Jenni Kosarin was fired from every office job she ever had.

Thank God she had talent as a writer.

(To be fair, it wasn’t always her fault… only most of the time.)

Actually, Jenni’s been a wordsmith since she was a baby, and even spelled out her first word, MAMA, with Cheerios.

 (You bought that? C’mon.)

Truth or Dare: The first thing Jenni ever submitted to a magazine—a writing assignment at Cornell—was accepted and published when she was 20.

(True.)

Before she was an author, Jenni worked as:
1. An assistant in a music production company
2. A video editor
3. An associate producer in TV
4. A senior editor at a woman’s magazine
5. A waitress at a jazz bar
(Actually… all true.)
(Just, chronologically, not in that order.)

Fact or fiction: Jenni studied astrology, I Ching, the tarot, dream interpretation, and numerous other forms of divination—around the world.

(True, too.)

Jenni’s advice for those who want to write for a living:

Everyone knows the English language. Not many know it well. Find your voice. Then: practice, practice, practice.

Another McNugget: Every successful writer Jenni knows (including Jenni) is a perfectionist with words—in an OCD way. Writing is rewriting. If you’re not committed to your craft, forget it. Know your true dream—then never give up.
(See. That wasn’t even a multiple choice. But still true.)

(And P.S. There’s no such thing as “writer’s block.” When writing is your job, you write. Write anyway. Write all day. Just write.)

Actually, Jenni has been a professional writer for quite some time: TV, magazines, and books. As for an “office” that finally worked for her, looking out over the Caribbean Sea and the hills of Tuscany these past years didn’t suck…

Life’s really been one big adventure.

First, she vacationed in Mexico—where she wound up staying a few years (and wrote her first book). Living in a villa on the Caribbean Sea, Jenni learned the language of love, the language of Spanish, and the “language” in Mexico—as in what not to say (hint: never order that type of pasta called “penne” from a waiter; just trust me—it’s a body part).

Ditto for the pronunciation of “anno” in Italy—the word for “year” in Italian. Unless you pronounce it with lots of “nnn”s (Jenni found out the hard way), it sounds like “ano” which means... That asset you sit on.

Natch.

Annnnnnyway, after living in Mexico three years, Jenni moved to Italy.

Florence, Italy.

Wow. For six years, she lived on the Arno, across from the Uffizi, so close to the famous bridge, the Ponte Vecchio, that she could hear people whispering and professing their love for each other; then, in the famous square, Piazza Pitti… and, finally, to the outskirts in Le Cure (where there weren’t any tourists, but a fabulous outdoor market where she shopped for fresh meat, fish, and herbs every day). Her roommate-then, a gay, Italian interior decorator, advised her on everything fashion—like how to match underwear with shoes.

(Okay. Bag with shoes. You’re paying attention.)

(Good to know.)

Scoop of chocolate fudge ice cream: Jenni believes that the single best thing a girl can wear these days (besides fab boots!) is excellent self-esteem. (And a great attitude, of course.)

Wear your heart on your sleeve… But make him knit the sweater first.

(This has nothing to do with money and everything to do with respect, by the way.)

She believes in true love—a real romantic—and advises girls to wait for the right one (which is much, much easier than marrying and divorcing the wrong one, n’est-ce pas?). Everyone in Jenni’s family is married to his or her soulmate… Like matching slippers.

That’s why she does what she does. She wants the same for you.

Jenni is a native New Yorker who has also lived in Florence, Italy; Cancun, Mexico; Mexico City, Mexico; and a few other hot spots around the world. She speaks Italian and English fluently. Her Spanish is a little rusty—but still pretty bueno. She’s currently back in N.Y.C. 

The author of six non-fiction books, she has contributed many sage-like articles for magazines, including Glamour, Reader’s Digest, First For Women, YM, and Seventeen magazine (coming soon!). Jenni has also written for television networks: USA Networks: The Sci-Fi Channel, USA, America’s Store; MTV.

She is a graduate of Cornell University.

Buy Jenni's HE'S JUST NOT IN THE STARS here.