about jo allen ash

The scariest moment is always just before you start.”

– Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Jo Allen Ash is the pen name I have chosen for my young adult titles. I have begun referring to this alter ego on a first name basis, as Jo. It’s rather fun, as if she’s somehow separate from who I am. Leaves me free to contemplate new tales in wildly imaginative ways, uninhibited by self-doubt. This is what I tell myself. This is what I choose to believe. And this is how I write as Jo.

As Jo Allen Ash, I have penned a young adult tale of dystopian sci-fi/fantasy filled with–according to someone other than me, someone who reviews books for a living–complex and compelling characters. In The Shadows We Make I have burrowed down into dark themes, such as addiction, hopelessness and loss, which are countered by the strength and quality and unexpected sweetness of forged friendships. And hope. Always, there is hope as these strong characters fight for their happy ending. The next book in the series is entitled The Thrice-Gifted Child and continues where The Shadows We Make leaves off, with the same cast of characters and a few more besides. The Shadows We Make released in July 2022 and The Thrice-Gifted Child in January 2023. The third book in the series, The Sleeping Myth, came out in July 2023, and the fourth and final book, In Darkness We Break, was released in October 2024.

For more, please visit Jo Allen Ash.