Biography

JC CLARK

I grew up and continue to live in Connecticut, but have spent a number of years in Massachusetts, first at Merrimack College in North Andover, and then working for a technology company in Waltham. It was during this latter period that I became enthralled with our country’s history and its beginnings in Boston, Concord, Sudbury and the sea coast areas of Marblehead, Nahant and Revere, all of which contribute to the settings for my novels.

After a semester abroad in Barcelona, Spain and completing my BA in English from Fairfield University, my professional life started in the General Electric News Bureau as a publicist. From there I moved to public relations management positions and then broader marketing communications roles, growing up with the Internet as it evolved into its current state of social media madness.

After a lengthy career in marketing, where I extolled the virtues of various forms of technology from factory computers to software to radio frequency tracking devices, transitioning to crime fiction and psychological thrillers has been a rewarding and challenging change. Crafting plots and timelines has pushed my creative writing, imagination and organizational skills to the max in order to deliver a believable, intelligent story with a credible twist.

Research into drug-enabled sexual assaults and the unsolved Gilgo Beach, LI, murders of more than ten prostitutes inform The Incident, a fictionalized mash-up of actual events. My Westport Writers Workshop, where I am studying Advanced Fiction, has been invaluable, as was the assistance of a Westchester County, NY, detective, during the course of writing this novel.

Also the advice and council of a sitting city court judge, also serving Westchester, was enormously appreciated. He also generously completed the first read-through of my novel with encouraging comments:

“Joyce, I finished reading last night, too late to contact you. The Incident is fantastic! I wasn't prepared for such a well written book. The story unfolds nicely. I couldn't put it down and although I knew of the twist at the end, it still was a shocker.”

My second novel, Sanctuary, picks up where The Incident left off. Pickering Wharf in Salem, Massachusetts provides the backdrop for what first appears to be a tragic accident when a fire nearly destroys the 40 foot Bristol sailboat known as Sanctuary; that is, until a body with a crushed skull is found in the main salon. Salem's history, with its witch trials and maritime past, add intrigue to the plot.

A third Hannah Hart novel is in the works. Working title: Vengeful Heart

I live with my family in Redding, Connecticut.