When a health crisis nearly ended her life, Jessica Stone faced a sobering realization. Her teenage daughter would remember her only as a mother in survival mode who had spent years scraping by, putting off dreams and sacrificing herself for the sake of others.
“I thought, if I had died, my daughter would have had no idea who I really was,” Jessica said. “She would only remember the tired, overworked version of me. That broke my heart.”
The experience became a turning point. As Jessica approached 50, she began to reclaim long-dormant parts of herself. That included the childhood desire to become a writer.
Today, she is a full-time author and screenwriter creating stories that reflect hard truths, unflinching faith and resilient hope.
“I don’t like deep reflection on my past, because I can be hard on myself,” she said. “But through writing, I’ve learned to process those regrets. The things I wish I had done differently were also the path to blessings I never expected.”
Reclaiming her creative calling
Jessica always loved books. Growing up in Greece as the daughter of a U.S. Navy serviceman, she spent countless hours with her nose in novels, often hiding them inside her school textbooks. Her family moved frequently, which made it difficult to form lasting friendships.
“Books were my constant companions,” she said. “They were the friends I could take with me.”
Jessica tried writing her first novel in her 20s, but self-doubt crept in. She feared that if she failed at the one thing she truly wanted to do, she’d have nothing left. So she shelved the dream and followed a more practical path, working in property management to support herself and her daughter.
“I told myself I’d get back to it someday,” she said. “But, someday always got pushed back.”
A wake-up call
In 2011, just months after remarrying, Jessica developed a persistent cough. Doctors first diagnosed her with pneumonia. But, her condition worsened until one evening, her teenage daughter came home to find her unconscious.
Jessica was rushed to the hospital, placed in a coma and was not expected to survive. She was ultimately diagnosed with advanced tuberculosis. One lung was completely destroyed and the other severely damaged. She endured multiple surgeries, organ failure and dialysis.
“Doctors told my family to start making arrangements,” she said. “They didn’t think I’d make it through the night.”
However, Jessica did survive. And, in the aftermath, she felt a renewed urgency to live with intention. She realized how much of her life had been defined by trauma, including an abusive marriage in her 20s, a rape at age 18 that caused her to abandon her beliefs, and the overwhelming responsibility of single motherhood.
“I had been angry with God for a long time,” she said. “But, during my coma, I had a very clear encounter with him that changed everything.”
Writing with purpose and perspective
Jessica drew on her own experiences of secrecy, trauma, grace and reconciliation to create her debut novel, “Beauty in the Bittersweet.” It is a story about a woman whose daughter discovers her journals, but only after her unexpected death. The book explores how little we sometimes know about the people closest to us.
“I wanted to write something that showed the full humanity of women, including mothers, daughters and survivors,” she said. “It’s a fictional story, but still deeply personal.”
Her stories often feature characters who face adversity, including foster children, trafficking survivors and people with disabilities. Her current romantic comedy centers on a blind travel vlogger and a baker with body dysmorphia. Even when the tone is lighthearted, the themes remain grounded in reality.
“I believe stories should reflect real life,” Jessica said. “They can be entertaining, but they should also stretch our empathy.”
An unexpected love story
In one of the most surprising plot twists of her own life, Jessica later reconnected with the father of her daughter, whom she had not seen in years. After her daughter asked to meet him before moving to Paris, the spark was reignited between Jessica and her former partner.
“We told ourselves being in contact again was just for our daughter,” she recalled. “But, the connection was still there. So, a few months later, we decided to give it another try.”
Seven years ago, Jessica married the man she had once feared she’d never see again. She now splits her time between the United States and Paris, where her daughter lives and works as a fashion designer.
“I used to regret not taking time to figure out who I was after my daughter moved away for college,” she said. “But, now I can see how God wove all of this together in a way I never could have planned.”
Redefining success after 50
After recovering from her illness, Jessica went back to school to study occupational therapy, but she left that path during the pandemic. With her health still fragile, she embraced writing full-time and began producing books and screenplays, some of which are now being considered by major publishers and film producers.
She writes under the tagline “Hope Remains,” a phrase that reminds her to keep going when circumstances feel bleak.
“I’ve struggled with depression most of my life,” Jessica said. “There were times I didn’t think I would make it. But, hope has always been the thread I hold onto.”
Jessica is now deeply committed to using her voice to advocate for others and to create stories that affirm faith, dignity and resilience. She partners with nonprofits aligned with the themes of her books, and she’s determined to make her next release available in Braille to increase accessibility for readers with visual impairments.
“I don’t think we were put on this planet to sit in cubicles and chase numbers,” she said. “God gave us gifts, and we are meant to use them.”
Encouraging others to start again
Jessica wants people over 50 to know it’s not too late to pursue long-buried dreams or reimagine their lives.
“Your gifts are still there, even if you’ve ignored them for years,” she said. “The calling placed on your heart doesn’t expire.”
Her advice to seasoned citizens is to identify what brings you joy, use it to serve others and trust that doors will open, even if you don’t see them yet.
“My life didn’t make sense for a long time,” Jessica said. “But, now I can see how every piece has a place and I’m finally living the story I was created to tell.”
For more information
People can connect with Jessica on these platforms:
- Website = www.jessicastonestories.com
- Facebook = www.facebook.com/JessicaStoneStoryteller
- Instagram = www.instagram.com/JessicaStoneStoryteller
- LinkedIn = www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-stone-thewriter
Jessica’s novel, “Beauty in the Bittersweet,” is available on Amazon and in other bookstores.
If you order Jessica’s book from a link above, Forward From 50 may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
