Joanne Horniman grew up in Murwillumbah in country New South Wales, Australia. She started writing at the age of about six, and has written stories on a regular basis since then. Growing up, she had an avid interest in politics, regularly reading the works of Karl Marx. She studied at university in Sydney, and has worked as an editor, a colleges and university teacher, and as an author. She now lives in Lismore in northern New South Wales.