Come And See The Adventures That Awaits You!

Janice Hardy has made her readers go wild with her spin tales adventure novels. She loves to do terrible things to her characters because she passionately believes that it will make them more interesting.

LONDON - 27 March 2023

Janice Hardy spins tales of adventure for both teens and adults. She firmly believes that doing terrible things to her characters makes them more interesting (in a good way). Her novel The Shifter (The Pain Merchants in the UK) was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize.

As J.T. Hardy, she writes for adults (and might be even meaner for the sake of the story). She also writes non-fiction to help writers improve their craft and navigate the crazy world of publishing, and is the founder of the popular writing site, Fiction University.

She loves talking with writers and readers, and encourages questions of all types—even the weird ones.

Find out more about writing at www.Fiction-University.com, or visit her author’s site at www.JaniceHardy.com.

What’s your favorite book no one else has heard of?

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. She’s popular in the literary fiction circles, but hardly anyone in my SFF group of friends know it. It’s not the kind of book I typically read, but I read about it on a blog years ago and the premise just sucked me right in—an eccentric author who’s never told her life story the same way twice hires a young biographer to finally tell the truth about her past. I had to give it a shot, and I loved it.

Which writers — working today do you admire most?

In general, romance writers. They’re some of the hardest-working writers out there, and they’re so business savvy. They put out book after book and really know how to make their fans happy. Erotica writer Tiffany Reisz is so prolific and I’d love to be able to match her word count every month. How she can write incredible stories that fast is beyond me.

Who are your favorite writers? Are there any who aren’t as widely known as they should be, whom you’d recommend in particular?

My “auto-buy their books” faves are Harlan Ellison, John Scalzi, Ilona Andrews, Jennifer Crusie, and Angela Quarles. I’d recommend all of them for great reads, and the last three especially if you like series.

It’s hard to pick favorites because there are so many, and they grow every year as I discover new authors. I’m sure I’m forgetting major favorites from decades ago, such as Walter Farley. I devoured his Black Stallion series as a kid. 

What do you read when you’re working on a book? And what kind of reading do you avoid while writing?

In the beginning, I avoided reading the same genre I was writing so I wasn’t influenced by it, but I eventually realized that doesn’t actually happen, at least for me. These days I read whatever interests me. But I tend to read something different from what I’m working on since I’m immersed in that genre or type of story all day. I want something new to wind down with!

It also depends on my mood. If I’m worn out from writing or editing all day, I’ll read something light and fun that doesn’t take a lot of brainpower to keep up with. I save the complex, meaty books for when I’m clearheaded and in the mood to dig into something rich and immersive.  

What genres do you especially enjoy reading?

Science fiction, fantasy, romance, young adult, and middle grade mostly. I like most subgenres of those as well. I’m drawn to books with a good story and great characters, though a fun, rip-roaring plot grabs me every time.

Several years ago, I started expanding my reading tastes, so I’ve been trying new genres and subgenres. That’s how I got into romance, and now I’m exploring mysteries.

What books and authors have impacted your writing career?

Harlan Ellison for sure. My seventh grade English teacher played us a record (I’m dating myself here) of Ellison reading his short story, “Repent Harlequin! Said the Ticktock Man,” and I was blown away. I wanted to be able to write like that, and tell a story that engaging.

Dave Duncan and Holly Lisle had an impact as well. I loved their writing and their voices and I studied their books, trying to figure out how they did it. I have heavily highlighted copies of their novels with all kinds of notes in the margins. 

What kind of reader were you as a child? 

Voracious. I read all the time, and my teachers didn’t know what to do with me. I read in class, but it was above my grade level and they didn’t want to discourage that. But they also wanted me to get my work done (grin). I wrote as well, and finished my first novel—all two hundred hand-written pages of it—when I was twelve. Fanfiction wasn’t a thing back then, but that’s what I wrote at the time.

What books do you find yourself returning to again and again?

I re-read most of Jennifer Crusie’s books every winter, especially Anyone but You, Agnes and the Hitman, The Cinderella Deal, and Charlie All Night. Max Brook’s World War Z is another annual read. I’m currently re-reading Ilona Andrew’s Kate Daniels series, and just finished re-reading her Innkeeper series.

Testimonials:

Praise for The Shifter: “Hardy has written an inventive coming-of-age tale about a likable young woman whom readers will cheer throughout her exploits. Her appealing narration chronicles her expanding worldview as she progresses from a self-interested survivalist to a reluctant heroine to a determined rebel. Fantasy fans and those who just love a good story will enjoy this fast-paced novel and eagerly await book two.” –School Library Journal

Praise for Blood Ties: Blood Ties is a novel but it reads like a thriller screenplay! J. T. Hardy's dialogue is pitch perfect with just enough wicked humor to provide a little bit of relief in this fast-paced ride through a contemporary supernatural mystery. Grace Harper is tough as nails, inside and out, and with good reason. She's had to be tough to survive. But running's not an option for her this time around with her father's life on the line. And it's this vulnerability that keeps readers on the edge of their seats, wondering if Grace Harper's finally made a fatal mistake. Because the villains in Blood Ties are not your average supernatural types, and there's way more at stake here than life and death. –Author Cathy Hall

Spots from the Books:

From The Shifter:

Stealing eggs is a lot harder than stealing the whole chicken. With chickens, you just grab a hen, stuff her in a sack, and make your escape. But for eggs, you have to stick your hand under a sleeping chicken. Chickens don’t like this. They wake all spooked and start pecking holes in your arm, or your face, if it’s close. And they squawk something terrible.

The trick is to wake the chicken first, then go for the eggs. I’m embarrassed to say how long it took me to figure this out.

From Blood Ties:

The child was pure evil, no doubt about it. The bane of the entire prosthetics ward, so naturally they’d dumped her on me. Being the new gal anywhere had its share of drawbacks, and Andrews Medical Center was no different from any other hospital I’d worked at, hence the Saturday shift, and the problem-patient hazing. For five days I’d put up with Daisy’s faux woe-is-me show, even though I’d stopped falling for that trembling lip and tear-soaked-eyes act on day two.

“I know it hurts, Daisy, but you can do it,” I said, voice level. One did not cajole the Devil Child lightly.

“You don’t know anything, Miss Legs.”

Not her best rejoinder, but I admired her skill at avoiding repetition.