JENNI L. WALSH
  • Home
  • About
  • Books
    • Adult >
      • Unsinkable
      • The Call of the Wrens
      • A Betting Woman: A Novel of Madame Moustache
      • Side by Side: A Novel of Bonnie and Clyde
      • Becoming Bonnie: A Novel
      • Untitled 2024
      • Untitled 2025
    • Middle Grade >
      • Over and Out
      • By the Light of Fireflies: A Novel of War Hero Sybil Ludington
      • I Am Defiance: A Novel of World War II
      • Hettie and the London Blitz: A World War II Survival Story
      • She Dared books
  • News
  • School Visits
  • Events
  • Contact

A New Middle Grade Book About Sybil Ludington!

1/22/2021

 
Author of I AM DEFIANCE Jenni L. Walsh’s BY THE LIGHT OF FIREFLIES, based on the true story of a hidden Revolutionary War hero, Sybil Ludington, dubbed the “female Paul Revere,” and following a teen girl who braves a perilous midnight ride to warn the troops, with the believed magic of the fireflies to light her way, to Nancy Cleary at Wyatt-MacKenzie, for publication in early November 2021, by Shannon Hassan at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency (world English).
More information coming soon!

Add on Goodreads here.

Midwest Book Review reviews A Betting Woman

1/7/2021

 
Picture
It's very highly recommended reading.

A Betting Woman tells of Simone Jules (aka 'Madame Mustache'), who arrives in San Francisco in 1849 after the death of her family in a fire. Broke and bereaved, Simone needs a job, fast. Fate brings her into the unusual position of being a blackjack dealer at a card table, where she makes her mark as an exotic French-speaking woman who adds pizzazz to the process. 

Jenni L. Walsh presents this vivid story in the first person. This approach brings the milieu of early San Francisco to life as Simone captures the City's sights, sounds, and women's lives. 

But the story doesn't end there, because romance and murder lead Simone to a new town, a new identity as gambling hall matron Eleanor Dumont, and yet another revised life changed by death.
 
With the Gold Rush serving as the backdrop for her achievements and confrontations, A Betting Woman provides historical novel readers with a special blend of real history and fictional drama that will attract not just history buffs, but women who enjoy strong female characters determined to survive.

Walsh's vivid imagery and language is part of what drives this moving story, from its first paragraphs: "I had arrived; ready to start anew, with nothing but two trunks, a mouth of deceptions, and my broken memories. Opportunity whistled through San Francisco, where its gold was discovered accidentally, unexpectedly. One could’ve said the same about my coming here. Unexpected."

Walsh carries this spunky character's feel throughout life's slings and arrows and the buffeting, changing circumstance that drives her not outward, but upward. The addition of romance and its delicate dance is also very nicely described and compellingly written: "The night continued. David and I danced around each other in words, expressions, and stolen glances. To say his presence shook me and left me off kilter would be an understatement. I didn’t want to let on that I knew him beyond an old acquaintance, and he seemed to understand me and give me that courtesy. He didn’t refer to me as Simone, nor as Eleanor. Only Madame. His eyes flickered to my ringless finger now and again, perhaps wondering when and why I exchanged the title of mademoiselle, as I was so often called back home. Had I married? Or did I simply prefer the more respected title? I saw the questions in his head."

A Betting Woman is an engrossing story, very well done and hard to put down. Hopefully, it will reach beyond historical fiction audiences and into enthusiasts of women's literature who look for powerful voices, experiences, descriptions, and growth in their novels.

It's very highly recommended reading.

Reviewed January 7, 2021

Kirkus Reviews A Betting Woman

12/28/2020

 
Picture
An enjoyable search-for-identity tale with a strong female protagonist.

Based on a true story, a historical novel focuses on an unconventional young woman who introduces the game of twenty-one to mid-19th-century San Francisco during the California Gold Rush.

Simone Jules, not yet 20 years old, arrives in San Francisco in 1849, having journeyed for six months by sea from New Orleans, or, as she refers to America’s fourth largest city at the time, “La Nouvelle-Orléans.” Her departure from home was precipitous, a decision made after a tragedy took the lives of her family. In the throes of grief, Simone packed her bags and boarded the first ship available, determined to begin a new life. Left behind, without a word of explanation, is her fiance, David Tobin. She takes up residence at the Bella Union Hotel and negotiates with the owner, Monsieur Sullivan, to pay for her $2,000 per month room by working the card tables in the establishment’s gambling parlor. Sullivan assumes he will throw her out after the first night—women are employed only as bar or dance girls at the parlor. But Simone soon becomes a sensation at the Bella Union, teaching the rowdy gold miners twenty-one and becoming America’s first female croupier. Fluent in French, she discovers that sprinkling in a few words of the exotic language and adding a coquettish smile as she deals the cards quickly charms the men out of their newfound fortunes. It is the beginning of a unique Western adventure, with an indomitable female protagonist who repeatedly finds herself rising out of the ashes to forge a new identity. Although Walsh is working with scant available details about the real-life Simone Jules (aka Eleanor Dumont and Madame Moustache), she has wrapped an intriguing fictional melodrama around an assortment of historical events and personages, bending timelines and creating relationships to suit the arc of her lively narrative. The author effectively captures the excitement of a burgeoning San Francisco increasingly flooded with America’s new westward migration. Walsh also offers readers several engaging secondary characters. And through Simone’s later experiences as a supply-line muleteer to the mining settlements, the author vividly depicts the dangerously harsh conditions endured by the hopeful miners.
​

An enjoyable search-for-identity tale with a strong female protagonist.

