Jennifer Cervantes

Jennifer Cervantes, also known as J.C. Cervantes, is a New York Times best‑selling author of children’s and young adult fiction whose debut novel Tortilla Sun was first published by Chronicle Books in 2010. Born and raised in Southern California and now residing in New Mexico, she draws heavily on New Mexican landscapes, Hispanic culture, and family themes in her work, a blend that helped Tortilla Sun earn praise from reviewers at Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal. The novel was recognized as a 2010 New Voices Pick by the American Booksellers Association, appeared on Bank Street College’s 2011 Best Books list, and received honors including the New Mexico Book Award and the Zia Book Award.

Following Tortilla Sun, Cervantes has gone on to publish numerous middle‑grade and young adult novels, including the Storm Runner trilogy based on Maya mythology, and her books have been released in more than a dozen countries and featured on national recommendation lists from booksellers and major retailers. She is a member of Las Musas, a collective of women and non‑binary Latinx middle‑grade and YA authors, and continues to live in the “Land of Enchantment” with her family, where New Mexico’s culture and landscape remain central inspirations for her fiction.[