Today we’d like to introduce you to Jaybie D..
Hi Jaybie D., we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My path to becoming an author didn’t start with a dream of writing books. It started with a desire to create experiences for my kids.
I loved introducing them to new things and seeing the world through their eyes as they experienced it for the first time. Whether it was an archaeological dig, Alcatraz Island, community cleanups, or something else, there was something special about seeing them absorb, process, and interpret those moments. Over the years, I occasionally found myself doing the same thing for other family members when we’d travel together or reconnect after being apart for a while. I simply enjoyed creating opportunities for people to discover something new.
During my kids’ teen years, I leaned into home haunting. Looking back, I think it was a way of reconnecting with the fun and imagination I experienced as a child with my dad and later with my own family. My haunted houses became interactive experiences that families could walk through and explore, almost like stepping inside a story. Those years eventually inspired Haunted House: A Day & Night Tour, which recently relaunched with a new cover and updated interior. It remains one of the most personal books I’ve created.
That passion for creating experiences eventually found its way into children’s literature. I write and illustrate picture books under the pen name Jaybie D. that encourage confidence, empathy, resilience, curiosity, and self-discovery. Along the way, the brand has also expanded into bookish apparel, allowing me to celebrate a love of reading in another creative way.
Today, I’m continuing to grow the Jaybie D. brand while exploring what may become my next big adventure: school author visits. It’s still taking shape, but I’m genuinely excited about the possibilities. The collaborative process with a friend has been energizing, and I’m looking forward to seeing where the journey leads next.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. Self-publishing comes with a steep learning curve, and I’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way. I’ve published books before they were truly ready, uploaded files with formatting issues, misunderstood how ISBNs should be used, and spent countless hours fixing problems I didn’t even know existed when I started.
One of my biggest challenges has been marketing. My brain naturally gravitates toward the creative side of things. I love creating stories, illustrations, experiences, and products. What I don’t naturally enjoy is teaching algorithms who I am and why they should show my work to other people. For a long time, I leaned heavily on the idea that good work would simply be discovered organically. While there’s some truth to that, I’ve learned that discoverability requires effort too.
Building my Shopify storefront was another challenge. There is no way I could have done it without countless hours of trial and error and a lot of help from ChatGPT answering my endless stream of questions. Every time I thought I had figured something out, I discovered three more things I needed to learn.
Beyond marketing and technology, my biggest obstacle has probably been taking my own advice. Many of my books encourage children to be brave, try new things, and speak kindly to themselves when they stumble. It turns out adults need those reminders too. I’ve had to learn to be more comfortable putting myself out there, whether that’s on social media, through interviews, or by sharing my work more openly. I’m also learning to quiet my inner critic when things don’t go as planned.
These days, I’m getting better at appreciating the struggle that comes with growth. Not every step is a giant leap forward, but the incremental gains add up, and I’ve learned to celebrate those victories too.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Professionally, I’ve spent more than two decades in customer experience, customer operations, and strategic partnerships, primarily within the wireless and retail industries. My career has taken me from frontline customer service roles to leadership positions focused on improving customer experiences, operational performance, and organizational effectiveness.
Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to lead global teams, support large-scale transformations, and build the frameworks and partnerships that help organizations operate more effectively. I enjoy solving complex problems, bringing structure to ambiguity, and finding ways to improve experiences for both customers and employees.
While my professional career and my creative work may seem very different, I’ve found there is more overlap than most people would expect. Both require empathy, curiosity, communication, and an understanding of how people think and feel. Whether I’m helping improve a customer experience or creating a story for a child, I’m ultimately trying to create something meaningful that leaves a positive impact.
Balancing the analytical side of my professional life with the creative side of storytelling has been both challenging and rewarding, and I genuinely enjoy having the opportunity to pursue both.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
The best way to support me is to explore my work. Visitors can find my books, bookish apparel, blog articles, free activities, lesson plans, and more at JaybieD.com.
I’m also interested in exploring school author visits and other opportunities that encourage literacy, creativity, and a love of reading. Those conversations are always welcome as I continue building that part of the business.
Beyond that, one of the most meaningful ways people can support not only me, but authors everywhere, is by leaving reviews. Reviews help readers discover books they might otherwise never find, and they can make a tremendous difference, especially for independent authors. Even a short review can have a lasting impact.
While I’m not currently taking on new creative collaborations, I’m always grateful for the readers, educators, parents, librarians, and book lovers who share my work, recommend a book to a friend, or help connect stories with the children who need them most.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.JaybieD.com
- Instagram: @jaybiedbooks
