Welcome!
Hello! I'm John Allen (He/Him), award-nominated and winning writer and scriptwriter. I'm in a committed relationship with fantasy, science fiction and horror, but I also write contemporary comedy-drama and non-fiction. For fiction, I write under the pen name of J.W. Allen. For non-fiction I'm plain old John Allen.
I tried writing about myself in the third person, but it gave me a God-complex, so I stopped.
I do not use artificial intelligence tools in any of my creative work.
New video coming in 2063... maybe.
Where can you find my work?
"Hamilton's Gospel" published in Tales of the Gothic, Redcape, 2024
"Goodbye Gutleech" published in Monster Lairs by Dark Matter INK, 2023
"Her Name is Jo" published by Dark Matter Magazine, 2022
"Worst Contact" published 2022, Sci-Fi Lampoon
"Show Me Your Resume" wins QuaranCon 2022 Short Fiction Prize
"Career Change: How to Conquer the Fear of Failing" published 2016
Podcast of
"Systems Strike" published by Sci-Fi Lampoon, 2021
"Moving On" Published by 101 Words
"Dear Jess" final 10 shortlist 2019
"By the Boiler's Hand" published by Dark Tales UK
"Vote Janeway in 2015" published by Vector
"By the Boiler's Hand" longlisted for the 2018 James White Award
"The Difference" published by Ink Pantry in 2013.
"Writing out Gender Bias" published in 2016
Want to know more?
You can learn more about me and my work throughout the site (bad grammar, I know, but it just sounds better than "my work and I"). I've written for blogs, magazines and websites and have appeared as a speaker and facilitator at events and conferences including Nine Worlds, Bristol Con, and Capricon 41. Some of my favourite authors include Tade Thompson, Kenechi Udogu, Diana Wynne Jones, Naomi Alderman, Stephen King, Ana Sun, Terry Pratchett, Becky Chambers, Heide Goody, John Connolly, Nnedi Okorafor, Mike Carey, Paul Cornell, Iain Banks, Sue Townsend, and so many more.
To social, or not to social?
I disengaged from Twitter in 2022 and have never really missed it, though I was recently encouraged back on to lurk for work opportunities using a basically blank account. If you can find me there, you get a gold star. If not, you can still find me on Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-allen-writer/ and on my blog here 'John's Journey' where I write about what I've been working on. You can learn more using the friendly red buttons littered about the site. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy your visit and I look forward to chatting with you in the future.
Featured Stories & News
April 2022
'Show Me Your Resume'
Short Speculative Sci-Fi
Wins QuaranCon 2022 Short Fiction Prize
You can watch and listen to A.M.Justice read the story out during the awards ceremony. "Show Me Your Resume" will also appear in a future anthology published by QuaranCon.
March 2022
'Systems Strike'
Short Sci-Fi Comedy appears on Simultaneous Times Podcast from Space Cowboy Books
You can listen to the episode below.
Nov/Dec 2021
'Her Name Is Jo'
Short Sci-Fi-Horror published in Dark Matter Magazine, Issue 06
You can purchase a back-issue copy here.
May 2021
'Systems Strike'
Short Sci-Fi Comedy published in Sci-Fi Lampoon
I was thrilled to see "Systems Strike" appear in the (comically late) Winter 2020 edition of Sci-Fi Lampoon. You can purchase a copy of the book here.
August 2021
'Moving On'
Flash fiction published by
101 Words.Org
It was great to see my flash fiction story 'Moving On' published by 101 You can read 'Moving On' here.
October 2020
'By the Boiler's Hand'
Sci-Fi Horror places 1st for
Dark Tales UK
"By the Boiler's Hand" wins the Dark Tales UK fiction prize.
November 2019
'Dear Jess'
Love letter short story makes the
Val Wood Prize 2019 Final 10 Shortlist
I don't just read and write #SFF. I was cheerfully surprised to make the final 10 shortlist for my tragic romance love letter, 'Dear Jess'. Whoever says sci-fi and fantasy writers can't write outside of their genre has obviously never read any science fiction or fantasy.
Follow ‘John’s Journey’ to get an idea of who I am and what I do
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Reading out loud
2017
'Thanks for Applying'
wins
Writers of the Future
Honorable Mention Award.
I was delighted that my short story "Thanks for Applying" was shortlisted and received an Honourable Mention in the L Ron Hubbard, "Writers of the Future" quarterly competition in 2017.
Reading the opening for 'Thanks For Applying' at the ABC Tales May 2017 event.
Non-Fiction
'A must read for anyone looking for a gentle nudge out the door."
"This insightful guide on how to make the career change you've been considering for ages is witty and goes straight to the point without making you feel anything has been missed. I particularly like how the author uses relatable examples from his life to make you actually consider the idea of taking such a bold step." - 5 Star Amazon Review
I understand a fair bit about changing career having tried several different paths in my time. If you're stuck in a rut at work and don't know what to do about it, you might find something useful in this book.
What the readers say...
Highly Imaginative! Easy to work with and understood requirements from VERY basic input and great results!
Great book of short stories, I read them all in one sitting. All different but all gripping.
John, thank you for all your work this year - you certainly live up to everything you promise!
CEO, Universal Fancy Dress
John wrote a brilliant and engaging story, and was happy to edit it until it was perfect!! John is really imaginative and adds great substance to the plot of a story!
Story Editor & Blogger
I found this book at a time when I was considering a career change, but the thought of moving to a job where I would be making less money (though it would put me on a path to a dream career) seemed daunting. The author provided some easy exercises the reader can complete to get a clear idea of what they want to do in their career and manageable steps to take in pursuing it. I enjoyed the personal examples he provided and found the book to be very encouraging and well worth the read.