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Jill Barnett

Goodreads author profile

born

The United States

gender

female

website

http://www.jillbarnett.com/

twitter username

Jill_Barnett

genre

Romance, Literature & Fiction, Historical Fiction

member since

March 2011

About this author

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FACEBOOK Jill Barnett Books
Jill Barnett was born and raised in Southern California, in the kind of idyllic coastal town the Beach Boys made famous. But as a young girl she spent plenty of summers on her grandparents’ farm in Texas.

A gap in jobs in her mid-thirties sent Jill back to college and working toward her Masters degree. “I intended to finish school and teach, perhaps write college textbooks that wouldn’t bore all the enjoyment of history out of the average nineteen year old.” But the gift of a baby daughter (something Jill had been told she could never have) changed everything.

Soon she was juggling childcare and classes, motherhood, marriage and home, and found herself in the shoes of so many women, trying to be everything to ever...more FACEBOOK Jill Barnett Books
Jill Barnett was born and raised in Southern California, in the kind of idyllic coastal town the Beach Boys made famous. But as a young girl she spent plenty of summers on her grandparents’ farm in Texas.

A gap in jobs in her mid-thirties sent Jill back to college and working toward her Masters degree. “I intended to finish school and teach, perhaps write college textbooks that wouldn’t bore all the enjoyment of history out of the average nineteen year old.” But the gift of a baby daughter (something Jill had been told she could never have) changed everything.

Soon she was juggling childcare and classes, motherhood, marriage and home, and found herself in the shoes of so many women, trying to be everything to everyone. “It was October and I took my daughter to a local pumpkin farm to pick a pumpkin. I stood there watching the absolute, pure delight on her two year-old face as she ran through the rows, finding each pumpkin more wonderful than the last. It was a seminal moment in my life. The ordinary world from your child’s eyes is a magical place. You see that joy in something you take for granted--if you notice at all--and suddenly you remember to stop and pay attention to life around you, to not pant through every day but pause to really take deep breaths. You find wonder all over again.”

Four days later Jill quit school to rethink her choices and concentrate on family, something she has never regretted. She was asked once if sacrificing her goals for her daughter and husband wasn’t traveling backwards. “It was never a sacrifice. It was and is enrichment. I am more of a woman for the experience.”

And Jill’s goals had only changed ‘not evaporated.’ Always an avid reader, she had been dabbling with a novel. “Writing is very intimidating. To dabble with an idea was safer, but was also how I found my way into my first book.” Soon she was writing during downtime and almost two years to the day she quit school, she sold her first book to Pocket Books, a division of Simon and Schuster.

“We women walk such a fine line in our lives, often straddling motherhood and career, and feeling the push-pull between the two, when the truth is: we need both to be fulfilled and each one enriches the other. I discovered I had to redefine happiness away from my own expectations and guilt and especially my demands on myself. Family, love and relationships all feed my writing. My emotional response and experiences, the grittiness in life, give my work a sense of humanity.

In the years since, Jill has written thirteen novels and six short stories. There are nearly 7 million of her books in print. Her work has been published in 21 languages, audio, national and international book clubs, and large print editions, and has earned her a place on such national bestseller lists as the New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, Barnes and Noble and Waldenbooks —who presented Jill with the National Waldenbook Award.
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Books by Jill Barnett

Average rating: 3.78 · 4,812 ratings · 415 reviews · 25 distinct works

	Bewitching 4.01 avg rating — 533 ratings — published 1993 — 7 editions	My rating:
	Wonderful 3.80 avg rating — 307 ratings — published 1997 — 5 editions	My rating:
	Wicked (Medieval Trilogy #3) 3.97 avg rating — 278 ratings — published 1999 — 4 editions	My rating:
	Dreaming 3.83 avg rating — 270 ratings — published 1994 — 4 editions	My rating:
	Wild 3.86 avg rating — 190 ratings — published 1998 — 4 editions	My rating:
	The Days of Summer 3.42 avg rating — 230 ratings — published 2008 — 10 editions	My rating:
	Imagine 3.91 avg rating — 175 ratings — published 1995 — 4 editions	My rating:
	Bridge To Happiness 3.51 avg rating — 167 ratings — published 2010 — 2 editions	My rating:
	Carried Away 3.66 avg rating — 148 ratings — published 1996 — 4 editions	My rating:
	Just a Kiss Away 3.79 avg rating — 151 ratings — published 1991 — 5 editions	My rating:

