I'm J.F. (Joanna Frances) Penn, an Award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author. My books blend my love of traveling and learning new things with psychology and the supernatural in a fast-paced style. I'm also an international professional speaker and award-winning creative entrepreneur. I love reading and always dreamed of writing my own books, but I spent many years thinking about it before I actually took the plunge. However, I did write a lot of journals … Read more
Articles about the research behind my books

The Hereford Mappa Mundi: A World Off The Edge Of The Map
My fascination with maps and cartography led me to research and write Map of Shadows, which features the Mapwalkers, who can travel through maps into the Borderlands, a world adjoining our own made … [Read More...]
Interviews with other thriller authors

Action Adventure, Demons, And Traveling For Research. Meet the Thriller Author with J.F. Penn
I was recently interviewed on Meet The Thriller Author with Alan Petersen about the ideas behind my thrillers and my writing process. Click here to listen to the show, or subscribe on … [Read More...]
Unusual places to explore around the world

15 Strange Underwater Places
I first learned to scuba dive on the West Coast of Australia and have spent a lot of time diving off the coast of New Zealand. The picture below is from the Poor Knights Islands. Living in England now … [Read More...]
Other news, articles, and recommended reading

The Hidden Side Of Strange And Unusual Bath, England
I've been living in Bath for several years now, and although on the surface, it seems like a genteel little place, there is a darker side to the city – if you know where to look. Bath straddles the … [Read More...]
What I’m working on right now

What I’m Working On Right Now
I'll update this page every few weeks, so you know what I'm working on right now. 13 March 2018 I've just spent a (rather wet) week walking on the Amalfi Coast in Italy. I finally got to visit the Duomo where the relic of St Andrew is kept – and which featured in Stone of Fire when Morgan Sierra has a motorbike chase in the winding streets. You can find all the photos here on Flickr or a … Click here to read more
