J.L. Fernquest

Close-up of a middle-aged woman with short, wavy blonde hair and blue eyes, resting her chin on her hand, against a dark background.

Her Story

JL writes what most people are afraid to admit. A former high-functioning perfectionist turned truth-teller, she’s walked through postpartum darkness, suburban streets, and the quiet hell of performing a life that no longer fits.

Her voice is sharp, funny, and fiercely alive—equal parts literary craft and lived experience. She writes to make sense of the unraveling, to laugh at the edge, and to offer language for the things women whisper in secret.

She lives somewhere between breakdown and breakthrough, is deeply allergic to bullshit, and remains—despite everything—a mother, a writer, and a woman who’s still becoming.


What JL is writing about…

Dear Car Makers: For F**k Sake -Stop Putting Carpet in Cars by JL

Why am I still vacuuming that 2017 beach trip out of my Honda Odyssey?

Read on Substack

Big Moments That Hide Inside Small Moments by JL

Seven minutes, a rainstorm, and a line I couldn’t un-hear.

Read on Substack

We Don’t Mean to Live Disappointing Lives… But it Happens by JL

Twenty-five years can evaporate before you notice.

Read on Substack

Fluffers: The Baby Rat Who Stole Our Hearts by JL

A tiny rescue, a big heart, and a little bit of mayhem

Read on Substack

Starting Over at 50 — Everyone Called This Failure by JL

They thought I was ruining my life. I was saving it.

Read on Substack

My 12 Year Old Knows Everything by JL

Everything I thought I knew... corrected by my omniscient 12 year old

Read on Substack

Contact J.L.