Rebecca James was born in Sydney, and grew up in various different places throughout New South Wales, including Bourke, Sydney, Wellington and Bathurst. During her twenties Rebecca worked as a waitress, an English teacher in both Indonesia and Japan, a bartender, and (most memorably) a mini-cab telephone operator in London. During her thirties Rebecca spent most of her time having babies and helping her partner run a small kitchen business. Rebecca has started several university degrees but has yet to place any letters after her name. Despite her highly developed procrastinatory skills she has managed to write a book or two and plans to spend her forties, fifties, sixties, seventies, eighties and nineties finishing several more. Rebecca lives in Australia with her partner and their four sons.