Janet Skeslien Charles

Short Biography

Janet Skeslien CharlesI grew up on the plains of Montana, in a town of two thousand people. I have always been a writer, with a journal for observations, prose, and poetry, though for me, writing is a very private activity.As a teen, my family hosted many exchange students and I lived with a family in France. These experiences made me curious about the outside world and fed my love of travel, languages, and foreign culture and literature.At the University of Montana, I studied English, French, and Russian. I also spent a year on a university exchange at the University of Maryland. After graduation, I went to Odessa, Ukraine as a Soros Fellow.After two years there, I returned to the States and started writing stories of Odessa immediately. Continuing to work, travel and study, I found a job in France. I’ve been here for over ten years now and am working on my next novel.