27 ratings | 2 reviews | avg rating:4.59

J.A.’s Year In Books

J.A.’s 2020 Year in Books

Take a look at J.A.’s Year in Books. The long, the short—it’s all here.

See J.A.’s 2020 Year in Books

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J.A.’s Friends (2)

Amy Bruno

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Ashley

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J.A. Nelson

Goodreads Author

Born

The United States

Website

https://janelsonauthor.com

Twitter

JANelsonAuthor

Genre

Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Adventure Fiction

Influences

Geraldine Brooks, Ken Follett, Mark Twain, Tracy Chavalier, Dava Sobel

Member Since

August 2018

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/goodreadscomjanelson1

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A Man of Honor, or Horatio’s Confessions is my debut novel, winner of two silver medals (Best First Book, Fiction & Best Cover, Fiction) awarded by the Independent Book Publishers Association (2020), 2020 Notable Indie, Top 100 --Best Indie Book Awards, Shelf Unbound, Finalist, Literary Fiction in the 14th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards (2020), rated 4.4 out of 5 stars by IndieReader Reviews, and 4 stars by Clarion . I took the pen name J. A. Nelson. My given name is Jennifer (Jen) Nelson. I am the founder of Quill Point Press. I live with my husband and pets in Northern Virginia.

I grew-up in Culver City, a suburb of Los Angeles, California during the pre-digital era. My childhood home stood within a few city block A Man of Honor, or Horatio’s Confessions is my debut novel, winner of two silver medals (Best First Book, Fiction & Best Cover, Fiction) awarded by the Independent Book Publishers Association (2020), 2020 Notable Indie, Top 100 --Best Indie Book Awards, Shelf Unbound, Finalist, Literary Fiction in the 14th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards (2020), rated 4.4 out of 5 stars by IndieReader Reviews, and 4 stars by Clarion . I took the pen name J. A. Nelson. My given name is Jennifer (Jen) Nelson. I am the founder of Quill Point Press. I live with my husband and pets in Northern Virginia.

I grew-up in Culver City, a suburb of Los Angeles, California during the pre-digital era. My childhood home stood within a few city blocks’ distance of MGM Studios, Culver Studios, DesiLu Studios, and the dusty, straw-smelling fields where Tarzan movies had been filmed. As a kid walking and bicycling through the neighborhood, and sometimes detoured by camera crews while en route to school, it seemed to me that story-making was everywhere—an element of my natural habitat and normal among all resident species.

As a kid I read adventure stories and American classics and then the writing bug "bit" me.

I love stories that connect history, literature, and original documents. That love started as a student at Culver City High School and only grew when I went to Occidental College and majored in American Studies. I moved from California to Washington, DC where I earned my M.A. in American Civilization by reading original texts and studying social history at The George Washington University. Then I began my professional career at the National Archives of the United States. So...the stories that I most enjoy reading and writing have something to do with historical manuscripts or documents.

Story ideas come to mind for me most often when I travel to historic sites or museums, anywhere in the world. Towns, churches and temples, fields and monuments, museums, libraries and archives, taverns and palaces, and, most importantly, the people who live and work there--all fan the flames of imagination.

I hope that if your experiences and interests are brewing a story that you want to tell, that you’ll find a nook in your own “bungalow,” take up your pen, quill, or other writing device of choice, and let the tale take command. ...more

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J.A. Nelson's Blog

What Memory During 2020 Do You Most Treasure?

What memory during 2020 do you most treasure? That you would protect as if it were a fragile silhouette? That you would hold fast in rust-proof memory even if everything else about the past year could be forgotten?

My most loved memory is of my elderly mother’s smile in a moment of simple joy.

After many months of in-home sequestration at her home in Southern California, my mother’s silv

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J.A. Nelson’s books

Average rating: 4.29 · 17 ratings · 13 reviews · 1 distinct work • Similar authors

A Man of Honor, or Horatio's Confessions

4.29 avg rating — 17 ratings — 2 editions

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J.A.’s Recent Updates

J.A. Nelson is now friends with Ashley
Jan 31, 2021 05:34PM · like
J.A. Nelson finished reading The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 26, 2020 04:49AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
J.A. Nelson rated a book really liked it The Shakespeare Requirement by Julie Schumacher	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 26, 2020 04:48AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Shakespeare Requirement by Julie Schumacher. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Shakespeare Requirement by Julie Schumacher <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
J.A. Nelson rated a book it was amazing Worlds Elsewhere: Journeys Around Shakespeare's Globe by Andrew Dickson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
If you're a Shakespeare fan, or a lover of travel, or curious about reinvention and innovation of classic stories, or the history of ideas--or all of the above--Andrew Dickson's book World's Elsewhere is a must read. ...more
Aug 09, 2020 06:51AM · like · see review
J.A. Nelson rated a book it was amazing The Globe Guide to Shakespeare: The Plays, The Productions, The Life by Andrew Dickson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Entertaining and inviting. Informative and a gem. Introduces lots of paths to briefly explore. Invaluable whether as an appetizer, an entree, or dessert for experts or beginners learning Shakespeare's writings and era. ...more
Aug 09, 2020 06:42AM · like · see review
J.A. Nelson is now following Andrew Dickson Author of The Rough Guide to Shakespeare
Aug 09, 2020 06:18AM · like
J.A. Nelson rated a book it was amazing Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 10, 2020 09:24AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
J.A. Nelson rated a book it was amazing A Man of Honor, or Horatio's Confessions by J.A. Nelson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 07, 2020 04:22PM · 1 like · like
J.A. Nelson is now following Nicole's reviews
Feb 29, 2020 07:22AM · like
J.A. Nelson liked Nicole's review of A Man of Honor, or Horatio's Confessions: "You don't often get to know what happens after a story is completed. This book, however, takes you on a journey of what happened after the end of Hamlet. For Shakespeare fans, you will be pleased with this book. It's been a while since I read Hamlet," Read more of this review »
Feb 29, 2020 07:20AM · see review