Jen Champion is a no-nonsense former prison guard from St. Louis who knows how to handle a riot, a royal flush, and a well-timed punchline: on two occasions all at once. After years of keeping order in an all-women’s correctional facility, Jen traded in her baton for a ballpoint pen. Her edgy journals and workbooks blend wit, irony, and an unapologetic love for swearing.

Jen can be found haunting the blackjack tables of riverboat casinos, where the smell of faint cigarette smoke and bourbon help her focus creatively. Her books don’t whisper affirmations; they shout survival.