Unwritten Celebrates...Jenny Twist

Today's very special post honors the life and work of Jenny Twist!

Bio: Jenny Twist left school at fifteen and went to work in an asbestos factory. After working in various jobs, including bacon-packer and an escapologist's assistant, she returned to full-time education and did a BA in history at Manchester and post-graduate studies at Oxford.

In 2001 she and her husband moved to Southern Spain where they live with their rather eccentric dog and cat.

 If any of you have visited Unwritten, it's highly likely that you've run across the name Jenny Twist at least once. Jenny has appeared numerous times on this blog, either in interviews, guest posts, contest entries, or in my reviews of the books and anthologies she's written and/or contributed to. Like Spellbound 2011, that included eight spooktacular stories and I reviewed it HERE:

http://mystiparker.blogspot.com/2012/05/a-review-of-spellbound-2011-by-jenny.html




 Let us not forget the infamous "Curious Hearts" anthology. Without the fine work of Jenny Twist and five of the other authors, it could not have earned a four-star rating from me:

http://mystiparker.blogspot.com/2011/09/review-of-curious-hearts-by-various.html

Ms. Twist also gave me the idea for my first-ever collaborative interview with each of the authors of this anthology, and I've since conducted two more after that! Here's that milestone on Unwritten: http://mystiparker.blogspot.com/2011/10/interview-with-curious-hearts-authors.html 

 This particular anthology, "Take One at Bedtime" was the first work of Jenny's that I had the privilege to review. Within these pages, I fell in love with her vivid language and mixture of Spanish and British settings. I knew right away she'd gained a new fan in me and countless others with her first published work.

http://mystiparker.blogspot.com/2011/05/review-of-take-one-at-bedtime-by-jenny.html

I haven't gotten the chance to read this Christmas anthology yet, but I DID interview all the authors together, including, of course, the star of our show, Jenny Twist here:

http://mystiparker.blogspot.com/2011/12/interview-with-authors-of-warm.html

Last but not least, I have to sing the highest praises for what I consider to be Jenny's magnum opus (at least, so far), "Domingo's Angel", which was undoubtedly one of the best books I read in 2011. This story, set in a small Spanish village during the aftermath of Spain's Civil War, deserves a medal or at least a slot on the NYT Bestsellers list. It's one of those books that you cannot forget once you've devoured it. You can see my five-star review HERE:

http://mystiparker.blogspot.com/2012/02/review-of-domingos-angel-by-jenny-twist.html


As you can see, Jenny has been a huge influence, not only on this blog, but in my own writing life. She's by far been one of the most encouraging women I've had the pleasure of knowing (if only online). Anytime I've corresponded with her over doubts or concerns, she's never hesitated to lift me up and tell me to hang in there. Without her encouragement and lovely ideas, I'd have likely thrown in the towel long ago.

Read this wonderful message from Chris Gardner, mother of author Tara Fox Hall, who has teamed up with Jenny in various anthologies, including the soon-to-be released Bedtime Shadows.

I'm so fortunate that my daughter Tara decided to try her hand at writing and luckily became affiliated with Melange Books. This association caused her to meet and befriend Jenny Twist, a fellow author. Subsequently, this enabled me to "meet" Jenny through her literary works.

The first story I read was in the anthology, Spellbound 2011. It was entitled "Uncle Vernon.” It's a horror story about a seemingly harmless old man looking for his soul which was lost at sea, but he's looking in the cemetery and the cellar. It's told from the point of view of a young girl spending the night at her lover's home. It was pretty creepy. I wasn't sure this was my kind of story.

Then, as luck would have it, Tara asked me to read Domingo's Angel, also by Jenny Twist. She wanted my opinion. After "Uncle Vernon,” I wasn't sure…but it was a wonderful story…and I've read it twice since! It takes place in a remote "white village" in southern Spain. When an Englishwoman meets Domingo, a goat herder, she tells him she's "Soy Angela"- "I am an angel". Thus by trying to tell him her name, she becomes known as Domino's Angel. Beyond the sweetness of their romance the reader also gets a look in to the lives of the colorful village people, led by the indomitable Rosalba—shopkeeper, doctor, midwife, and wise woman—, a thoroughly formidable, yet loveable character. Their struggles through years of war and under the oppression of Franco's rule gave me new lessons in Spanish history. I repeat myself, but it's a great book.

Next I bought Take One at Bedtime, a Jenny Twist anthology. The stories are a mixture of romance, horror, and science fiction. I especially liked, "String Theory", about alternate universes and an unhappy couple that stumble into another dimension. Made me curious about the science behind string theory, reminded me of Twilight zone. "Antonio's Grandmother" is filled with humor and will bring a smile to your face. “The Worm That Turned" is a righteous tale concerning an abusive husband who ends up getting the "kicks" he deserves. The last story is "Waiting for Daddy,” a slightly gruesome, not for me tale of horror.

"A Victorian Dollhouse" —a new story in the upcoming Bedtime Shadows anthology authored by my daughter Tara and Jenny—put a supernatural twist into  the story about a woman's obsession with a dollhouse she sees in a shop. It's an intriguing tale of how a woman's life is changed by the purchase of a child's toy.

"Jamie and the Alien" is another heartwarming story about a man with a brain tumor or "chew mer" as his son Jamie calls it. Jamie and his uncle Rolf work together to enlist Santa's aid in helping his dad fight the alien "chew mer". There is much interesting background on English Christmas celebrations. It was an enjoyable read. "Uncle Albert's Christmas" is also in Warm Christmas Wishes. It's a humorous, sweet, wonderfully English story about Uncle Albert, recently widowed and like so many of us older folks wanting to retain our independence. It tells how he is able to escape being managed by a well-meaning (read bossy) relative.

 The short story “Doppleganger's” main character Christine is also involved with string theory as she finds herself in two different realities. In one she attempts suicide  
and in another she finds herself to be beautiful, wealthy, and with the man of her dreams. Which one is real? We know which one we'd want. This great story is found in "Curious Hearts"— also published by Melange—and will also be included in the upcoming Bedtime Shadows.

 "Mantequero,” found in Winter Wonders 2011 takes place first in England, then in Spain. the main character, June, is a 32 year old teacher who hasn't had much of a life of her own. She's always caring for others. She decides to take a trip by herself to Spain and encounters the Mantequero. I won't tell you what that is, so you'll have to read this suspenseful story and find out for yourself.

"All in the Mind" has yet to be published and it's another great story (coming in October, 2012 from Melange Books). It's about Tilly, a woman with Alzheimer's and the treatment she receives. It takes place in England in the 1940's up to present-day. It's romantic, historical, suspenseful, and of course heartwarming. You'll love the realistic, loveable —and not so loveable— characters and the surprising developments. It is a really different story which I'm sure that you'll enjoy, as I did. 


Now it's YOUR turn to sing Jenny's praises. If you know Jenny or have read any of her work, I invite you to leave a comment below, letting her know how much she and her writing is appreciated. 


**Also, I'd like to make Unwritten Celebrates...into a new series, so if you have anyone in mind you'd like to brag about, please message me through the link on the sidebar**