JENNI JAMES:

I'm married to a totally hot, redheaded Air Force Recruiter, named Mark. Together we have 7 kiddos.  We have just moved back to the States after living 9 awesome years in the Azores Islands of Portugal and England! Our  kids are really experiencing America for the first time, and I think they're sold.

When I'm not writing up a storm, I enjoy reading, acting, portrait painting, directing plays, cooking, planning eleborate parties and chasing my kids around the house. Oh, and before you ask--I haven't been to college, YET! But I've always been able to write one mean essay when I needed to. *wink*

I've been painting portraits professionally since 2002

I've been a professional children's theater director/playwrite since 2000

 MY STORY:

I never knew what I was missing when my mom first gave me a collection of Jane Austen's works for Christmas. I believe I was fourteen at the time. One glance at the title Pride and Prejudice and I vowed I would never read the book. But, to be nice I placed it on my 'favorites' shelf; and there it sat for approximately two and a half years. Every month or so Mom would ask me if I had read it yet, and guiltily I would reply, "No. One day I will."

Then low and behold, the summer I was sixteen I had completely exhausted EVERY book I owned and almost all of my siblings' books, as well. (There were 5 siblings--not an easy feat I tell you!) With a desperate case of boredom and hair-pulling-cabin-fever anxiety, I finally, grudgingly brought down the book. I went ahead and started with Pride and Prejudice, just to prove to myself it wasn't worth the time.

One and a half days later, I finished. Sleep deprived, hungry and exhausted, but I finished! It was officially the first book I couldn't put down! It was SO amazing! Afterwards, I devoured every one of Jane Austen's novels, and I haven't stopped since.

Now, as my own daughter gets closer to this wonderfully draining attempt at teenhood, I wanted to share the same stories with her, but in a way she can relate to. I began to rewrite (More like channel) Pride & Popularity in the middle of March and was finished in just 6 weeks! All 25 chapters. It was such an amazing experience. Before I had even begun the long editing process new characters started to talk to me and hound me into writing their stories too.