About The Author
J. L. Evangelista
This author and illustrator of children’s books calls it a labor of love.
Inspired by an old bare tree in a farmer’s field, as well as a crow puppet and a little girl who loves books, Jackie incorporates her love of the outdoors and wildlife, while bringing to life the puppet as its main character. The series is about Old Crow and his adventures, during which he learns a few lessons and becomes much wiser as he leads his horde.
After a life of athletic endeavors, which included competitive riding and training horses, along with competitive figure skating and tennis, Jackie met her husband and worked in his nightclub band as a sound engineer. Other artistic endeavors, especially theater and classical voice training, also caught her interest, and she spent time in the cast of many fun musical shows, served on the board of a theater, and volunteered in many capacities for other productions.
Her artistic interest was sparked by her grandmother, a renowned local artist. In 1990, she passed the CPA exam and worked for a local accounting firm before the job of her dreams – motherhood – stole her heart.
Having a daughter to raise resulted in years of enjoyment, watching her grow through piano lessons, tennis and school achievements. Jackie was able to put to good use all of her past experiences, giving her daughter a variety of advice, lessons, and stories to grow on. When she became a grandmother (not wanting to be called “Grandma”) she adopted the nickname Mimsie, which is easy for children to say at a young age. The little girl who inspired Mimsie to write children’s books was her granddaughter, to whom she dedicates this series. Rowan loves reading and being read to. Notably, she is quite interested in (and entertained by) a certain hand puppet of a scraggly old crow, which was given to her by her Aunt Nance.
Jackie’s first children’s title “Old Crow and Crooked Tree” began in a notebook as a story with descriptive illustrations. In addition to the customary soft-cover for children’s books, she wanted them to be printed in hard cover so a child could easily hold (and some day read) them without the assistance of an adult. The story developed after observing crows sitting on an old dead tree in the field behind her country house. Their amusing behavior when interacting with other birds caught Jackie’s attention. Crows are a bossy bunch, with one always at the top of a strategically-located tree squawking at the others as if giving orders.
Generally, the characters are drawn to resemble actual people, birds and animals. Old Crow is the exception. He has a distinctive personality, and throughout the series he has remained as odd and disheveled as the puppet that inspired his creation.
Jackie relies on her husband Bob for editing her work and for general advice in preparing her stories, and he is acknowledged with gratitude in each book. She doesn’t see herself as a scholar or a grammatical expert, but she sure does like telling stories and making people laugh.
Inspired by an old bare tree in a farmer’s field, as well as a crow puppet and a little girl who loves books, Jackie incorporates her love of the outdoors and wildlife, while bringing to life the puppet as its main character. The series is about Old Crow and his adventures, during which he learns a few lessons and becomes much wiser as he leads his horde.
After a life of athletic endeavors, which included competitive riding and training horses, along with competitive figure skating and tennis, Jackie met her husband and worked in his nightclub band as a sound engineer. Other artistic endeavors, especially theater and classical voice training, also caught her interest, and she spent time in the cast of many fun musical shows, served on the board of a theater, and volunteered in many capacities for other productions.
Her artistic interest was sparked by her grandmother, a renowned local artist. In 1990, she passed the CPA exam and worked for a local accounting firm before the job of her dreams – motherhood – stole her heart.
Having a daughter to raise resulted in years of enjoyment, watching her grow through piano lessons, tennis and school achievements. Jackie was able to put to good use all of her past experiences, giving her daughter a variety of advice, lessons, and stories to grow on. When she became a grandmother (not wanting to be called “Grandma”) she adopted the nickname Mimsie, which is easy for children to say at a young age. The little girl who inspired Mimsie to write children’s books was her granddaughter, to whom she dedicates this series. Rowan loves reading and being read to. Notably, she is quite interested in (and entertained by) a certain hand puppet of a scraggly old crow, which was given to her by her Aunt Nance.
Jackie’s first children’s title “Old Crow and Crooked Tree” began in a notebook as a story with descriptive illustrations. In addition to the customary soft-cover for children’s books, she wanted them to be printed in hard cover so a child could easily hold (and some day read) them without the assistance of an adult. The story developed after observing crows sitting on an old dead tree in the field behind her country house. Their amusing behavior when interacting with other birds caught Jackie’s attention. Crows are a bossy bunch, with one always at the top of a strategically-located tree squawking at the others as if giving orders.
Generally, the characters are drawn to resemble actual people, birds and animals. Old Crow is the exception. He has a distinctive personality, and throughout the series he has remained as odd and disheveled as the puppet that inspired his creation.
Jackie relies on her husband Bob for editing her work and for general advice in preparing her stories, and he is acknowledged with gratitude in each book. She doesn’t see herself as a scholar or a grammatical expert, but she sure does like telling stories and making people laugh.