Jennifer Donnelly's Blog, page 3

Why I Love Independent Bookstores

A little love letter to my indie bookstore friends

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Unboxing Beastly Beauty!

My Beastly Beauty hardcovers just arrived!! Cannot WAIT for this beautiful book to be available to everyone on May 7!!

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Beastly Beauty FAQ

Wondering about Beastly Beauty, my upcoming gender-swapped retelling of Beauty and the Beast?

Here's a spoiler-free Q&A!

Introducing my new book!

I am SO excited to introduce BEASTLY BEAUTY, my gender-swapped retelling of Beauty and the Beast.  It goes on sale May 7, and you may pre-order it wherever you buy books!

You can learn more about BEASTLY BEAUTY on my website book page.

The post Introducing my new book! first appeared on Jennifer Donnelly.

Beastly Beauty GIVEAWAY!

GIVEAWAY!! Enter to win one of five copies of Beastly Beauty, my upcoming retelling of Beauty and the Beast! The Goodreads giveaway is only open until March 14 — so enter now!

The only way to tame the beast is to set her free.

The post Beastly Beauty GIVEAWAY! first appeared on Jennifer Donnelly.

Beastly Beauty GIVEAWAY!

GIVEAWAY!! Enter to win one of five copies of Beastly Beauty, my upcoming retelling of Beauty and the Beast! The Goodreads giveaway is only open until February 14 — so enter now! The only way to tame the beast is to set her free. The post Beastly Beauty GIVEAWAY! first appeared on Jennifer Donnelly.

I Know This Man

I know this man now.

He told me his story yesterday when I visited the Roman ruins under Barcelona’s Royal Palace, part of MUHBA, Barcelona’s Museum of History.

He was smart. Successful. Used to getting his way. But dissatisfied. Convinced his talents were wasted in Barcino, a backwater town on the western edge of the empire. Longing for Rome.

Do you see these things, too? Or did the sculptor who made his death head tell you another story?

How about the man below? To me, he looks like a city elder wearied by the burdens of office: the constant complaints about the stinks from the fish factory, the rising costs of sewer maintenance, the damned Visigoths.

These men lived 2,000 years ago, in the small Roman city that would become Barcelona. When they died, these marble busts were commissioned to decorate their gravesites. Years passed; new administrators ruled Barcino. Pressed to build the city’s stone wall higher, but keep costs low, they recycled whatever materials they could find, including crypts and headstones and statues. These beautiful heads, and several more, were used as filler for the wall and remained buried for centuries, until the ruins were excavated in the 1930s.

History is one long, running conversation with the dead, and what a joy it was to pass the time with these ghosts of Barcelona.

The post I Know This Man first appeared on Jennifer Donnelly.

Molly’s Letter Audiobook Is On Sale Now

So excited!! Molly’s Letter is now out as an audiobook … read by the amazing Jill Tanner, who voiced all the other books in the Rose Saga! I just listened myself, and let’s just say that tears were shed .

It’s the first of three Rose Petal audiobooks that Recorded Books will be producing (I’m deep into writing number two right now!)

You can order it wherever you buy audiobooks (including Audible, Audiobooks.com, Spotify, Apple Books, Google Books … pretty much everywhere) and listen to a sample here:  https://www.audiobooks.com/book/stream/735923.

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New Inspiration in an Old City

Happy New Year!!

It’s always a little sad to let go of the year that’s been, but I’m also super-excited because I’m about to set off on an adventure.

On New Year’s Eve, my family and I are flying to Barcelona, where we’ll be living for two months in that vibrant, historic city! It’s a long-held dream of mine to do this, and I can’t believe it’s finally happening. You might remember that I visited this beautiful and inspiring place two years ago and it gave me Beau, the main character in Beastly Beauty, my newest book, which comes out in May. (You can pre-order it here!)

I’m counting the hours until I set foot on Barcelona’s captivating streets again, and I can’t wait to see what new inspiration this visit will bring.

Have you been there? If so, let me know your favorite things to see and do, and the best places to eat – tag me on social media, or reply to one of my posts (I’ll be checking in regularly from there). I’m eager to hear your Barcelona stories and recommendations!

While I’m away, I’m shuttering my online shop – but just for January and February. I’ll be taking orders again starting in March. A huge, heartfelt thank-you to all of you who ordered first editions of The Tea Rose, The Winter Rose and A Northern Light, and copies of my newest novella, Molly’s Letter.

I’ll be posting on my socials from Spain starting next week. I hope you’ll check in with me – visit my Contact page for links to my social channels.

Thank you, as always, for all your support and good wishes throughout the year, and I wish you a happy, healthy, bright and beautiful 2024!

Bon any nou!!

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Last call for Christmas delivery!

Thank you so much to everyone who ordered copies of Molly’s Letter, or first editions of The Tea Rose, The Wild Rose, These Shallow Graves and A Northern Light from my web store! This is the last call to order signed first editions for U.S. delivery in time for Christmas! (Make sure you select Priority or Ground Advantage shipping on checkout.) Unfortunately, we can no longer guarantee arrival in time for overseas packages.

Order a copy for the reader in your life (including you!) in my shop now. Wishing you and yours a very happy holiday! The post Last call for Christmas delivery! first appeared on Jennifer Donnelly.