Reviewed by Kirkus (12/28/2020): https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jenni-l-walsh/a-betting-woman/



A Betting Woman Cover Reveal + Request on NetGalley

10/18/2020

 
I'm very excited to share the cover of A BETTING WOMAN! ​I am in complete awe of this cover designed by my publisher Wyatt-Mackenzie. Thank you!!

This is Eleanor Dumont (aka Simone Jules aka Madame Moustache) perfectly depicted: Vulnerable. Confident. Determined. Scarred.
Picture
If you likewise adore this cover, please click over to Netgalley and give the cover a thumbs up. While you're there, feel free to request a review copy 😉
Request on NetGalley

Adult Historical about Madame Moustache coming from Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing!

9/18/2020

 
Picture
GUYS, I am so excited for this book and so thankful to Shannon and Nancy for helping me bring Eleanor Dumont's (aka Madame Moustache's) story to readers.
My interest in Eleanor Dumont’s story bloomed as I began researching the women of the California gold rush. It wasn’t long before I came upon a name unknown to me, Madame Moustache. As it turned out, Madame Moustache was the sobriquet for Eleanor Dumont, who was born as Simone Jules, and who had popularized vingt-et-un, now known as blackjack.

The presence of three names for a single woman intrigued me. I wondered how one name bled into the next and how life winded to a nickname—one I didn’t initially find particularly endearing—that Eleanor lived with for over a decade. I wondered if she endured the moniker for all those years or if she was accepting of the name, which was spat at her after taking a man’s last dime during a game of vingt-et-un and offering him a glass of milk, Eleanor having been claimed to have said, "Any man silly enough to lose his last cent to a woman deserves a milk diet.”

In all the anecdotes I found of Eleanor, she was warmhearted, quick-witted, business savvy, courageous, and tenacious. The attributes led me to believe that perhaps Eleanor didn’t tolerate the nickname but instead embraced it. After that, there was no stopping me from telling her story.

And I hope you're excited to read it!!

​If you're on Goodreads, please take a quick moment to click the "Want to Read" button >>> https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55367443-a-betting-woman
Picture

Order I AM DEFIANCE and Receive Free Swag

9/1/2020

 
Picture
*rubs hands together* I'm so excited for I AM DEFIANCE, releasing with Scholastic, and equally excited for the swag available for anyone (kiddos and adults!) who locks down a copy early.

When you order through my indie bookstore Newtown Bookstore, you'll receive your copy autographed (and personalized, if you so choose) and also the following goodies:

- an I AM ____ sticker to fill in. The sticker is vinyl so it'll be extra durable.

- a Reading Challenge bookmark to make reading even more fun

- a Crossword Scavenger Hunt. And what makes this baby so fun is that after solved, send a photo to me to be entered into a drawing for a $50 gift card! I'm also a total nerd and had so much fun making this, aligning each number clue with chapter numbers. Teachers, I hope you also just geeked out a little with me there. And yes, photocopied crosswords are totally cool to give out to students and for them to enter.

​No receipts or verification needed. If you order through the Newtown Bookshop, you'll receive all of the above via mail or in-store pickup after I AM DEFIANCE is released on February 2, 2021. Orders must be placed by February 7, 2021 to qualify. 
Order Now
Thank you for the support! I hope you enjoy my story about a real-life youth resistance group in World War II Germany, and about the power of thinking for yourself in the fight against hatred.

Request a Complimentary Poster

6/19/2020

 
Picture
Words have power, an important theme in my forthcoming novel I AM DEFIANCE, about a real-life youth resistance group in World War II Germany and about the power of thinking for yourself in the fight against hatred. 

I've created these posters, which I hope will be an inspiration to our kiddos, and I'd love to gift a digital copy to you!

If you'd like a poster for your school, your classroom, your library, or personalized with your kids' name, please fill out the form below. I'll personalize and email the digital poster over to you to print at your convenience (CVS, mpix, Walgreens are all wonderful options for online printing).

     

    (i.e. To Mrs. Adel's Classroom ; To the Highlands Huskies ; To Artman Elementary ; To Henry and Maddie)
Submit

Join the I AM DEFIANCE Street Team

3/12/2020

 
I’m happy and thrilled to invite educators (including home-schooling parents), librarians, and arc-sharing groups to the I AM DEFIANCE street team, where you can be a part of the launch of a gripping story about a real-life youth resistance group in World War II Germany, and about the power of thinking for yourself in the fight against hatred. 

