Joanne Anderton is a Sydney-sider who writes speculative fiction for adults, young adults…and pretty much anyone who likes their worlds a little different. She sprinkles a touch of science fiction to spice up her fantasy, and thinks horror adds flavour to just about everything. Joanne is addicted to anime and manga, and says these are strong influences in her writing.
Her adult science fiction/fantasy novels have been published by Angry Robot Books and Fablecroft Publishing. Debris was shortlisted for the Aurealis Award for best fantasy novel, and the Ditmar award for best novel. Its sequel Suited was shortlisted for the Aurealis Award for best science fiction novel, and the Ditmar award for best novel. Book three, Guardian, was published in 2014.
Joanne’s short story collection, The Bone Chime Song and Other Stories won the Aurealis Award for best collection, and the Australian Shadows Award for best collected work. Her short fiction has been shortlisted for multiple awards, and reprinted in several Year’s Best. Joanne’s novels and short story collection have received international review coverage in The New York Journal of Books, The Guardian, Library Journal and Publishers Weekly.
Find out more about Joanne here.
AUTHOR INSIGHT
Why do you write? Because I love writing.
What would you be doing if you weren’t a writer? Difficult to imagine but I’d probably be a musician.
What was your toughest obstacle to becoming published? Learning how to keep writing through rejection and poverty.
How involved have you been in the development of your books? Do you have input into the cover/illustrations? Yes, I had input into designing the cover for Bohemia Beach; not so much with my first two books.
What’s the best aspect of your writing life? The peace I feel when writing.
—the worst? Having my writing misrepresented in the media.
What would you do differently if you were starting out now as a writer? Take some time out from love relationships to concentrate on my writing.
What do you wish you’d been told before you set out to become an author? Choose a more nurturing publisher over a bigger cheque book.
What’s the best advice you were ever given? Keep writing and don’t quit your day job.
What’s your top tip for aspiring authors? Find an agent/publisher who understands what you’re trying to do and is in it for the long haul.
How important is social media to you as an author? It can lead to good contacts, I don’t use it for my personal life.
Do you experience ‘writer’s block’ and if so, how do you overcome it? Accept it as part of the process and keep writing even if all I’m doing is journaling.
How do you deal with rejection? By trying not to take it personally.
In three words, how would you describe your writing? True, complex, original.
If you had the chance to spend an hour with any writer of your choice, living or dead, who would it be and what would you most like them to tell you about living a writing life? George Eliot, and I’d love to ask her tell how it felt to be married to a supportive, literary husband.
BOOK BYTE
The Flying Optometrist
Written by Joanne Anderton, illustrated by Karen Erasmus
In Their Own Write 