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J. Marc Harding

Goodreads Author

Born

in Somewhere, Someplace, The United States

Website

http://www.JMarcHarding.com

Genre

Fiction, Paranormal, Contemporary

Influences

Tom Robbins, Douglas Coupland, Christopher Moore, Hunter S. Thompson, ...more

Member Since

August 2011

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J. Marc Harding is the author of the novels Painkiller Ghosts (2010) and Drowning in Sand (2016). He is currently working on another novel, watch for it in 2026. Marc lives near Richmond, Virginia. FoxDrive Media is developing a film adaptation of Painkiller Ghosts.

Marc is also a musician, singer/songwriter, and artist, check out his recordings online on BandCamp and SoundCloud. Want art? Find the JMarcHarding Etsy page.

www.JMarcHarding.com

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Popular Answered Questions

What are you currently working on?

J. Marc Harding I am currently working on a novel titled Thymegeist, which follows the protagonist from my first novel Painkiller Ghosts, Thyme Exler.

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Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

J. Marc Harding I worked on Painkiller Ghosts, which was published in 2010, for years and wrote a handful of vastly different versions of the story. I had the charact…moreI worked on Painkiller Ghosts, which was published in 2010, for years and wrote a handful of vastly different versions of the story. I had the characters in mind, but changed the plot over the years If you've read the book this will mean more to you than if you haven't, but the (ghost) dog was not in the first few drafts. The last thing I did was title the book; it had a very different working titles over the years.

Drowning In Sand was a little different. I was in a hospital bed for about a week after a back surgery; I woke up one night after a dream and picked up a Get Well card that was at the side of the bed, and wrote down a dream that I just had. That dream was the bones to the story Drowning In Sand; I even had the title and the plot from the start ... but opposite of Painkiller Ghosts, I had no characters. Map came into existence rather quickly, and did Dr. de Gouge. I stole the character for Ms. Nevershe I stole from a similar character from a short story that I had written years ago. Tonya and Thom, both of whom are major characters in the final draft, came around in the 2nd and 3rd drafts respectively. While the main plot was about the same, over the handful of drafts that I wrote, I had different side-characters come and go, which changed the sub-plots of the books.

I am currently working on a novel titled Thymegeist, named after the main character from Painkiller Ghosts, Thymothy X Exler, a.k.a.: Thyme. While come of the characters will be familiar to those who have read Painkiller Ghosts, Thymegeist is not necessarily a sequel to Painkiller Ghosts.(less)

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J. Marc Harding’s books

Average rating: 3.94 · 107 ratings · 47 reviews · 2 distinct works • Similar authors

	Painkiller Ghosts really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 66 ratings — published 2010 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Drowning in Sand 3.85 avg rating — 41 ratings — published 2016 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

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J. Marc Harding's Blog

New Email About PAINKILLER GHOSTS

Even though it was published 15 years ago, I still occasionally get random emails from strangers about my first novel, Painkiller Ghosts. This one I received recently:

"I’ve just finished reading Painkiller Ghosts, and I must say, your novel is a truly captivating and haunting exploration of both the supernatural and the human condition. From the very first page, I was drawn into a world where the Read more of this blog post »

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Published on January 05, 2025 04:29

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J. is Currently Reading

J. Harding is currently reading

Family Tradition: Three Generations of Hank Williams

by Susan Masino

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8 hours, 29 min ago

J. Harding is currently reading

Minor Characters: A Beat Memoir

by Joyce Johnson

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Dec 26, 2025 10:31AM

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J.’s Recent Updates

J. Harding is currently reading Family Tradition: Three Generations of Hank Williams by Susan Masino	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8 hours, 29 min ago · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Family Tradition by Susan Masino. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Family Tradition by Susan Masino <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
J. Harding is now following Stephanie (Between the Coverz)'s reviews
10 hours, 32 min ago · like
J. Harding entered a giveaway Helpless by Jessica Knoll (Goodreads Author) 20 copies available, ends on January 30, 2026 Enter to win »
10 hours, 33 min ago · like · see giveaway
Jan 01, 2026 05:21AM · like
J. Harding rated a book really liked it REVOLTING by Juliet Cook (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 30, 2025 05:29AM · 1 like · like
J. Harding rated a book really liked it Blue Stingers Instead of Wings by Juliet Cook (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 30, 2025 05:07AM · like
J. Harding is now following Joyce Johnson Author of Minor Characters: A Beat Memoir
Dec 26, 2025 10:32AM · like
J. Harding is currently reading Minor Characters: A Beat Memoir by Joyce Johnson	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 26, 2025 10:31AM · like
J. Harding rated a book really liked it Baby Driver: A Story About Myself by Jan Kerouac	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 26, 2025 10:30AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Baby Driver by Jan Kerouac. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Baby Driver by Jan Kerouac <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
J. Harding is now following Joan Haverty Kerouac Author of Nobody's Wife: The Smart Aleck and the King of ...
Dec 14, 2025 07:07AM · like