that had other brands of candy necklaces that were equally good, but I can never go back and get those, so I’m happy to have these.
Education
Here is where I list boring old credential stuff. Don’t get me wrong–I am a HUGE proponent of education; I would go to college for ever if someone else would pay for it. I just love learning. But it doesn’t have to be in a college class. You can learn any place you choose: from classes, from books, from people, or from YouTubevideos. Learning is what I truly want to promote: Keep Learning Throughout Your Entire Life.
MA Applied Linguistics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
BA Linguistics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
TESOL Certification, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
It’s Okay to Be Different, Layton High School, Layton, Utah
How to Survive, North Layton Junior High, Layton, Utah
How to be Nice, Lincoln Elementary, Layton, Utah
Ironing, Sister Decker, Layton, Utah
Life, My Mom, Minot, North Dakota; San Antonio, Texas; Layton, Utah
Miscellaneous
I can fake sneeze very convincingly. (I encourage everyone to develop a wide variety of skills.)