'I always wanted to write, it's the only career I ever wanted. Nothing else ever felt right to me'

ROMANTIC NOVELIST JENNI INSPIRED BY MURDER SHE WROTE FOR HER PEN-NAME LOVES TO DRESS UP 'BRIDGERTON-STYLE'

- By DEBORAH HALL

A SUCCESSFUL Hull novelist driven to keep writing despite once being turned down by Mills & Boon is looking forward to the release of her latest book, a "Regency romance", in time for Christmas.

Mum-of-two Jenni Fletcher said she "always wanted to write" and, undeterred by the rejection of a fledgling idea by the UK's number-one romance publisher, she is now 26 books in and counting.

Jenni is originally from Fraserburgh in Scotland but "moved around a lot" as a child with her father's fishing industry job and came to Hull when he worked for fish curers Cawoods. "I always wanted to write, it's the only career I ever wanted," she said.

"Nothing else ever felt right to me. I studied English because I loved reading."

Jenni is all about "heartwarming historical and fun Formula 1 love stories", engaging adult audiences with the former and a newer, younger adult fan base with the latter. She is also a creative writing tutor at Lincoln Bishop University, formerly Bishop Grosseteste University.

"I've won two UK Romantic Novelists' Association Awards," said six-times-nominated Jenni. The second time of picking up the Shorter Romantic Novel Award, in 2024 - four years after the first - presented an opportunity to meet Strictly Come Dancing 's Anton du Beke.