What American girl would not love to
meet a French Count?
Well, author Jini Jones Vail did just that!
Graduated from Sweet Briar College in Virginia with a BA in French literature, Vail set out to extend her knowledge of all things French. She applied her facility as a travel writer in Public Relations at Air France and at The French Embassy, both on Fifth Avenue, New York.
After her children were grown she decided to pursue graduate studies in French at Southern Connecticut State University while teaching French. For the ensuing ten summers Vail studied at the Universities of Touraine and Bourgogne and traveled extensively in France with a concentration on French history of the 12th and 18th centuries. One of those summers, while writing outside of Tours, France, she received an unexpected invitation from Count Michel and Countess Madeleine de Rochambeau to visit them at the Château de Rochambeau near Vendome. This was the beginning of her passion for their ancestor, General Rochambeau.
She has devoted her life and career to the sharing of her fervent interest in French history, art, culture and language with others. Ms. Vail has done this through her writing, teaching and volunteering.
Jini Jones Vail currently resides with her husband in Connecticut.
Additional works by Jini Jones Vail include:
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Rochambeau in America
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Conversations with Queen Alienor of Aquitaine (Three Act Play)
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Summering in the Loire Valley: A Decade of Art, Cuisine, History & Music
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Within the Walls Mysteries
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Magellana Flies Home for Christmas
Above: General Rochambeau portrait by Rachel LePine