Jillian Leigh Jacobs was born in June 1988 in Stockton, California. As a child, she was a voracious reader. In second grade, her grandmother gave her a copy of the Chronicles of Narnia and the Young Jedi Knights series, which she devoured. She fell in love with fantasy and science fiction from then on, though thanks to her parents’ encouragement, she enjoys many genres including historical fiction, mystery, and thrillers.
In high school, Jillian was an active member of her high school’s band playing the clarinet. During the summers, she learned how to fly a small aircraft in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, and at the age of 17, she received her pilot’s license.
Jillian attended Brigham Young University, graduating with a B.A. in Anthropology and Archaeology in 2010, which united her love of history and science.
Jillian started writing at the age of ten when her father bought their first at-home computer. After she graduated from college and became a stay-at-home mom, Jillian found Brandon Sanderson’s university lectures on creative writing in Fantasy on YouTube and decided to try her hand at writing professionally. After many fits and starts, Jillian published her first short story, The Soul of a Griffon, under the pseudonym Branwen Pierce. Now she writes under her own name.