Jenn Bennett (born March 1978) is an American author of novels for teens and adults. Her notable works include ''Alex, Approximately'', ''Starry Eyes'', and ''The Anatomical Shape of a Heart'' (aka ''Night Owls'').

Personal life

Bennett was born in Germany. She has a

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students pursuing a professional education in the visual arts, Fine art, or performing arts. In some instances, it is also called a Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA). Background ...

in Painting and worked on her master's degree at

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

. Due to her father's service in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

, she grew up as a

military brat A military brat (colloquial or military slang) is a child of serving or retired military personnel. Military brats are associated with a unique subcultureDavid C. Pollock, Ruth E. van Reken. ''Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds'', Revise ...

, moving to a number of places and traveling extensively in Europe and the Far East. She currently resides in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

with her husband.

Publishing career

Arcadia Bell series

Bennett's debut novel, ''Kindling the Moon'' released from

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in July 2011, and is the first book in the Arcadia Bell series. The final book in the series, ''Banishing the Dark'', was published in 2015; it was nominated for a "Reviewers' Choice Book Award.

Roaring Twenties series

In 2013,

Berkley Books Berkley Books is an American imprint founded in 1955 by Charles Byrne and Frederic Klein owned by the Penguin Group unit of Penguin Random House. History Berkley Books began as an independent company in 1955. It was founded as "Chic News Compa ...

published the first book in Bennett's new historical

paranormal romance Paranormal romance is a subgenre of both romantic fiction and speculative fiction. Paranormal romance focuses on romantic love and includes elements beyond the range of scientific explanation, from the speculative fiction genres of fantasy, scien ...

series, ''Bitter Spirits'', taking place in a haunted 1920s San Francisco. It garnered starred reviews from both

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and

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and was one of six romances published in 2014 to be named on Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 2014. The final book in the series, ''Grave Phantoms'', was awarded RT Book Reviews' Seal of Excellence.

Young Adult fiction

In 2015,

Macmillan Publishers Macmillan Publishers (occasionally known as the Macmillan Group; formally Macmillan Publishers Ltd in the United Kingdom and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC in the United States) is a British publishing company traditionally considered to be on ...

published Bennett's debut young adult contemporary book, ''The Anatomical Shape of a Heart'', a romance between two aspiring teen artists. Titled ''Night Owls'' internationally, foreign rights for the book were also acquired by

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...

UK, and it was translated into five languages It won a 2015 Reviewers' Choice Award for YA Protagonist from RT Book Reviews and the 2016 RITA Award for Young Adult Romance. In 2017,

Simon and Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...

published her second young adult book, ''Alex, Approximately'', a teen update of

You've Got Mail ''You've Got Mail'' is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Nora Ephron, and starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan alongside Parker Posey, Jean Stapleton, Dave Chappelle, Steve Zahn, and Greg Kinnear. Inspired by the 1937 Hungarian ...

. It received starred reviews from

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and

, and it was translated into seven languages. Bennett's third young adult book, ''Starry Eyes'', about two teens who get lost in the California wilderness, was published in 2018 and received a starred review from

and was nominated for a

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Choice Award for Young Adult Fiction. It has been translated into five languages.

Bibliography

Arcadia Bell series

#''Kindling the Moon'' (July 2011, ) #''Summoning the Night'' (April 2012, ) #''Leashing the Tempest'' (December 2012, ) #''Binding the Shadows'' (May 2013, ) #''Banishing the Dark'' (May 2014, )

Roaring Twenties series

#''Bitter Spirits'' (January 2014, ) #''Grim Shadows'' (June 2014, ) #''Grave Phantoms'' (May 2015, )

Young adult books

#''The Anatomical Shape of a Heart'' – UK edition titled Night Owls (November 3, 2015, ) #''Alex, Approximately'' (April 2017, ) #''Starry Eyes'' (April 2018, ) #''Serious Moonlight'' (April 2019, ) #''The Lady Rogue'' (September 2019, ) #''Chasing Lucky'' (May 2020, ) #''Always Jane'' (March 2022, )

References

External links

Author's Website

Listing at Goodreads
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Jenn Living people 21st-century American novelists American writers of young adult literature American fantasy writers Urban fantasy writers American romantic fiction writers Writers from Atlanta American women novelists American women writers of young adult literature 21st-century American women writers American women romantic fiction writers American women science fiction and fantasy writers Novelists from Georgia (U.S. state) 1978 births