Discover new books on Goodreads

See if your friends have read any of J. Marc Harding's books

859 ratings | 138 reviews | avg rating:3.65

more photos (20)

J.’s Year In Books

J.’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at J.’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

Go to J.’s 2025 Year in Books

J. Marc Harding’s Followers (175)

J.’s Bookshelves

to-read (7897)
currently-reading (2)
read (877)
did-not-finish (0)

J.’s Friends (278)

Paul

232 books | 360 friends

Tamiya Bates

5,016 books | 249 friends

Rebecca Stephen

93,888 books | 404 friends

Joseph

703 books | 130 friends

Annette Bates

253 books | 81 friends

Frederick Rotzien

170,227 books | 4,078 friends

Wesley Owens

434 books | 134 friends

Micielle

194,394 books | 1,157 friends

More friends…

2026 Reading Challenge

2026

READING

CHALLENGE

J. Harding has read 20 of 25 books.

80%

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

edit data

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

...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask J. Marc Harding questions, please sign up.

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.

flag

4 likes · like
Comment

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)

flag

like
Comment

See 2 answers from J. Marc Harding…

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.

4 posts
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 »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on January 05, 2025 04:29

View all 4 posts »

J. is Currently Reading

J. Harding is currently reading

Can't You Hear Me Callin': The Life of Bill Monroe, Father of Bluegrass

by Richard D. Smith

bookshelves: currently-reading

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

Oct 11, 2026 08:23AM

J. Harding is currently reading

Jungle: A Harrowing True Story of Survival in the Amazon

by Yossi Ghinsberg

bookshelves: currently-reading

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

rss
J.’s Recent Updates

J. Harding wants to read Bluegrass: An Informal Guide by Richard D. Smith	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
Oct 11, 2026 08:23AM · like
J. Harding is now following Richard D. Smith Author of Can't You Hear Me Callin': The Life of Bill Mon...
Oct 11, 2026 08:23AM · like
J. Harding is currently reading Can't You Hear Me Callin': The Life of Bill Monroe, Father of Bluegrass by Richard D. Smith	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
Oct 11, 2026 08:23AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Can't You Hear Me Callin' by Richard D. Smith. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Can't You Hear Me Callin' by Richard D. Smith <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
J. Harding rated a book really liked it My Memories of John Hartford (American Made Music Series) by Bob Carlin	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
This is a quick but good book about John Hartford, and it is worth the read if you are a fan.
Oct 05, 2026 06:39AM · like · see review
J. Harding wants to read What Earl Scruggs Heard: String Music Along the North Carolina-South Carolina Border (McFarland Traditional and Old-Time Musicians) by Bob Carlin	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
Oct 05, 2026 06:38AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of What Earl Scruggs Heard by Bob Carlin. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — What Earl Scruggs Heard by Bob Carlin <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
J. Harding wants to read String Bands in the North Carolina Piedmont by Bob Carlin	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
Oct 05, 2026 06:38AM · like
J. Harding wants to read The Birth of the Banjo: Joel Walker Sweeney and Early Minstrelsy (McFarland Traditional and Old-Time Musicians) by Bob Carlin	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
Oct 05, 2026 06:38AM · like
J. Harding is now following Bob Carlin Author of Banjo: An Illustrated History
Oct 05, 2026 06:38AM · like
J. Harding liked Debbie Leonard's review of My Memories of John Hartford (American Made Music Series): "The author of this book is a friend of mine and I was a fan of the late John Hartford so I’m a little biased. I enjoyed the book, although at times it seemed a little bogged down in detail. Upon completion I have even more admiration for Hartford as " Read more of this review »
Sep 30, 2026 05:40AM · see review
J. Harding and 4 other people liked Eugene's review of My Memories of John Hartford (American Made Music Series): "A few years ago, I was fortunate to meet Bob Carlin at Midwest Banjo Camp, a yearly gathering of old time music freaks like me, then located near Lansing Michigan. By then, a copy of Carlin’s CD, Banging and Sawing, had a semi-permanent place in my c" Read more of this review »
Sep 30, 2026 05:40AM · see review