Today we are very excited to share an interview with Author Jessixa Bagley (Jazzy the Witch in Broom Doom)!
Meet the Author: Jessixa Bagley
Jessixa Bagley is children’s book author-illustrator with a background in fine art and comics. She has had work featured in publications such as New American Paintings, The Chicago Reader, Nickelodeon Magazine, and Highlights Magazine. Her first picture book, Boats for Papa, received numerous awards and accolades including the 2016 SCBWI Golden Kite Award and a 2016 Washington State Book Award. Her picture book Laundry Day received a 2018 Ezra Jack Keats Honor Award for writing. Many of her books are Junior Library Guild Selections. She’s the author of the middle grade graphic novels Duel (winner of the 2024 Washington State Book Award for Young Readers) and Dear Jackie as well as the author-illustrator of the middle grade graphic novel series Jazzy the Witch. In her work, she’s drawn to animals and emotional themes often inspired by her own experiences. Jessixa also teaches and speaks about writing and illustration. She often illustrates for other writers and artistically collaborates with her husband, Aaron Bagley. Jessixa lives in Seattle with her husband and son.
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About the Book: Jazzy the Witch in Broom Doom
In her town full of witches, Jazzy’s always been a little bit different. She’s not excited about magic. She forgets the steps to spells. And even though her parents run the town’s broom shop, she doesn’t want to fly.
Then, one day, she discovers what she was born to do: cycling! Now she just has to find a way to get a bicycle…and learn how to ride it. But will her new passion come between her and her best friend—and possibly get her in big trouble?
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~Author Chat~
YABC: What inspired you to write this book?
I’ve always loved witches. But funny enough, the idea for Jazzy came about by way of my unconscious! I had a dream that I was selling bike seats for witches’ broomsticks. I ended up drawing a picture of me as a little witch with a booth selling the bike seats and I posted it on Instagram. I got a flood of comments saying I should make it into a book! I was like, “Oh yeah! Good idea!” And I knew right away it had to be a graphic novel. There’s so much physical comedy and action with the riding a bike and flying on a broom that the sequential art format was the best way to tell the story. It makes it feel very active and full of movement and underscores the magical moments from the characters.
YABC: What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?
I think the scene where Jazzy and Aggie build her bike and then she is learning how to ride the bike for the first time. It felt fun and realistic—you know, because building a bike is VERY realistic. HA! It was very fun to come up with the spells for assembling the bike. And I wanted to make sure that scene came off as a little bike riding tutorial. I show Jazzy struggling at first (like kids do) then taking real steps on how to approach riding. I personally had a hard time learning how to ride a bike when I was a kid. So, laughing at Jazzy falling over was okay because it was a little like me just laughing at myself. Sometimes it’s funny when you fall as long as you get back up and try again, like Jazzy does!
YABC: What is the main message or lesson you want your reader to remember from this book?
I want readers to follow what’s in their hearts, even if it’s different than what they think other people expect of them. I always tell my son the key to life is, “Love yourself, love others, and find something you love to do.” I feel like all of that is in Jazzy and I hope readers can take that away for themselves after reading the book.
YABC: What are your favorite themes or tropes?
You can’t beat the classic tropes of witches: Pointy hats, black cats, flying on brooms, brewing things over caldrons…Basically all the things in the book that Jazzy is bored with! (Oddly though, I can’t stand witch cackles.) I have always loved when witches are more cute and spooky– there’s just a nice irony to someone who’s supposed to be scary, but they are actually nice and kind. That played into why I included nods to the history of witches and their origins of being healers. Witches have largely gotten a bad rap, and I wanted to show them as having those tropes but in fun, positive ways.
YABC: Do you have a playlist you listened to while writing?
I made a playlist on Spotify called “Jazzy’s Jams.” It’s full of classic stuff like “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder, “Paint it Black” by the Rolling Stones, and a bunch of others. There are also several versions of “I Put a Spell on You” and “Season of the Witch,” which have both been covered a lot! It’s a very fun and sassy witch vibe!
YABC: What would you say is your superpower?
What a good question! I think I’m a good at manifesting things. I often can really see something that I want to do, and I do it. One example that comes to mind is acting on inspired ideas. I think a lot of the time writers get a good idea for a story and don’t act on it. Then they might forget the idea or someone else gets a similar idea and runs with it. I try to act fast and grab good ideas when I get them and make them reality– like I did with Jazzy!
YABC: What new release book are you looking forward to in 2025?
So many amazing books have come out very recently that I just love. A lot of very beautiful picture books in particular. I’d been waiting for His Fairy Tale Life by Jane Yolen and illustrated by Brooke Boynton-Hughes for some time. The artwork is stunning. Same with Blue by Suzanne Kaufman which is beautiful in its illustration and meaning. A new favorite is Otto and the Story Tree by Vivien Mildenberger, which is both funny and moving with very unique artwork, the best combo. And A Gift of Dust by Martha Brockenbrough illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal is such a deeply special book with gorgeous illustrations. These are all books to be treasured.
YABC: What’s up next for you?
I’m so excited to share the next collaboration with my husband Aaron Bagley. It’s called Dear Jackie. This one I wrote, and Aaron illustrated, like our first graphic novel Duel. Dear Jackie, is a cringy middle school romp about fitting in and being true to yourself. The main character, Jackie Barnes, is having trouble navigating the new social expectations of middle school so she invents a secret admirer and starts sending herself love letters in a botched attempt to fit in. Apparently, it made a young reader want to hide under her blanket out of embarrassment for Jackie. I couldn’t ask for anything more. It comes out September 9th!
YABC: Is there anything that you would like to add?
I put a lot of myself into my work wherever I can and there’s a lot of me in Jazzy. She doesn’t always get things right, and sometimes she gets hyper-focused and loses sight of what’s around her. But she follows her passions and tries to be herself as much as she can. All traits I have, so she’s very close to my heart. So, I hope people love Jazzy and her world as much as I do! She has more adventures coming up soon that I also can’t wait to share.
Title: Jazzy the Witch in Broom Doom
Author: Jessixa Bagley
Illustrator: Jessixa Bagley
Release Date: July 15th 2025
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Genre: Middle Grade Graphic Novel
Age Range: 8-12
