Jen Williams
Jen Williams is represented by Juliet Mushens
Jen Williams is a writer from London currently living in Bristol. A fan of witches and dark folklore from an early age, these days she writes character-driven fantasy novels with plenty of banter and magic as well as horror-tinged crime thrillers with strong female leads. In 2015 she was nominated for Best Newcomer in the British Fantasy Awards.
The Copper Cat trilogy consists of The Copper Promise, The Iron Ghost and The Silver Tide – all published by Headline in the UK – and the first two books in the trilogy are available in the US and Canada, published by Angry Robot. Both The Iron Ghost and The Silver Tide have also been nominated for British Fantasy Awards, and she is partly responsible for founding Super Relaxed Fantasy Club, a social group that meets in London to celebrate a love of fantasy.
Her second fantasy series, the Winnowing Flame trilogy, kicked off with The Ninth Rain and The Bitter Twins, and ended with The Poison Song in May 2019. The Ninth Rain and The Bitter Twins both went on to win the British Fantasy Award for Best Fantasy Novel in their respective years. The Winnowing Flame trilogy was also published as a special limited edition by The Broken Binding.
Her first crime novel, Dog Rose Dirt, was published in July 2021 in the UK by HarperCollins, and in the US by Crooked Lane under the title A Dark and Secret Place. This twisty crime thriller has also sold in Germany, Brazil, Poland and Spain. Jen had two novels out in 2023: Talonsister, a return to fantasy published by Titan, and Games for Dead Girls, a true crime inspired horror novel, published by HarperVoyager. Talonsister won the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel 2024. 2024 saw the publication of The Hungry Dark and Titanchild. The Sleepless, an epic YA romantasy, is upcoming in 2025.
Interests outside of reading and writing include drawing and painting, playing video games, and watching cartoons. She has a particular passion for animation, history, bats, mead, horror films, and fantasy RPGs where you can get dumped by a sexy elf.
Rights Sold:
The Winnowing Flame Series: Headline (UK), Digital Vintage (Italy), MAG (Poland), Popcorn Books (Russia).
Dog Rose Dirt: HarperCollins (UK), Crooked Lane Books (US), Nova Fronteira (Brazil), Fischer (Germany), JK Wydawnictwo (Poland), Trini (Spain).
Games for Dead Girls: HarperCollins (UK), Crooked Lane Books (US), Fischer (Germany).
The Hungry Dark: HarperCollins (UK), Crooked Lane Books (US).
The Sleepless series: Macmillan (WAL).
Praise for The Copper Promise:
‘A fast-paced and original new voice in heroic fantasy.’ — Adrian Tchaikovsky
‘If only all fantasy was as addictive as this... Highly recommended.’ — The Eloquent Page
‘The Copper Promise is dark, often bloody, frequently frightening, but there's also bucket loads of camaraderie, sarcasm, and an unashamed love of fantasy and the fantastic’ — Den Patrick, author of The Boy with the Porcelain Blade
‘A cracking book’ — Falcata Times
‘What an utterly outstanding and thrilling ride this has been.’ — Brizzle Lass Books
‘A fresh take on classic tropes, this debut novel of dragons, lost magic and dungeon adventure is 21st century fantasy at its best.’ — SFX magazine
‘I've loved every minute of this story, and it's one I'm going to fiercely miss now that it's over.’ — Over the Effing Rainbow
‘Swords and sorcery at its most ingenious and entertaining.’ — Lynn's Books
‘The Copper Promise is near-perfect fantasy-adventure fun and a breath of fresh air . . . Read it and remind yourself what made you fall in love with fantasy.’ — Starburst Magazine
‘An enthralling adventure of pirates, dragons, gods — and the Black Feather Three. 9/10.’ — Sci-Fi Bulletin
Praise for The Ninth Rain:
‘Williams portrays her characters as flawed but humane, propels the plot with expert pace, and excels at eldritch world-building’ — Guardian
‘Absolutely phenomenal fantasy’ — Adrian Tchaikovsky
‘There is so much to praise about The Ninth Rain: the worldbuilding is top-notch, the plot is gripping and the characters just get better and better. A sublime read.’ — SFX
‘Yet again, Williams has created an addictive and coherent fantasy world filled with all sorts of deliciously interesting things within it... This is fantasy adventure at its very best. Go check it out.’ — Starburst
‘The Ninth Rain is a fast-paced and vibrant fantasy romp through a new world, full of people you want to spend time with and enemies you'd happily run from.’ — SciFiNow
‘Jen Williams takes us on another great adventure. Fresh, engaging, and full of heart.’ — Peter Newman
‘A cracking story that grips you by the heart and doesn't let go.’ — Edward Cox
‘Jen's world building skills are akin to no other . . . utterly brilliant’ — raptureinbooks.com
‘A very original fantasy world’ — Story Collector