Joanna Cannon is a British author and psychiatrist. She is best known for her debut novel, The Trouble with Goats and Sheep, which was published in 2016. The novel was a Sunday Times bestseller and was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award. Cannon was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and studied medicine at the University of Newcastle. She worked as a psychiatrist in the NHS for over twenty years, before leaving to pursue a career in writing. Cannon's second novel, Three Things About Elsie, was published in 2018 and was longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction. Her third novel, The Confession, was published in 2020 and was shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award. Cannon has also written a number of short stories and essays, which have been published in various magazines and newspapers. She is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4 and has appeared on various television and radio programmes. Cannon is passionate about mental health and has spoken publicly about her own experiences with depression. She is an advocate for mental health awareness and has written extensively on the subject.