Jeane Westin
http://jeanewestin.com
I wanted to be a historical writer from the moment I picked
up my first book. Not for me the dolls and tea parties
stories ... I went straight for a long series of
children-through-the-ages books, starting with The
Little Cave Boy and Girl, and read through every one of
them with an increasing fascination for the tales of people
who lived in a different time. And that fascination has
only increased.
Growing up, I wrote Christmas stories for my school paper,
won a "Why I Love My City" essay contest and bought some
exotic makeup with the money prize. (Sorry, Mom, I meant to
save it.) Later I wrote the class play and loved that
laughter and applause. I even began collecting rejection
slips from women's magazines when I was in high school.
Once when I turned in a book report, I added imagined scenes
I thought should have been in the book. I overheard my
teacher read them aloud to another class and say, "Someday,
Jeane will be a novelist." Bless you, Miss Stanley,
wherever you are. I took a great many detours in life, but
your words were sealed forever in my heart.
In my very early twenties, I joined the army and spent six
years as a cryptographer at the Pentagon, at NATO
headquarters in Europe and on various red-clay military
posts in the south. It was a great experience and gave me
some of the background for my first novel, Love and
Glory about the original women soldiers of WWII. This
book sold to CBS for a mini-series and was eventually
published in England, Israel, Sweden, Italy, and France.
College, marriage and motherhood followed my military
service, along with various jobs for national animal
advocacy organizations, for which I've worked in a variety
of ways until recently.
My professional writing career began with a humorous camping
disaster article for my local newspaper. National newspaper
and magazine articles followed until I moved on to
non-fiction books and then to long hardback historical
novels. My second novel, Swing Sisters came out of
my youthful love of jazz, the major record collections I
carted about the country and from wondering what women's
role was during the early years of that special American
music.
Soon after this second novel, I joined a writer's critique
group and began to hear other writers' historical romance
works in progress, to read romance again and eventually to
write Lady Anne's Dangerous Man, (Signet/Eclipse,
January 2006) set in the England of 1665. I quickly
realized I was having the most fun that I'd ever had in
front of a computer screen. Who wouldn't? I spent every
day in a hidden forest encampment with John Gilbert, the
sexiest, most handsome road-rogue/lover who ever pulled a
rapier on a lady—and then taught her to use it. I was
there as my Gentleman Johnny helped the betrayed Lady Anne
to love and to trust love again—a lady and a job that
would have defeated any lesser man. What a trip! I hope
you'll enjoy John and Anne's exciting, sensual adventures as
much as I did. And I'd very much like to hear what you think.
And watch for my second historical from Signet/Eclipse set
in the Restoration theater of King Charles II entitled
Lady Katherne's Wild Ride, coming in August, 2006.
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Books
The Virgin's Daughters
(In the Court of Elizabeth I)
August 4, 2009
The story of Elizabeth I, as it's never been told
before—through the eyes of two ladies-in-waiting
closest to her...
In a court filled with repressed sexual longing, scandal,
and intrigue, Lady Katherine Grey is Read more...
Lady Merry's Dashing Champion
August 7, 2007
It seems Meriel—called Merry—looks exactly like
the wife of Lord Giles, Earl of Warborough, whose legendary
heroism has long sent a thrill down Merry's spine. Giles's
cold, unfaithful wife is known to be Read more...
Lady Merry's Dashing Champion
August 1, 2007
Lady Katherne's Wild Ride
August 1, 2006
In Restoration England, where a lady's luck depends on
the chivalry of her master, a ravishing young noblewoman
escapes to the stage and embraces a life of danger and
desire alongside the most Read more...
Lady Anne's Most Dangerous Man
January 3, 2006
Lady Anne Gascoigne is eager to take her wedding
vows—until she discovers her devious fiancé has
conspired to let King Charles II steal her virtue. Now, to
save her honor and her life, Read more...
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