BOOKS
MOTION DAZZLE: A Memoir of Motherhood, Loss, and Skating on Thin Ice: Sept 30th, 2025, Vine Leaves Press
Former competitive figure skater and coach Jocelyn Jane Cox is desperate to care for her toddler and her ailing mother, all while preparing to host a fabulous zebra-themed first birthday party at her house. As a new parent whose supportive mom is slipping away with dementia, she finds herself spinning in the middle of the so-called “sandwich generation”.
Cox draws on the strengths she learned while competing with her older brother as her partner. On the ice, she battled injuries and uncertainties while trying to dazzle audiences, discovering along the way that we can love and hate an activity in equal measure, and that “faking it ‘til you make it” can be a viable way forward. As an adult, Jocelyn leans into performance and distraction as coping strategies while demonstrating a capability we all have: to find moments of celebration alongside pain.
Splicing her years of dating, eventually meeting her husband, and her own early motherhood with memories of her single mother’s TLC, Cox’s choreography takes readers around the rink of a high stakes sport and into the stands…where her mother, a bit of a mystery, sits quietly amid the ovation. Motion Dazzle shines a spotlight on the life cycle and how we pass love from one generation to the next.
EARLY PRAISE: “Jocelyn Jane Cox's story is a journey to the liminal space between grief and joy—as she loses her mother to dementia while becoming a mother herself. Told with heart and humor, Motion Dazzle is a poignant homage to the unwavering bond she shared with her mother. Like an intimate conversation with a friend on a New York City park bench, Cox's voice pulls you in and doesn't let go until the end.” ~ Jacque Gorelick, author of Map of a Heart, forthcoming
FIRST DAY ON THE ICE: Tips from a Professional Skating Coach (and Mom) published January 26, 2018, is a quick read for parents who are thinking about taking their children skating for the first time or for parents who have already gotten their kids out on the ice, but need a bit more information. Additionally, it’s helpful for coaches who are just getting started in the business or coaches who want a refresher. Written by a skating coach with over 25 years of experience (who is also a mother and a freelance writer), this clear, often humorous guide will help you figure out what to wear, what to talk about beforehand, how to lace the skates, and even give you insider techniques to try with your child both on and off the ice. The goal is for the first day in skates to be a positive one and to lead to more fun in the future. Purchase here.
THE HOMEOWNER’S GUIDE TO GREATNESS: How to Handle Natural Disasters, Design Dilemmas and Various Infestations Like a Champ: published April 29, 2012. Owning a home is a constant adventure filled with infinite challenges. To succeed, it's important to think creatively and maintain a sense of humor. In these pages, learn new ways to make use of your mortgage agreement (i.e. as a stepping stool), how to pick through other people's garbage for furnishings, and exactly what you should do if a tree falls on your house. The advice in this book ranges from the outlandish to the bizarre: whether you've been in your house 20 minutes or 20 years, you are sure to relate to it and get a good chuckle. You might even learn something along the way. Purchase here.