Jena writes captivating thrillers with a fast hook and descriptive, psychological storytelling. Interesting, intriguing characters and unexpected twists and turns immerse readers, taking them on an exciting, page-turning ride.
Cultivated by slow-moving cars, creepy vans, men struggling to do something with an injury, and dark basements.
I grew up in the 1970s and 1980s, when childhood looked very different than it does today. We were the unattended, feral generation. We wandered alone through the woods for hours, catching frogs and tadpoles, climbing trees, building forts, and hiding from bullies. We rode our bikes, skateboards, and roller skates everywhere. Unless we had chicken pox or the stomach bug, we were banned from the inside.
It was a wonderful way to grow up.
It could also be terrifying.
It never failed. As I walked and biked around the town where I grew up, some giant boat of a car or slow-moving van would pull up beside me, and I was convinced I was about to be kidnapped. I can still feel that fear fluttering in my chest as a car slowed down.
Whether they were turning, looking for an address, or maybe I really did dodge something more nefarious, my imagination had already decided I was moments away from becoming the lead story on the evening news. More than once, a man driving alone pulled up to ask for directions or offer me a ride.
Creepy.
But back then, we didn't call it anxiety. I was just terrified all the time.
The funny thing is, I was also incredibly friendly and helpful. This is the same girl who walked into a stranger’s house on her paper route to help an elderly man find his cat hiding under a bed. Looking back, it’s a miracle I survived my own decision-making.
The world didn’t do much to calm my imagination. Missing children appeared on milk cartons. Stories about predators dominated the news. And when I graduated high school in 1989, Ted Bundy was everywhere. His execution was national news, and his crimes left a lasting impression on an entire generation.
My mother knew I had a habit of being quick to help and trusting of people, so before I left for college, she handed me a copy of The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule.
To say that book heightened my awareness of danger would be an understatement.
The lesson stayed with me:
That idea has fascinated me ever since.
Even now, I’ll pass a car parked in the same spot for three days and immediately assume it was involved in a murder. If someone has a storage container in their driveway? Obviously there’s a body in there.
These are the kinds of thoughts that eventually gave us Inside Passage.
Inspired by a beautiful trip through Alaska with my husband, the novel explores a question I’ve apparently been asking myself since childhood:
What if danger is much closer than anyone realizes?
When we cruised Alaska’s Inside Passage, I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if a predator blended in among thousands of passengers, moving from one picturesque port to the next.
Thank you for stopping by and getting to know me a little better. I hope my stories entertain you, surprise you, and maybe make you glance twice at that slow-moving van.
A forthcoming thriller from Jena Worth.
A forthcoming thriller from Jena Worth.
Send me a note — I’d love to hear from you.
