Now it’s time to learn more about the authors we read. . .
Why do you write the genre that you write?
I write, or have written, in practically every genre there is, from mystery to romance to science fiction. I read almost everything, so I get story ideas for almost everything, too, and I haven’t always been good about resisting the temptation to dive into them. But I keep coming back to mysteries because it’s where I started –with Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden as a child and then Agatha Christie and Quentin Patrick is a teen – and where I have also spent most of my career. It’s in my blood, I think, and it’s also what most readers expect from me.
What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?
I’m honestly not sure any of them have any particularly interesting quirks. Pippa Darling, the narrator of my new historical mystery series, has a tendency to become sarcastic if things get too emotional. Savannah Martin, the POV character in the series by the same name, had a tell where she’d twist her hair around her finger when she was lying. None of that is particularly interesting, though.
How did you come up with your pseudonym?
My first book contract was with Berkley Prime Crime, for the DIY home renovation mysteries. They asked me to use a pseudonym. We – the agent I had at the time and I, with some help from my husband and kids – came up with a handful of names I thought I wouldn’t mind using, and submitted them for consideration to the editor. She picked Jennie Bentley, because she thought it sounded nice and friendly and like a real person. (Charisma Crafton did not make the cut, for either of us.) Then, when I started self-publishing, I needed a different pseudonym for that, and picked one that was as close to Jennie Bentley as I could get without infringing, and that’s when I became Jenna Bennett. If I ever need to go again, I guess it’ll be Jennifer Benton.
Tell us how you got into writing?
I’ve always written, but I didn’t think it was something I could do for a living. Only special people get to be authors, and I wasn’t special enough. But in 2005 I met Tasha Alexander, just a few months before her first book was released (great book if you haven’t read it; And Only To Deceive , historical mystery) and she was the one who told me, “If I can do it, you can do it.” And while she’s pretty damn special, it turned out she was a whole lot like me, too, so I believed her. And did it.
What jobs have you held before, during and/or after you became a writer?
I’ve had a lot. I’ve been in retail. I’ve worked in a bakery, a deli counter, and for restaurants. I’ve had several jobs within the banking industry. I’ve been a tour guide, a travel agent, and I’ve worked for a B&B reservation service, Scandinavian Airlines, and the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau. Just before I got my first publishing contract, I studied for a real estate license and sold a few houses. I got my first book contract in 2007 and retired the real estate license in 2008. Apart from writing, I’ve never kept a job for more than two years.
How many books do you have published?
It’s not quite 50, but getting there. I’ve written 50, if you include the four novellas, but not all of them are published yet/anymore.
Where do you write?
Anywhere I can or have to, but right now it’s a desk in the den. My husband got the spare bedroom to use for his office, since he makes more money than I do.
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