Jendia Gammon was born Jennifer Dianne Gammon in Kingsport, Tennessee. She spent much of her childhood in Gray, Tennessee. There, she wrote from an early age, illustrating her own stories, and was influenced by the works of Ray Bradbury and L. Frank Baum.[2] At the age of 10, she formed her own astronomy club with her friends, 'to learn about the universe.'[3]
Gammon graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology[4] and worked for several years as a research technologist in academic laboratories. She later worked as a freelance science writer, content marketing writer for biotech, and senior content manager. She has stated that this scientific background aided her understanding of writing science fiction.[5]
Career
Gammon self-published her space opera series The Questrison Saga under the pen name J. Dianne Dotson. The series consists of: Heliopause (2018), Ephemeris (2019), Accretion (2020), and Luminiferous (2021).[6] In 2023, she published The Shadow Galaxy: A Collection of Short Stories and Poetry under JournalStone and Trepidatio publishing.[7] It was longlisted for the BSFA Awards.[8] Alan K. Dell praised the Questrison Saga as "a fantastic read",[9] and The Fantasy Hive described The Shadow Galaxy as "a mesmerizing first collection".[10]
Also in 2023, her YA novel, The Inn at the Amethyst Lantern, was published by Android Press. The Storygraph described The Inn at the Amethyst Lantern as: "a captivating read".[11] This novel was a finalist for the Andre Norton Nebula Award[12] and the BSFA Award for Best Fiction for Younger Readers.[13]
She has also written short stories as both J. Dianne Dotson and Jendia Gammon.[14][15] In 2023, she adopted the "old nickname" Jendia Gammon for all books going forward to honor her family.[16]
