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J. Kathleen Cheney

Goodreads Author

Born

in The United States

October 19

Website

http://www.jkathleencheney.com

Twitter

jkcheney

Genre

Science Fiction & Fantasy, Romance, Mystery & Thrillers

Influences

Georgette Heyer, Ansen Dibell, C-J Cherryh, Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha ...more

Member Since

June 2008

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/jkathleencheney

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J. Kathleen Cheney is nothing if not versatile in her story telling. But, weaving through her work is a common thread, that of the improbable heroine. From worlds set in humanity’s distant post-apocalyptic future to alternate worlds of today or of the near past, Kathleen’s heroines include a siren who with help from a gentleman of the city must stop a regicidal plot, the neglected daughter of an absent king coming to terms with her shapeshifting ancestors, a blind teenager who dreams of others’ deaths and who uses her gift of touch to find their killers, and the widow of a trainer who with a most unusual horse must save her farm and way of life. All use their unusual gifts and talents to overcome obstacles and find their place in the world. J. Kathleen Cheney is nothing if not versatile in her story telling. But, weaving through her work is a common thread, that of the improbable heroine. From worlds set in humanity’s distant post-apocalyptic future to alternate worlds of today or of the near past, Kathleen’s heroines include a siren who with help from a gentleman of the city must stop a regicidal plot, the neglected daughter of an absent king coming to terms with her shapeshifting ancestors, a blind teenager who dreams of others’ deaths and who uses her gift of touch to find their killers, and the widow of a trainer who with a most unusual horse must save her farm and way of life. All use their unusual gifts and talents to overcome obstacles and find their place in the world.

In 2005 Kathleen decided to pursue writing as a full-time endeavor and has since enjoyed seeing her stories published in Shimmer, The Sword Review, and Baen’s Universe. Her novella “Iron Shoes” was a 2011 Nebula nominee. Kathleen twice attended the summer Writer’s Workshop at the Center for the Study of Science Fiction under the tutelage of James Gunn. She lists C. J. Cherryh, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Georgette Heyer among the writers who influenced her most–as well as Ansen Dibell, whose ghostly fingerprints can be seen all over her work.

Born and raised in El Paso, Texas, Kathleen’s parents actually were rocket scientists (they worked at White Sands Missile Range), which made for interesting dinner-time conversations. After graduating with degrees in English and Marketing she worked as a menswear buyer for retail department store chains before changing careers to become a teacher, where she taught mathematics ranging from 7th Grade Arithmetic up to Calculus. Kathleen also served a brief stint as a Gifted and Talented Specialist. She coached the Academic Team and the Robotics Team and was the Chess Club sponsor.

When not writing, Kathleen likes to don a mask and get sweaty fencing, both foil and saber. Quieter hobbies include putting on her Wellingtons and getting her hands dirty in the garden. She also enjoys traveling and taking care of her dogs. Two large, hairy, dogs.

Her first novel, "The Golden City" came out from Ace Books, November 2013. ...more

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J. Kathleen Cheney’s books

Average rating: 3.93 · 3,325 ratings · 601 reviews · 48 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Golden City (The Golden City, #1) 3.74 avg rating — 1,150 ratings — published 2013 — 5 editions	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
	The Seat of Magic (The Golden City, #2) 4.04 avg rating — 576 ratings — published 2014 — 5 editions	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
	Dreaming Death (Palace of Dreams, #1) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 310 ratings — published 2016 — 5 editions	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
	The Shores of Spain (The Golden City, #3) 3.90 avg rating — 282 ratings — published 2015 — 6 editions	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
	Iron Shoes: Three Tales from Hawk's Folly Farm 3.81 avg rating — 122 ratings — published 2011 — 5 editions	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
	The Seer's Choice (The Golden City, #3.5) 3.99 avg rating — 90 ratings — published 2015 — 3 editions	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
	In Dreaming Bound (Palace of Dreams, #2) 4.29 avg rating — 59 ratings — 2 editions	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
	Oathbreaker 4.10 avg rating — 50 ratings — published 2016 — 2 editions	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
	The Amiestrin Gambit (The King's Daughter, #1) 4.32 avg rating — 41 ratings — 3 editions	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
	Dreams from the Grave (Palace of Dreams Book 3) 4.38 avg rating — 40 ratings — 3 editions	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

More books by J. Kathleen Cheney…

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J. Kathleen Cheney's Blog

On the run…

Yes, another year has come and gone, and I am not finished writing all the things.

