Hi, I’m Jenni. I write royal history (non-fiction), the Natalie Brandon thrillers, and the Cherbourg romantic suspense series. I’ve also written a vampire novel set during the French Revolution, literary fiction, and short stories. Why would any sane person do this? Because I’m me. I don’t like breaking rules in real life, but give me a blank piece of paper, and I’ll break ’em all.
Non-Fiction
The Hunt for Anna Pavlovna’s Stolen Jewels
One day, while reading an old memoir, I stumbled on a mention of the Queen of Holland’s stolen pearl necklace, later discovered in “a walking stick in America.” I did a double-take, then I went digging. What I found became a story too good to keep to myself. This is my first non-fiction book, coming from Pen & Sword in 2026. It’s part true crime, part royal history, and almost unbelievable in the scope of famous people involved: Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna, Prince Willem of Orange, King Willem of the Netherlands, President Andrew Jackson, Alexander Hamilton and his son, Martin Van Buren, and more. Throw in a Napoleonic deserter, his lover, a French con man, a corrupt Customs official, and you’ve got the makings of a transatlantic tale of skullduggery that, if it were made up, no one would believe it was true. But it is true – and I’m here to tell you all about it.
Coming in 2026
Fiction
My characters are quirky and a bit out of place, since that’s how I feel most of the time. Don’t let the website design fool you. I love gradients and glitter backgrounds, but my books are dark and usually have a high body count. If you like stories that let you explore faraway places and the darker reaches of the human heart, I hope you’ll give them a try.
The Natalie Brandon Thrillers
Natalie’s good at finding two things: treasure and trouble.
My heroine, Natalie, is a bit different than most action heroes. She’s haunted by the voice of an angel, Belial. Doctors diagnosed her as schizophrenic, but Natalie knows Belial is real. Her sister, Beth, is a history professor and skeptical of the supernatural…but will do anything to keep her sister out of a mental institution. As Belial gets Natalie into non-stop trouble, she and Beth scramble to stay alive and make sense of the confusing line between science and the supernatural.
“…wildly entertaining, very well written, highly inventive, and just plain fun” -Amazon reviewer
“Natalie is an unforgettable character” -Amazon reviewer
The Cherbourg Saga
Romantic suspense with dashing heroes & independent heroines
The Cherbourg family is rich, powerful, and completely out of control. From big brother Sébastien to little sister Honorée, they’ll stop at nothing to make their mark on the world…and protect the people closest to them. The problem? They keep finding themselves hopelessly in love. And their perfect matches are magnets for danger. Can they survive long enough to find true love?
“Loved this book with great characters, plot, action, suspense, even a romance” -Amazon reviewer
Stand-Alone Novels
Tragedy. Comedy. Guillotines. You know, a little something for everyone.
I Love Books, But I Also Love Tiaras
Trace the story of a tiara, and you’ll find more doomed love than Romeo and Juliet, more tragedy than Hamlet, and more WTF moments than Macbeth.
For a while, I did a blog series where I wrote about a new tiara every Tuesday. Who created it, who ordered it, who wore it, what happened to it, and how I’d wear it. Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it’s tragic, sometimes it’s downright bizarre…like that time Princess Stephanie of Belgium patented a chafing dish and it appeared in the New York Times above a story about a drunk sailor who thought he saw an island full of pink monkeys. I kid you not. If you like history, jewelry, or royalty, check it out.
Tiara Tuesday: Grand Duchess Adélaïde’s Tiara
June 16, 2015Tiara Tuesday: The Mellerio Shell Tiara
June 9, 2015Tiara Tuesday: Empress Farah’s Noor-ul-Ain Tiara
June 2, 2015Okay, You Made It This Far
Chances are, we’re gonna be friends.
As a reward for scrolling this far, I now present you with an embarrassing video I made. I suck at making videos, but this one turned out okay for the first one I ever made that has me in it.
Well, unless you count that time in high school when some friends and I filmed two scenes from Macbeth for an English class project. You should have seen it. We had dry ice and a cauldron and costumes and fake ghosts and blood and everything. I was one of the witches. My mom was Hecate, because there are too damn many characters in the scene with the witches and we needed our family members to fill in. I hope she still has the VHS tape somewhere. Dang, I got old.
Header image, Anna Pavlovna portrait: Jan Baptist van der Hulst, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
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