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2026 Reading Challenge

2026

READING

CHALLENGE

J. Harding has read 10 of 25 books.

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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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Combine Editions
J. Marc Harding’s books

Average rating: 3.95 · 109 ratings · 48 reviews · 2 distinct works • Similar authors

	Painkiller Ghosts really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 67 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 3.88 avg rating — 42 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

Jungle: A Harrowing True Story of Survival in the Amazon

by Yossi Ghinsberg

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Mar 10, 2026 04:40PM

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J.’s Recent Updates

J. Harding is now following Graeme Williams's reviews
May 08, 2026 05:49AM · like
J. Harding entered a giveaway Beginning Middle End by Valeria Luiselli 20 copies available, ends on May 29, 2026 Enter to win »
May 01, 2026 06:10AM · like · see giveaway
J. Harding is now following Jen Poteet Author of Bones Picked Clean
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J. Harding is now following James Blaley
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J. Harding wants to read Virginia Fantastic: Flash Fiction from the Old Dominion (The Fantastic Anthologies) by James Blakey (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
Apr 01, 2026 05:05AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Virginia Fantastic by James Blakey. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Virginia Fantastic by James Blakey <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
J. Harding rated a book really liked it A Heavy Metal History Lesson: A collection of essays to summarize the events that inspired our favorite Heavy Metal songs. by Josh Putnam	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
I enjoyed this book; it's an easily accessible history book relating ten historic events to ten heavy metal songs. I'm not much of a metal fan, but that did not stop me from enjoying this book. ...more
Mar 28, 2026 09:15AM · like · see review
J. Harding started reading Jungle: A Harrowing True Story of Survival in the Amazon by Yossi Ghinsberg	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
Mar 10, 2026 04:40PM · like
J. Harding rated a book liked it Entrances and Exits by Michael Richards	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
Mar 10, 2026 04:37PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Entrances and Exits by Michael Richards. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Entrances and Exits by Michael Richards <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
J. Harding is currently reading Entrances and Exits by Michael Richards	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
Mar 05, 2026 06:34AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Entrances and Exits by Michael Richards. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Entrances and Exits by Michael Richards <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
J. Harding rated a book really liked it Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen	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
Mar 05, 2026 06:26AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">