Jen Williams
Jen Williams is represented by Juliet Mushens
Jen Williams lives in London with her partner and their cat. A fan of pirates and dragons from an early age, these days she writes character-driven fantasy novels with plenty of banter and magic, and dark unsettling 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 the Super Relaxed Fantasy Club, a social group that meets in London to celebrate a love of fantasy. When not cursing herself for writing really long books, she can be found writing advertising copy for books, or selling books. It’s all about books, really.
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. Talonsister, the first book in Jen’s new fantasy duology, was published in September 2023.
Jen has also written three thrillers. The first, Dog Rose Dirt, was published in 2021 in the UK by HarperCollins, and in the US by Crooked Lane. Games for Dead Girls, was published in March 2023 and The Hungry Dark was published in April 2024.
Interests outside of reading and writing include drawing witches, playing video games, and watching cartoons. She has a particular passion for animation and history, and will bore you to death about either if she gets the chance.
Rights Sold:
The Winnowing Flame Series: Headline (UK), MAG (Poland), Popcorn Books (Russia).
Dog Rose Dirt: HarperCollins (UK), Crooked Lane Books (US), Nova Fronteira (Brazil), Fischer (Germany), JK Wydawnictwo (Poland), Trini (Spain), and Gaumont (Film/TV).
Games for Dead Girls: HarperCollins (UK), Crooked Lane Books (US), Fischer (Germany).
The Hungry Dark: HarperCollins (UK), Crooked Lane Books (US).
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