About Jan
In short
Jan Sorrento writes about fractured lives, hidden pasts, the meaning of family, and identity – stories that will appeal to book club readers and fans of upmarket commercial fiction.
Her characters inhabit richly textured worlds and face life with dark humour, determination, and sometimes blind, brave hope. Despite their challenges, they almost always come through with strength and optimism, no matter how fragile these qualities may seem to be.
When she is not writing, you’ll find Jan with her nose in a book or burrowing down a rabbit hole, researching her next novel.
More of the story
Jan wrote her first tale at age five (‘See Billy Bee fly. Look! Look! Look!’) and won her first writing competition at 13. A love of reading and make-believe buffered a lonely childhood and ignited her passion for dark, quirky stories and faraway places.
As an adult, travel beckoned (and still does), followed an international career in journalism, communications, and 20+ years as a senior executive in the not-for-profit sector. These experiences underpin her fiction and add depth to the characters that distract her daily with their secrets and misadventures.
Post-Covid, Jan ditched her job and moved to a small island off the coast of New Zealand. There, in her 60s, she discovered you’re never too old to learn how to handle a boat, make gin, and wield a chainsaw as well as a pen.
She’s now back in Australia – on another island – and dreams of adopting an old rescue dog. She won’t try to teach it new tricks.