Jeannie Lin started writing in 2005 while she was teaching high school. After a long journey through rejections and contests and revisions, her manuscript, Butterfly Swords, won the 2009 Golden Heart® award for historical romance. Harlequin® Mills & Boon has bought the manuscript and she is thrilled that a major publisher is willing to take a chance on such an unusual setting! She has completed three full-length manuscripts and several shorter works set in the dramatic Tang Dynasty.

She serves as vice-president of her local RWA chapter in St. Louis, MORWA. Her principle online writing community is Romance Divas and she recommends that any writer looking for like-minded individuals come and take a look.

As of May 2009, Jeannie is represented by Gail Fortune of the Talbot Fortune Agency Inc.

Her stories are inspired by her love of adventure, history, and fantasy in both western and Asian traditions. From an early age she was fascinated by legends of King Arthur and the fantasy of Lord of the Rings as well as the Chinese wuxia (martial arts) fiction. As a result, she writes heroic characters in epic situations while interweaving a strong romance to make larger than life characters human. For more on wuxia and the historical background to her books, see the extras section.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. When do your books come out and how can I get them?

Butterfly Swords is set to be released in October 2010 and the related novella, titled The Taming of Mei Lin, is set for September 2010. Butterfly Swords will be published as part of the Harlequin Historical line.

I’ve been doing some reconnaissance as to where to find them in various stores. Go to the Series romance or Category romance section. In most bookstores, it’s on an end case with other Harlequin categories such as Silhouette Special Edition and Harlequin Blaze. Sometimes the Series romance section is on the regular romance shelves, but in a separated section. There will be labels for each category. In U.S. bookstores, the Harlequin Historicals are often shelved on the bottom of this section. When in doubt, ask a helpful bookstore representative and you can always request they order the book if the store doesn’t carry that category.

The novella is being released in the Harlequin Historical Undone line will be available online through the eHarlequin site. It’s in digital format only at this time.

Butterfly Swords will also be available online through the usual suspects: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, etc. I will post links as soon as they’re available. If you absolutely want to make sure not to miss it and also want to learn about other events and special features, please do sign-up for my Newsletter.

2. But I’ve been craving books like this forever! What if I want to read now?

Check out my excerpts in the Books section for Butterfly Swords.

I must also say that long before Jeannie Lin existed, Jade Lee broke boundaries in romance by writing Asian-set, multicultural romances. Her books brought me to the Qin Dynasty and gave me a seed of hope that I could write the books of my heart and get published. I am particularly fond of The Concubine. For something longer and with richer historical detail, Jade Lee’s award-winning Tigress series is wonderfully exotic, taking you to temples and the streets of 19th century China. Cindy Pon is a recently debuted YA author who writes the sort of Chinese adventure story near and dear to my heart in Silver Phoenix: Beyond the Kingdom of Xia. I’m waiting eagerly for the sequel.

3. I’m also writing or have always wanted to write a novel set in Asia. Where can I connect with other authors who are doing the same?

I’m on many romance and historical romance author loops. Though I get a lot of great information from them, I found that it was hard to share information and ask questions that were specific to Asian history, language, and culture. Victoria Dixon started a Yahoo Group that has brought a small, close-knit group of us together. The projects range from literary contemporary and historical fiction, to memoirs, to wuxia, to inspirational — we span the publishing market! Come check out Authors of Asian Novels if you’re interested.

4. How do I get your books outside of the US?

I will post any information about international release dates as soon as I have them. However my author buddy, Nadia Lee, told me about www.bookdespository.com which will deliver books internationally free of delivery charge.

5. More questions?

I love getting comments and questions. Contact me through my contact page and I will try to respond as soon as I can.

Thank you for stopping by.

Jeannie Lin

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