Author Nashae Jones (Photo by Terrence Jones)
Life can be complicated for teenagers. They’re already largely naïve to the world and experiencing changing hormones, add in the awkwardness inherent in maturing, navigating school and a potential budding romance, and it’s a recipe for growing pains. These are all topics Powhatan-based author Nashae Jones tackles in her second published novel, “As You Wish,” out now from Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.
In the book, Bernadette “Birdie” Johnson-Nkrumah is an awkward 13-year-old girl who has decided to secure a boyfriend during her eighth grade year and in tum improve her social status at Paxton Middle School. So, it only makes sense that she also finds a girlfriend for her longtime best friend and neighbor, Deve, so they both can have a “normal” eighth grade experience. After a fight with Deve and some unusual encounters with a new student, a visit from Birdie’s Grandma Amma reveals that the family has deep ties to the West African god Anansi. The trickster deity offers Birdie a chance to make a wish. and when she requests that Deve not be angry with her anymore, it results in unintended consequences that could affect the rest of her life.
This isn’t the first time Jones has written young adult fiction. Her first foray into the genre was with “Courtesy of Cupid,” published in early 2024. As the name implies, the book is a teen romance involving a child of the Roman god of love, Cupid. The widely praised debut novel has led to Jones securing speaking engagements at conventions, schools and bookstores throughout Washington, D.C., North Carolina and Richmond. She has been an educator for nearly 15 years, with much of that time spent as an AP English teacher at Powhatan High School. This school year, she moved to Midlothian Middle School, where she teaches eighth grade English.
“I get to work with the kids that I’m writing for. So, that has been a new experience for me,” Jones says.
In fact, some of her students even selected “Courtesy of Cupid” for their book projects; Jones says she was honored. An avid reader, she hopes her stories cultivate a love of literature in young adults, especially for those who may not be used to seeing diverse protagonists.
“One of the big things that I saw as a kid was that there weren’t very many stories with people who looked like me or looked similar, like Black and brown characters or any types of characters that weren’t what we considered the quote unquote ‘status quo,’” Jones says. “[Characters] that were living life and enjoying life and doing things like Nancy Drew solving mysteries, or in Sweet Valley High, [the fictional teens] were just in high school and doing all types of things.”
Jones wants to be a part of the changing narrative for diverse stories with plot lines that transcend anguish and strife.
“There’s all types of things that can be shared without just having that aspect of trauma that is inherent sometimes when we’re talking about certain novels or certain identities, so I definitely did want to be a part of that, especially for kids,” she says.
Though Jones stays busy with her family, teaching and writing conferences, she has two more YA romance novels planned for 2026 and 2027 releases.
