About Us
Meredith and Chishan Jao live in New Orleans, Louisiana.
This is their first book.
Currently seeking agent representation.
Meredith Jao
In one sentence: I like to write books for kids and read books by grown-ups.
I’ve always been your typical bookworm under the covers with a reading light, obsessed with words since I learned the ABCs, and today that looks like reviewing and recommending books on my social platform.
After studying literature and creative writing at Tulane, I was in the swing of writing fiction until I quit writing entirely from 2016 to 2022 as I began a career in advertising strategy. I started writing The Hesitant Hedgehog in February 2022 after the story, plot, and characters were all dropped into my brain in a single flash of insight at a McDonald’s (no kidding). Since then, I pivoted to not only writing again, but writing children’s books — and I don’t even have kids!
As an unconventional brand strategist-turned writer and overall messy human, I hope to write stories for those that don’t have clear pathways, feel different than others, and need the courage to continue going anyway. For fun, I love fitness and pilates classes, making elaborate espresso drinks at my “home cafe,” exploring New Orleans where I live, and being cozy.
Chishan Jao
I answer to Jao, Jaoseph, Jao Jao Binks, and Jaosky, and even “Christian” for those that can’t pronounce Chishan… I’ve pretty much always went by my last name, Jao.
Growing up, I was always more fascinated with the illustrations in children’s books than the stories themselves. I was born in the rural mountains of Taiwan to two teachers, and studied art under my dad, who is an oil painter. I was a naughty kid and loved playing in places and doing things I wasn’t supposed to. After traveling around the world playing junior tennis and not doing a whole lot of schooling, I got recruited to the States to play tennis at Tulane where I met Meredith who was on the women’s team. I attended Chicago Portfolio School shortly thereafter and followed my passions as a creative designer and visual storyteller.
My guiding principle is “why so serious?” as a fan of The Joker. You’re as likely to find me jumping off a plane (safely) as doing a design sprint for 10 hours on a single illustration of a baseball glove. I love to infuse little easter eggs of fun and whimsy into my work — see how many ants you can spot in The Hesitant Hedgehog!