Jo Schaffer Layton

Jo Schaffer Layton was born and raised in the California Bay Area in a huge, wonderfully creative family. She is a YA novelist, speaker, screenwriter, BYUtv writer, and film producer, and she holds a black belt in Taekwondo. She is the author of the Stanley & Hazel trilogy and Badlands.

Jo is a founding member of Operation Literacy, a Utah-based nonprofit dedicated to making sure every child has access to books, meaningful reading experiences, and the support they need to become confident readers and lifelong learners. Through Operation Literacy’s Book Drop program, Jo helps bring free, high-quality books and author experiences directly to children in Title I schools, putting books into the hands of thousands of kids who might otherwise have limited access to them.

She is also a co-founder of StoryCon, a one-of-a-kind celebration of books, storytelling, and the people who bring stories to life. Held in Utah’s Rocky Mountain region, StoryCon brings together thousands of readers, writers, educators, authors, and publishing and entertainment professionals for workshops, panels, author experiences, and opportunities to connect with the world of storytelling. The event has grown into a major literary gathering, with programming that reaches well beyond Utah through its online offerings and an expanding national and international audience.

Jo loves being involved in anything that gets kids excited about reading, supports families, and gives storytellers a place to connect. She is passionate about books, travel, music, community, classic films, healthy living, martial arts, and dreaming up new stories and big ideas. Her brain is almost always spinning with another book, project, or ambitious idea—and every now and then, she even gets around to gardening.

Jo is the mom of three strapping sons, two wonderful bonus kiddos, and a Russian Blue cat who is convinced he is a supermodel. She lives in the beautiful Rocky Mountains with her hunky, tattooed husband.

If you enjoy her books, please leave a review—it truly helps! =D