Interview with J.C. Hannigan

 

Biography

Ever since she was a little girl, J.C. has had an unquenchable thirst for reading. Historical fiction, romance, thrillers and horror; it didn't matter the genre, she'd read anything once. 

Eventually, that love for reading grew into a love for writing, and she learned that sharing her stories was every bit as therapeutic as escaping in them. 

Born with a chronic pain bone disorder called Multiple Hereditary Exostoses, J.C. turned to writing to keep her company amid a world of surgeries, bad pain days, and isolation. 

She started a blog when she was 15 chronicling the challenges of high school, dating, and coping with a chronic pain disorder.

Through her writing, J.C. hopes to bring awareness to mental health, rare diseases, and social challenges. Her writing as been described as edgy, bold, poignant, and raw.

J.C. currently resides in a small town in Ontario with her husband, their sons, and their dog. Other hobbies of J.C.'s include hiking, camping, binge-watching shows like Outlander, Game of Thrones, and Peaky Blinders, and daydreaming of traveling around the world.

Credit : About | J.C. Hannigan (jchannigan.com)

Questions

What are your inspirations when you are writing?

Life, mostly! Moments, feelings, dreams. Music, nature… Little bits and pieces from here and there.  

Do you listen music when you are writing? If yes, do you have a special song?

I do listen to music, but each of my books have a different vibe so they all get their own special playlist. For example, I listened to a lot of Counting Crows and folksy music for my latest, Riverside Reverie! 

Which one of your books will you recommend to a new reader?

I have published 15 books, so it’s difficult to pick one right off the hop. I usually ask what kind of genres and tropes (or vibes) the reader prefers, then I make a suggestion based on that. For example, if they say they love super spicy small town romances, I recommend picking up Coalescence. If they prefer the angsty rock star/ second chance trope or secret relationship, I recommend my Forgotten Flounders series. 

Which advices will you give to a new author?

Every path to success looks different because it is different, set goals that make sense to you and don’t let someone else’s journey define yours. 

Which struggles did you met when you wrote your first book?

Honestly, the first book was the one where I had the least struggles! Probably because I didn’t know what to expect, or what I was doing. Hitting publish was the only goal I had, and when I did it…I felt happy I’d achieved what I set out to do

Do you prefer to write a stand-alone or a series? Which one is easier to write?

I love writing both. Stand-alones are great, because they hook new readers who may be hesitate to dive into a series by a new to them author. But I love how intricate series can be, crafting an entire world of people connected to one another is probably one of my favourite things about writing. I do find series easier because of how my brain spirals about all the secondary characters—I can’t help but imagine THEIR stories even when I set out to write a stand-alone. 

What are your future projects?

I am currently working on another book in my interconnected small town romance series, the Hartwood Creek Romance series. This book is called Last Resort and it features Noah and Nellie, who you meet in Wood You Knot. After that, I’ll be diving into the third and final Forgotten Flounder book; Off Balance.