Jess Horn is a neurodivergent children’s author with a background in speech pathology and a passion for empowering kids and sparking imagination. Her CBCA Notable debut picture book, Bernie Thinks in Boxes, was selected for the 2025 Victorian Government Prep Bags. Her second book, Train of Thought, is due for release in August 2026. Aside from writing, she enjoys coffee (who doesn’t?) and spoonerisms (doo husn’t?).
WHAT CYA CONFERENCE DID FOR ME
In 2021, having recently embarked on my children's writing journey, I entered the CYA competition and was astonished to win second place in my category. As a new author, that was a huge confidence boost, and the feedback I received on my entries helped me to polish my stories.
A year later, I booked my first CYA editor assessments, and the lead-up to these drove my creativity for the first half of the year. Meeting the editors was a fantastic opportunity to learn from the experts and receive guidance on my manuscripts. During my session with Coral Huckstep from Affirm Press, I was excited to hear that my stories might find a place in the Affirm Press collection. By late 2022, I signed the contract for my debut picture book. I was over the moon and so thankful for this opportunity through CYA.
My debut picture book, Bernie Thinks in Boxes, is a story about thinking differently and navigating change in a neurotypical world. It was published in August 2024, and has since been named a CBCA Notable and selected for the 2025 Victorian Government Prep Bags. I now have another four picture books due for publication in 2025-2026, and I believe CYA gave me the kick-start I needed to make this happen.
