Johanna Spiers

Author

A die-hard romantic since the age of six, Johanna is a psychologist, a feminist and a recovering academic. Her novels, which have heart, attitude and real-world savvy, are about weird, clever women navigating all the ups and downs of contemporary life while falling in and out of love – sometimes even with the right people. Johanna’s books are the love children of Marian Keyes and Liane Moriarty.

Join Johanna’s Readers’ Club

Keep in touch with her and her work. As a thank you for joining you will receive a free electronic copy of her short story Heart Wrencher, the prequel to her debut novel, Heart Breaker. Morgan is torn between an equally irresistible past and present. Which way will her heart pull her?

Praise for Johanna’s writing

Jennie Godfrey

17/04/2026

“OldFish is a clever, darkly funny and ultimately heart-breaking story that stays with you.”

Jessica Taylor, Judge, Bristol Short Story Prize

25/02/2026

“[OldFish is] an arresting tale of grief and revenge, told in a language all too familiar to us today. This powerful story forces us to think about the lengths we will go to for justice.”

Jericho Writers 2020 Friday Night Live judges

25/02/2026

“Clean, readable prose which quickly establishes the protagonist’s character and the story itself.”

Sophie Hannah

25/02/2026

“Johanna’s writing is brilliant. Her prose flows beautifully, and the dialogue and characterisation work brilliantly.”

Short Stories

OldFish

OAP Maureen pretends to be a teenager so that she can form an online friendship with a bullied girl. However, what happens when that friendship takes a dark turn? OldFish won the Samson Award for the highest-placed Bristol writer and third place overall at the 2022 Bristol Short Story prize.

Words Without Friends

Fiona is putting her job, her finances and even her friendships on the line… and all for another hit of online Scrabble. Click here to download this story for free and join Johanna’s Readers’ Club.

The Fake Fire Boy

When retired graffiti artist Oliver starts seeing his tag appearing on the streets of Bristol, he goes hunting for the cheeky sod stealing his identity. But when he finds the culprit, he’s in for a surprise. The Fake Fire Boy was published in The First Time, the 8th edition of the Anansi anthology.

Handbag

When Maura is in an explosion on the London Underground, she is desperate to find her precious handbag before she is rescued. What is in the bag and why does Maura have to find it before anyone else does? Handbag won third prize in the Aeon Awards 2018.

Sheldon’s Mask

Cynical surgeon Dr Sheldon is irritated by her less experienced colleagues. But when a surgery goes wrong, who was it that made the fatal error? Sheldon’s Mask made it to the top 5% of the 2021 Bridport Short Story competition.

Warfare

A husband and wife rehash their mistakes in a bitter argument on their way home from a wedding. Warfare was longlisted for the Henshaw Story Short competition in September 2021.

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