Jenna Blum Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Jenna Blum is an award-winning bestselling American author best known for ‘Those Who Save Us’, her first novel which was published in 2005.

+Biography
Jenna Blum was born in 1970 to a Jewish father and a German mother. A former student of Kenyon College from where she got her degree in English, and Boston University from where she acquired her Creative Writing M.A., Jenna went back to Boston University to teach creative writing and journalism.

First making her literary debut in a Seventeen Magazine Fiction competition as a teenager, Jenna has become a mainstay of the teaching, publishing and writing arena.

Her accomplishments include her two-decade stint at the Boston Grub Street Writers were she teaches, not to mention the editing work she has done for AGNI Magazine.

+Literary Career
Jenna Blum cannot remember a time when she did not write. Her parents told her she was four-years-old when she first adopted the hobby. The author has attributed her publishing success to both of her parents.

Jenna’s father, a newswriter, taught her how to write. And for a little while, she also adopted his reading habits. The man always classified himself as a serious reader who counted the likes of Hemingway and Faulkner amongst his favorite authors.

And it always rubbed him the wrong way when he found Jenna reading what he thought were fluffier, brain-rotting authors like Stephen King. Jenna Blum might have just as easily adopted her father’s mindset if it was not for her mother.

Jenna’s parents couldn’t have been more different from one another when it came to literature. While her dad was drawn to the serious stuff, Jenna’s mother cared more about the entertainment value than anything else.

The woman would not abide a boring book and did what she could to steer her daughter towards Lonesome Dove, The Great Gatsby and the like. It was from her mother that Jenna got all the brain-rotting literature that her father hated.

They both adored historical romance and would spend hours pouring over their favorite Angelique books. Jenna admits that some of her father’s sensibilities never truly left her. But it was her mother who instilled in her a love for reading, and it is a love that never left her.

So when Jenna finally put her mind to the task of writing fiction, she did not hesitate to bring her mother onboard as editor. Jenna wanted to be a great writer spoken of in the same vein as her father’s favorite authors.

But she was even more determined to become an entertaining writer, the kind whose books readers consumed with a voracious desire. For that reason, it made sense for her to have an editor who knew what boring literature looked like and could point it out.

And to her credit, Jenna’s mother did wonders for her writing career, focusing less on her writing style and instead choosing to help her hone her storytelling abilities.

The author’s first published novel was ‘Those Who Save Us’. The book tells the story of a young woman who is drawn into the life of a Nazi officer during the days of the Holocaust. Jenna Blum was inspired to write the story when she visited Germany and wondered what the German women living near the Nazi camps thought of the suffering of the Jews happening inside.

Even though Jenna dedicated the book to her father, it was her mother who worked hand in hand with her to give the book life. The woman read all Jenna’s drafts and gave her crucial feedback before she finally submitted her manuscript to her agents.

Jenna’s mother took every opportunity she got to insert herself into her daughter’s writing career. She even visited the author’s book clubs, not to mention contributing to any literary events Jenna saw fit to organize.

Even after she was diagnosed with breast cancer and could not find the energy to leave her hospital bed after her chemotherapy, all Jenna and her mother did was talk about the books they both loved.

Even though Jenna’s first novel was published in 2005, it took years for ‘Those Who save Us’ to find traction. Though, once it found its audience, the book became a mainstay of bestseller lists the world over.

Jenna has admitted to being surprised by the success the novel attracted. She has also admitted to being intimidated as a result. It was because of the success of ‘Those Who Save Us’ that Jenna Blum was able to sell ‘The Stormchasers’, her second novel, long before it was even written.

And as exciting as the prospect seemed at the time, the pressure to deliver eventually became too much. Every time her editors and agents called to ask about the progress she was making, Jenna panicked.

She started failing to meet her deadlines and for a while, it seemed like she might never overcome her writer’s block. But then her agent came into the picture and sent her off to Minnesota. The setting not only ignited Jenna’s interest in storms but it also put her on the path to becoming the consistent hardworking author people know.

+Those Who Save Us
Ann Schlemmer was alive at the height of the Second World War. And for a long time, she chose to stay silent about her actions during those days. Her daughter Trudy does not remember the ordeal.

By the time the Americans came to liberate them, making a path for the family to start a new life in Minnesota, Trudy was only 3.

But as a professor of German History, Trudy can no longer ignore her past. She begins a journey designed to reveal the truth behind a photo of her, her mother and a Nazi Soldier, a journey that will shatter reality as she knows it.

+The Stormchasers
Karena Jorge has spent most of her life caring for her twin brother Charles. But his bipolar disorder has never made the task easy. So when Charles stops taking his medication, Karena begins to wonder whether she is willing to stick around for his sake, especially in light of Charles’ obsession with the weather.

No one is particularly surprised when a terrifying storm unleashes deadly consequences that tear the twins apart.

Several years later, Karena hasn’t spoken to her twin in a long time. So she is at a loss when his doctors call her, claiming that Charles has taken a dangerous combination of drugs and disappeared. To find Charles, Karena must first understand his obsession with storm-chasing.