about the author

Meet Jenni Howell.

Jenni Howell is an American dark academia and thriller author whose books feature characters that pluck themselves out of their pages and into your mind, eerie mysteries, and swoon-worthy romances that are almost never a good idea. 

Her debut, Boys With Sharp Teeth, was an Instant New York Times bestseller. It combines a gothic boarding school thriller with lush character work and a pulse-racing toxic romance…or two. Boys comes out in paperback from Square Fish this July — preorder from Park Books for a signed edition with vellum overlays! 

Teach Me to Prey, Jenni’s sophomore novel, releases December 8, 2026 with Macmillan. It’s set in New Orleans and the surrounding bayou because Jenni’s grandfather is Cajun and she’s freaking obsessed with that region. You’ll find her favorite things in it’s pages, like morally grey romances, delicious gumbo, pulse-pounding bite/kiss scenes, and lunar eclipses. 

Before she was an author, Jenni dabbled in  archaeology, playacting Attila the Hun for captive but still feral grade schoolers whoop wait ahem teaching, and casual espionage. Now, she runs rampant with her four personally crafted minions and scribbles for you. 

Life is good.