On the first day of Pride month, 2021, Joanne Askew became an Amazon Best Selling author for her work in Unburied: An Anthology of Queer Dark Fiction which ranked number one for LGBTQIA+ Horror fiction long enough for her to take a screenshot.
Joanne Askew enjoys exploring mental health issues, sexual identity, and disability through writing. She aims to be a leading author in sci-fi and thought leader in mental health and LGBTQIA+ issues in fiction. She believes that to make the world an easier place for young people to come out in, we must make our fiction more diverse and reflect a society without homophobia. She is a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and identifies as bisexual.
Joanne Askew also speaks frankly about her OCD and the journey she has been on with it. She believes that in the all-consuming wake of her OCD, she has a strength that may seem alien to others.
Joanne lives in the South West of the UK with her spouse, and her team of interns; Reuben and Merlin the cats, and Finn the retriever. She is a marketing copywriter by day, and writes her fiction to folk and country music. She has a playlist for each of her longer works and is also a songwriter registered with PRS.
Novels
Joanne Askew has written two and a half novels.
LOOKING FOR REP: The Hollow Way by Joanne Askew
She is currently looking for representation for her debut, The Hollow Way which follows Wren Novak, bisexual space prison guard with OCD, as she finds herself responsible for catching the Universe’s most notorious murderer and unravelling the mystery of his evil wake. She must overcome her OCD, her heart, and bring him to justice… in space.
WORK IN PROGRESS: Untitled Super Story by Joanne Askew
Joanne Askew is currently on the first draft of her sci-fi love letter to London which is set in a near future where the lines between the classes are impenetrable and those with medical needs have to choose between their prescription charge, or rent for a home. The story follows a young woman in hiding from everything that has ever hurt her, her family, poverty, desire, and the superheroes plaguing the skies of London.
COMING SOON: Sloth by Joanne Askew
Sloth, a LGBTQIA+ novella, follows a couple as they navigate a devastated Britain after a strange disease slows everyone down… to death. It is a window into a relationship that is seriously affected by depression, and the freedom both women crave from the darkness. Sloth will be published in 2022 by a leading LGBTQIA+ indie publisher. More info to be announced.
SHORT STORIES: OPEN FOR COMMISSIONS AND ANTHOLOGY INVITATIONS
Alongside larger works of fiction, Joanne Askew is enjoying writing short stories that show the strength of queer and women characters in a sci-fi or horror setting. She has had many publications since starting out on her writing journey in 2019 and continues to submit to her favourite publications and accept anthology invitations for relevant themes.
“Joanne Askew has a really good talent for creating brilliant characters and plots and drawing the reader in instantly in such a short space.”
Elle Turpitt, Unwrapping Words
Joanne Askew 