Jacqui Jacoby

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article or section has multiple issues. Please help improve the article or discuss these issues on the talk page.
Jacqui Jacoby

Born 1963
Glendale, California
Pen name Leslie Scott, Jacqui Wilson
Occupation Writer
Nationality American
Writing period 1993 - present
Genres Short Non-Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Romantic Suspense.
Official website

Jacqui Jacoby (born in Glendale, California in 1963) is an American writer of novels and short non-fiction. She also gives workshops for writers, live and online.[1]

Contents

[edit] Biography

Jacqui grew up in the Foothills of the San Fernando Valley, technically saving her from the title of “Valley Girl.” She graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor of Arts in 16th Century British History. An award-winning writer of romantic suspense and paranormal romance, she’s written numerous articles on writing and has interviewed best-selling romance fiction writers, and is a regular contributor to RWR (Romance Writers Report) and KOD (Kiss of Death).[2] She’s a martial artist, which she uses in one of the several workshops she presents on the internet and in person.[3] In 2008, after raising her three kids, Jacqui returned to school to obtain a second Bachelor of Arts, this one in Modern Languages, majoring in French and minoring in Spanish. She lives in Northern Arizona with her husband, three children and the exchange students the family hosts.[4][5][6]

[edit] Self Defense and The Martial Arts

Following the deaths of several of Jacqui’s classmates in the late 70's and early 80's, the LAPD started coming into the high school to teach self-defense to the teenage girls. It was a lesson Jacqui took to heart, and self-defense became a lifelong passion. She has continued in this field for the last thirty years. Jacqui has studied tae kwon do, kung fu with some tae chi and weapons training. She’s competed in tae kwon do, winning several medals in sparring and forms.[7]

[edit] Writing Career

Jacqui’s writing career began on October 26, 1993. Though she had written several novels before then, she credits them to education and claims this date as the day she moved from hobbyist to professional. She enjoyed both agent representation and success with her articles during the nineties, but suffered a drawback when her agent died unexpectedly. It took eight years before she signed with another one. She spent those years turning out more books and working for several non-fiction publications.[8][9]

Pulling from her experience in martial arts, Jacqui has made “tough chick heroines” a trademark of her books.[10] She coined the term “Romance with a Body Count” in the early nineties, a decade before “branding” became popular.[11]

In 1997, Dean Koontz critiqued her novel and said: “You have talent and will ... get to where you want to go.” In that same year, Clive Cussler asked to see her book and offered her an endorsement. These events gave Jacqui the self-confidence to continue through discouragement.[12]

In 2006, on the recommendation of Suzanne Brockmann, Jacqui left behind her pseudonym, Leslie Scott, and returned to her legal name.

As her career grew with online and live classes[13][14], she increased both her non-fiction as well as her novel production, winning numerous awards along the way. For her work in non-fiction, Jacqui has interviewed Nora Roberts, Suzanne Brockmann, Sandra Brown, Debbie Macomber, Jayne Ann Krentz, Janet Evanovich, Jennifer Crusie, Christine Ridgeway and Vicki Lewis Thompson, to name a few.[15]

In 2003, she opened her own production company, Body Count Productions, Inc.[16] Along with her novels and non-fiction articles, Jacqui is a sought-after speaker for live and on-line workshops.[17][18]

Jacqui’s proudest career moment was the success of her article “Lessons From the Giants", which has appeared in publications in the United States, Canada and Australia.[19]

[edit] Awards

  • First Place, The Suzannah 2006, Paranormal Division for MAGIC MAN
  • Second Place, Dixie First Chapter Contest 2006 for MAGIC MAN
  • First Place, Daphne du Maurier 2005, Paranormal Division for MAGIC MAN
  • Honorable Mention, Daphne du Maurier 2005, Historical Romantic Mystery/Suspense for DEAD OR ALIVE

[edit] Artilces By

  • Kiss of Death: Writing/Submitting/Hoping, January/February 2001
  • Kiss of Death: Lessons From the Giants, March/April 2002
  • FindaDeath.com: Pete Duel, 2002
  • Kiss of Death: Watch Out. I'm Armed., November/December 2002
  • Kiss of Death: Writer's Spawn, November/December 2003
  • FindaDeath.com: Alexander Godunov, 2003
  • FindaDeath.com: Rudolph Valentino, (co wrote), 2004
  • Kiss of Death: Keeping It Going, July/August 2005
  • Kiss of Death: Beyond Rebecca: The Life of Daphne du Maurier, January/February 2006
  • RWR Magazine: Tough Chicks: Heroines in Today's Market, June 2006
  • Kiss of Death: Reinventing the Wait, January/February
  • RWR Magazine: Schmoozing In San Francisco, June 2008

[edit] References and Resources

[edit] External Links