Sisters, Secrets, and Celebrity: A Story Full of Twists with Author Jane Hartsock

My guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Jane Hartsock, author of the book Fan Base. Jane writes psychological literary fiction set in the American Midwest that centers the agency and experiences of women. Her first novel Load Bearing (2024) tells the story of a young woman who become obsessed with the long-dead architect of the 1920s mansion she and her husband are renovating. Fan Base (2025) involves a widow who is unexpectedly reunited with the washed-up celebrity she slept with once in college and is then subjected to relentless cyber-bullying from his toxic fandom. Jane also has a forthcoming biography about the Midwestern father-daughter team that were the first to translate an ancient Egyptian medical text (2027). Her current project is a novel that involves the Salem Witch Trials (anticipated 2028). Her work has been anthologized in several fiction and non-fiction publications.

Jane holds a BA in English with a concentration in creative writing from Butler University, an MA in Philosophy with a concentration in Bioethics, and a JD all from Indiana University. When she's not writing, you can find Jane hanging with her family and friends (and amazing writing groups) in Indianapolis and teaching Medical Humanities and Bioethics at Indiana University Indianapolis where her research focus includes the use of literature to develop ethical sensitivity, as well as the ethically informed use of artificial intelligence in clinical medicine.

In my book review, I stated Fan Base is a psychological thriller by Jane Hartsock. And this is one you won't want to miss.

It starts out like any slightly steamy romance. Babs, who lost her husband three years earlier to an accident and then loses her job due to her lackluster performance while grieving, meets Austin Lewis. Meets again, actually. Their one-day fling 25-years earlier has always stayed in the back of her mind.

Austin was a teen heart-throb. Babs was unfazed by this fact. They met. They connected. She quickly moved on, became a lawyer, married, and had two children. Austin's fame waned, but he found the business side of Hollywood and moved forward. When they reconnect in a coffeeshop, it seems like fate.

Soon, Babs learns of the Lewnatics - a group of super fans who continue to follow and harrass Austin. And now, the Lewnatics are after her. To make matters worse, her sister, Margot, is part of this crazy group. As things heat up - both in the bedroom and with the crazies - Babs wonders who she can trust.

But you can trust me - the ending will leave your mouth gaping!

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You can follow Author Jane Hartsock

Website: https://janehartsock.com/

IG: @writejanewrite

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