HELLO...
Gennifer is a recovering academic who discovered she could write books of her own and people would read them! She lives in a perfect seaside village in Washington state with her family, but spends most of my time in Arras and other fantastical new worlds. She appreciates strong coffee and bold imaginations, prefers her heroines with sass, and is always searching for her next big adventure. Gennifer's debut novel, CREWEL, was written during NaNo ’10 and she now sits on the official National Novel Writing Month Advisory Board. Her work is represented by Mollie Glick of Foundry Literary + Media.
Short (and vastly more professional) bio:
Gennifer Albin holds a Masters degree in English Literature from the University of Missouri. A recovering academic, she turned to writing her own books. In her free time she sits on the National Novel Writing Month Advisory Board, plots adventures with her wild children, and watches too much Doctor Who (if that's possible). Gennifer lives in Poulsbo, Washington with her family.
Long (and slightly more interesting) bio:
A former academic with a specialization in 18th century women’s studies, Gennifer Albin gave up teaching—both at the high school and college levels—to raise her children at home. But when the economy tanked, Gennifer and her husband soon found themselves filing for bankruptcy after struggling through his unemployment. Rock bottom turned into the foundation on which she decided to rewrite her life.
Gennifer combined her love of writing with her fascination for a surrealist painting by Remedios Varo, Embroidering the Earth’s Mantle. The painting of girls creating the world caused her to weave a tale in her mind. Lack of a home computer didn’t deter her, and she wrote the first draft on public library computers as the system counted down the seventy minutes she was allowed to work.With the support of her family, Gennifer spun Crewel, a sweeping literary novel that follows sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys as she navigates a treacherous world where women are cultivated into femme fatales, called Spinsters, to weave the very fabric of life. Pitched as Mad Men meets The Handmaid’s Tale and The Hunger Games, Crewel received seven agent offers of representation by May and sold at auction between five houses within a week of submission to editors.
Gennifer recalls the most poignant part of her whirlwind—having to sell her beloved antique books to keep food on the table. She now writes full-time while happily rebuilding her library in Washington with the help of her ridiculously supportive husband, two young children, and a Tuesday cat. She is the founder of theconnectedmom.com, a blog about positive parenting for modern mothers, and she moderates a private group for write-at-home moms, or WrAHMs, offering advice, support, and insight into the complexities of writing while raising young children. Learn more about her at genniferalbin.com.