Photo: Renowned author and advocate JJ Winston blends personal experience and professional expertise to create fiction that inspires understanding and resilience.
Shining a Light on Behavioural Health and Sickle Cell Disease
Author JJ Winston uses her experience as a social worker and magistrate to craft deeply resonant novels that explore mental health, human trafficking, sickle cell disease, and the resilience of the human spirit.
Author JJ Winston has made a profound impact on both the literary and social landscapes, weaving essential societal issues into deeply engaging works of fiction. Drawing upon her extensive professional experience and personal journey, the award-winning writer uses her novels to raise awareness of mental health, human trafficking, and sickle cell disease. With titles such as The Anniversary and her latest release, The Revelation, Winston demonstrates a remarkable ability to create stories that are not only emotionally captivating but also powerful tools for advocacy.
Blending her career as a Licensed Independent Social Worker, an attorney, and a Family Court Magistrate, Winston’s unique approach to storytelling humanises critical issues, empowering readers while opening dialogues on topics often left underexplored. Her drive for advocacy is matched by her skill as a storyteller, offering narratives that educate and inspire action.
In a recent interview with Mosaic Digest, Winston shared how her professional and personal experiences have shaped her voice as a writer, shedding light on the motivations behind her work and the causes closest to her heart.
“Life is not just black and white but a curious colour of grey.” – JJ Winston
Winston credits her career in social work and the legal system as foundational to her creative voice. “The professional experiences that I have had working as both a Licensed Independent Social Worker and Family Court Magistrate have had a profound impact on me and have helped to shape my writing,” she explains. Before entering Family Court, she served as a Client Rights Officer for a community Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board, where she advocated for countless individuals facing behavioural health challenges.
“Many of my clients were intelligent, brilliant individuals who often felt voiceless. I want to use my writing to help those living with behavioural health issues feel heard,” Winston says. “I also want to humanise individuals and remind the world that behavioural health is health care too.”
Her novels reflect this mission. The Anniversary series, for instance, is accompanied by a workbook that provides practical tools for readers to navigate mental health challenges. Winston explains that the positive response this has received has been both humbling and surprising. “Several behavioural health agencies in my community have purchased the workbook for their staff, who have said it has helped make the complicated journey of behavioural health more understandable for laypeople,” she shares.
JJ Winston is a compassionate storyteller whose novels captivate, inspire, and educate readers while addressing critical societal issues.
Alongside her professional experiences, Winston’s personal life has deeply influenced her writing. One of her recurring focuses is on raising awareness about sickle cell disease (SCD), a cause shaped by her own family’s history. “I have a child who lives with SCD. Additionally, I lost my father, two paternal aunts, and one paternal uncle to this genetic disease,” Winston reflects. “I realised that many people are not aware there are several forms of SCD, and I wanted to use my writing to shine a light on this important subject.”
Another key theme in Winston’s work is the tragedy of human trafficking, which she says she was shocked to find so prevalent in her own community. Living in Ohio, a state with one of the highest rates of human trafficking in the United States, she felt compelled to integrate this harrowing reality into her fiction. By telling stories that touch on the painful realities of trafficking, Winston hopes to inspire readers to pay closer attention to an issue affecting so many lives.
In her latest novel, The Revelation, Winston explores the stressors of a global pandemic, weaving illness and uncertainty into an emotionally charged family drama. She felt the pandemic provided a powerful backdrop for her characters’ lives. “During the pandemic, some of our family members and friends developed behavioural health issues due to the isolation that came with living during this uncertain time,” Winston notes. Through her exploration of these themes, she aims to reflect not only the social struggles of the present but also universal human resilience.
Across three books, her protagonists, Juliette and Grandville, have endured trauma, legal battles, and revelations about human trafficking. By the conclusion of The Revelation, their journeys have been transformative, embodying themes of forgiveness, compassion, and the growth that comes from weathering life’s storms. “No matter who you are, you will experience good times and bad times,” Winston observes. “There will be moments when you have to offer forgiveness, compassion, and grace for your own mental health. I believe [my characters] have learned many life lessons, and it’s my hope the messages I expound will resonate with my readers.”
As Winston closes the Anniversary series, her attention turns towards potential new writing projects. She hints at the possibility of exploring the intersection of trauma, divorce, and mental health—an area informed by her work in Family Court. However, for now, her priority remains ensuring that the messages of her current works reach as many readers as possible.
Winston’s advocacy through fiction proves that storytelling can inspire understanding, empathy, and action. Her ability to illuminate the challenges of underserved communities while offering strategies for resilience has established her as a vital voice in contemporary fiction. “Life is not just black and white but a curious colour of grey,” she says—a notion that resonates in her writing as she brings nuance and humanity to the pages of her books.
This interview was originally published in Mosaic Digest. JJ Winston’s work reminds us of fiction’s potential to transform perspectives, giving a voice to those who often go unheard. Through every narrative she crafts, she champions vital conversations that create room for awareness, understanding, and change.