I have only three books out this fall, all of them related to my pseudonym, Anna St. Vincent.

I do hope to get the final Palace of Dreams book out this coming spring, for some definition of spring. Now that I’ve finished up that batch of young adult publications, I intend to work on Twilight of Dreams full time unti

Series by J. Kathleen Cheney

The Golden City (3 books)
by

J. Kathleen Cheney (Goodreads Author)

3.86 avg rating — 2,131 ratings

Palace of Dreams (2 books)
by

J. Kathleen Cheney (Goodreads Author)

4.08 avg rating — 401 ratings

Tales from Hawk's Folly Farm (3 books)
by

J. Kathleen Cheney (Goodreads Author)

3.81 avg rating — 188 ratings

The Horn (3 books)
by

J. Kathleen Cheney (Goodreads Author)

4.15 avg rating — 110 ratings

The King's Daughter (3 books)
by

J. Kathleen Cheney (Goodreads Author)

4.31 avg rating — 96 ratings

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J. is Currently Reading

J. is currently reading

City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1)

by Cassandra Clare (Goodreads Author)

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Feb 23, 2020 12:41PM

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This was a charming tale--more novella length than a novel, I suspect, so it makes a fast read. It's fast and plays with themes of gender identity and social acceptance, while still trying to have some fun. ...more
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J. and 5 other people liked Beth Cato's review of The Thursday Murder Club (Thursday Murder Club, #1): "I'm a big fan of Richard Osman on British quiz shows and I was curious about how he would pull off a mystery novel--one that has earned considerable buzz. I don't usually like contemporary mysteries much because they tend towards darkness, graphic se" Read more of this review »
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J. made a comment on What’s coming next year…. " Mike wrote: "Looking forward so much to more Dark Lessons." Thanks, Mike! ...more "
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Quotes by J. Kathleen Cheney (?)

“His eyes narrowed. “Is this where the elephants come in? Because there was something about elephants in that French book.”
― J. Kathleen Cheney, The Seat of Magic

1 likes

Polls

What should our December 2017 hiatus pick be?

First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones

41 votes 27.5%

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

23 votes 15.4%

Ice Massacre by Tiana Warner

22 votes 14.8%

The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare

20 votes 13.4%

Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe by Melissa de la Cruz

16 votes 10.7%

Hexbreaker by Jordan L. Hawk

12 votes 8.1%

Dreaming Death by J. Kathleen Cheney

10 votes 6.7%

The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier

5 votes 3.4%

149 total votes

1 comment

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Sci-fi and Heroic...: 2014 Locus Award WINNERS announced	6	56	Jun 29, 2014 04:28AM
The Geek Girls Bo...: Summer Reading 2015!	5	75	Jun 14, 2015 12:57AM
Vaginal Fantasy B...: Newer Book Suggestions	23	322	Jun 27, 2015 05:24PM
Vaginal Fantasy B...: Wishing This Was	7	67	Jul 14, 2015 05:33AM

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J.’s Quotes

“Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery. I quit such odious subjects as soon as I can, impatient to restore everybody not greatly in fault themselves to tolerable comfort, and to have done with all the rest.”
― Jane Austen, Mansfield Park

tags: writing-philosophy

113 likes

“His eyes narrowed. “Is this where the elephants come in? Because there was something about elephants in that French book.”
― J. Kathleen Cheney, The Seat of Magic

1 likes

“Courage is knowing what not to fear.”
― Plato

tags: courage, fear

516 likes

“laughed. “It really vexes you, doesn’t it?” “You know it,”
― Fiona West, More Than We Bargained For

1 likes