And, I’m happy and thrilled to be able to provide perks to those who are invited to join, such as:

  • The opportunity to read I AM DEFIANCE prior to release
  • A digital inspirational poster, personalized to your home, school and/or classroom
  • The chance to win a free Virtual Visit for your students and/or kids
  • The first to hear/see all updates and reveals (such as the cover!)
  • Exclusive giveaways to win my previous books

If you are interested, please fill out the form below. 
​

Please note: The Street Team will live within a Facebook group. You must have a Facebook account to be involved.
What is a Street Team?

Books are best spread through word of mouth. As a member of my street team, you will help me talk about my book. One such way is simply telling colleagues about the book. Or, suggesting to your public library that they purchase the book. Another way is through social media. You can share as much or as little as you feel comfortable. There are no participation obligations. Also, there are absolutely no monetary requirements.

About I AM DEFIANCE


Brigitte tries not to ask questions. They don’t seem very welcome at her League of German Girls meetings, where she and her friends learn about their duties to Hitler’s war effort.
 
But she can’t help asking questions when a mysterious pamphlet appears in her mailbox: a pamphlet full of words like resistance and freedom, from a group that calls itself the White Rose. Brigitte’s father and older sister, Angelika, seem to agree with the forbidden papers—an opinion that is dangerous even to whisper at home. And when Angelika becomes involved with secret resistance efforts, Brigitte’s questions only bloom.
 
Could Angelika be connected to the White Rose? Is Brigitte’s family in danger of being arrested? And if she chooses a side, will Brigitte be able to take a stand?
    The group will live within Facebook.
Submit

New Middle Grade has a Title!

3/11/2020

 
Picture
I take every opportunity possible to work on my kindergartener's writing so... here she is helping to reveal the title of my next middle grade book... I AM DEFIANCE, where 12yo Brigitte, a member of the Hitler Youth, begins to question all she's ever known when anti-Nazi flyers begin to arrive in the mail from a resistance group called the White Rose.

She's releasing from Scholastic on February 2, 2021 and I'm so dang excited!!

If you're on Goodreads, I'd be so appreciative of any adds to your TBR.

And, if you're a teacher or librarian, I'll be starting a Street Team very soon. Stay tuned!

New Middle Grade Book with Capstone

12/13/2019

 
Picture
🎉 Book news! 🎉

I'm such a nerd for research and outlining so it's with immense pleasure that I get to say I've begun researching a new middle grade book and that I'll be contributing to Capstone Publishing's Girls Survive series!

The Girls Survive series is for kiddos 8 and up that tells amazing stories of survival during events like the sinking of the Titanic, the San Francisco Earthquake, the bombing of Pearl Harbor and stories about the underground railroad, spying during the civil war and the Night of Broken Glass.

My book -- which is coming Spring 2021 -- is about the London Blitz. It occurred during WWII when Hitler turned his attention away from bombing military targets and instead terrorized civilians in London night after night. For 57 days!
​

I am very excited to be writing and sharing a young girl's story of survival during this time. Thank you to Capstone for the opportunity to contribute to this awesome series!

<<Previous
Forward>>

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    June 2020
    March 2020
    December 2019
    August 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    November 2015
    August 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015

    Categories

    All
    A Betting Woman
    Accolades
    Adult
    ARCs
    Becoming Bonnie
    Being Bonnie
    BonnieandClydeVersary
    BookBub
    Book Deal
    Booklist
    Brave Like Me
    By The Light Of Fireflies
    Capstone
    Contest
    Cover
    Debutante Ball
    Deleted Scenes
    Edyson Entertainment
    Eleanor Dumont
    Events
    Fantasy
    Foreign Rights
    Giveaway
    Goodreads
    Harper Muse
    Historical Fiction
    Historical Novel Society
    I Am Defiance
    Junior Library Guild
    Kick-Butt Kidlit
    Kirkus
    Madame Moustache
    Media
    Merchandise
    Middle Grade
    Midwest Book Review
    Nashville Book Review
    Netgalley
    New York Journal Of Books
    Nonfiction
    Over And Out
    PitchWars
    Preorder
    Publishers Weekly
    Quiz
    Release Day
    Review
    San Francisco Book Review
    Scholastic
    She Dared
    She Reads
    Side By Side
    Street Team
    Sybil Ludington
    The Call Of The Wrens
    The Messenger's Secret
    Tor
    Toronto Star
    Translations
    TV
    Wyatt Mackenzie
    Wyatt-Mackenzie

    RSS Feed

SIGN UP FOR JENNI'S NEWSLETTER

Thank you!

You have successfully joined Jenni's mailing list(s).

.

© 2022 Jenni L. Walsh

Privacy POlicy


Jenni L. Walsh is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

  • Home
  • About
  • Books
    • Adult >
      • Unsinkable
      • The Call of the Wrens
      • A Betting Woman: A Novel of Madame Moustache
      • Side by Side: A Novel of Bonnie and Clyde
      • Becoming Bonnie: A Novel
      • Untitled 2024
      • Untitled 2025
    • Middle Grade >
      • Over and Out
      • By the Light of Fireflies: A Novel of War Hero Sybil Ludington
      • I Am Defiance: A Novel of World War II
      • Hettie and the London Blitz: A World War II Survival Story
      • She Dared books
  • News
  • School Visits
  • Events
  • Contact