More books by Jill Barnett…

Series by Jill Barnett

Medieval Trilogy (3 books)
by Jill Barnett (Goodreads Author)

3.88 avg rating — 775 ratings

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Jill Barnett is now friends with Ciara Knight
May 29, 2012 01:51pm
Jill Barnett gave to: Moonstruck Madness by Laurie McBain	My rating:
This was the first historical romance novel I read. I bought it at a garage sale for 50 cents and it started a whole new life for me. By the early 80's I was back in college and knew I wanted to write. Eventually I sold my first book in 1988, a histo...more
Apr 20, 2012 02:19pm · see review
Jill Barnett gave to: The Thornbirds by Colleen McCullough	My rating:
Opened this book, started reading and I was still in my pajamas when I finished it. Most memorable saga novel of all time for me. Read it the first month it was out. 70's
Apr 20, 2012 02:16pm · see review
Jill Barnett gave to: Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi	My rating:
This book scared the heck out of me. I didn't remember much about the Mansion trial because I was planning my wedding. But this book was terribly frightening, and I read in Lake Tahoe, 1974, when one of the Manson girls was living in Carson City. Did...more
Apr 20, 2012 02:15pm · see review
Jill Barnett gave to: Les Misérables by Victor Hugo	My rating:
I read this in high school (1963) and it my favorite book. Jean ValJean in the sewers. Amazing book.
Apr 20, 2012 02:12pm · see review
Jill Barnett gave to: Mistress of Mellyn by Victoria Holt	My rating:
I read this when I was 12 (1961) and remember I adored it and did a book report in school. all the girls in my class then went on to read it, too. Special early book.
Apr 20, 2012 02:10pm · see review
Jill Barnett liked Lori's review of Wonderful: " Just started reading it when I have a free sec on my phone. Makes me wish I had a beer in my hand. "
Mar 23, 2012 11:34pm · see review
Jill Barnett liked BarkLessWagMore's review of Wild: " I loved this one. Although not based on a fairy tale, WILD has a beautiful, very romantic, fairy-tale feel to it. The heroine, shunned by the town because they fear she's a witch, lives in a tiny isolated shack and spends her time caring for wound... " Read more of this review »
Mar 23, 2012 10:36pm · see review

More of Jill's books…

Quotes by Jill Barnett

“‎Odd how a man who never smiled could make her feel things she didn't know existed. He held her heart in his hands. From the moment she saw him, some thread had linked them together.”
― Jill Barnett, Bewitching

2 people liked it

“why did you tell me to look on the 'other' table instead of 'that' table?”
― Jill Barnett

1 person liked it

“What kind of girl reads Wealth of Nations for fun?”
She closed the book and looked at the front jacket, then at him. “It’s a shame really. I had nothing else to read. I left all my Barbie comic books at home.”
― Jill Barnett, The Days of Summer

1 person liked it

See all Jill Barnett's quotes »

Topics Mentioning This Author

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What's The Name o...: adult romance, pirates, magic [s]	4	47	May 05, 2010 12:55am
The Seasonal Read...: Summer 2010 Plans	154	752	Aug 31, 2010 05:30pm
Challenge: 50 Books: KERRI's Looking Beyond 50 for 2010!	136	179	Oct 31, 2010 08:38pm
Challenge: 50 Books: Erin's 2010 50 Books A Year	51	48	Dec 29, 2010 03:40pm
The Novel Ideas: Kerri's Reading Challenges & Goals 2010	531	32	Jan 07, 2011 07:45am
Romance Readers R...: 2010 A-Z Author Challenge	566	872	Jan 22, 2011 10:59am

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Jill's Bookshelves

Jill's Friends (132)

Jill's Fans (61)

Jill Barnett

Goodreads author profile

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Jill's Bookshelves

Jill's Friends (132)

Jill's Fans (61)

Jill Barnett

Goodreads author profile

combine editionsBooks by Jill Barnett

Series by Jill Barnett

Upcoming Events

rssJill's Recent Updates

Quotes by Jill Barnett

Topics Mentioning This Author

Jill's Friend Comments

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combine editions
Books by Jill Barnett

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Jill's Recent Updates