About me…

Hi, I’m Jo.

I live in paradise – on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland Australia with my husband and a cocker spaniel who takes her role as resident flop-dog and guardian of my office very seriously.

An unapologetic daydreamer, eternal optimist, and confirmed morning person, I write contemporary romance, romantic comedy, women’s fiction and what I like to call foodie-lit – which is the perfect excuse to indulge my baking habit in the name of research. My characters cook whatever it is I want to be cooking – or learning to cook.

Likewise with my character’s occupations. They get to do the things I can only dream about. I did warn you about the daydreaming thing.

Even though I love where I live, it’s my travels that inspire my stories. From Melbourne to Queenstown, Bali, Hong Kong and The Cotswolds, you never quite know where you’ll end up, but it will be somewhere that takes you away from your every day. I’m always looking for a happy ending, so that’s what I write – happy endings. Is that a spoiler alert? Probably, but sometimes it’s best to know these things up front. I write the books that I like to read – so if you like your love stories spiced with some travel, a little fun, a lot of friendship, the occasional daggy pop song, yummy food, and some seriously sexy men then you’ve come to the right place.

When I’m not writing or day jobbing, I love baking, reading, long walks along the beach, posting way too many photos of sunrises on Instagram and dreaming of the next destination and the next story.

My life goals (apart from being a world-famous author) are to be an extra on Midsomer Murders (perhaps a dog walker in Badger’s Drift) and to cook my way through Nigella’s books – yes, all of them.

You can find links to all my novels here and if you still want to know more about what makes me tick, check out this post – 55 things about me.

30 seconds with Jo

Coffee or tea: Tea, English breakfast, no milk, no sugar.

Favourite tipple: wine, especially proper champagne, but I’m also a sucker for a good peaty whisky…neat.

Desert Island Dish: If I was being sent off to a desert island I’d have problems choosing between fresh Mooloolaba prawns or Babi Guling (Balinese spice-roasted pork).

Favourite cuisine: Anything South-East Asian. As long as it has chilli, garlic and ginger I’m a happy girl. And dumplings – which are a cuisine all of their own.

Signature recipe: My Lemon Drizzle Cake or my Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding. My family also raves about my lasagne, Hainanese Chicken Rice and my pavlovas.

Favourite sandwich: Vegemite and cheese. The cheese has to be processed, the bread has to be soft and white, and the butter has to be real.

Favourite destination: Please don’t ask me this! It would have to be New Zealand…or maybe France…but I do love Bali and I have so much more I want to see in Britain.

Last holiday: Hello, the borders have been closed. My last proper holiday was Christmas in England in 2019. Since then we’ve had a few mini-breaks to Cairns and tropical far-north Queensland.

Next holiday: I have a mini-break planned in Queenstown in late June and, borders permitting, we’re planning to head back to the UK late in 2022.

Favourite movie: I have a number I watch over and over: Love Actually, Notting Hill, Sense and Sensibility, A Good Year…

If I was on Mastermind my special subject would be: Midsomer Murders – The Tom Barnaby Years

Where do you next want to set a novel?: I’ve just finished my first cosy crime mystery set in a village in Yorkshire. There are, however, more stories planned for Queenstown and the Brookford (Cotswolds) characters, but I also have an idea for something set in Scotland to do with a whisky distillery and something else set in Burgundy, France.

Mantra or favourite saying: Imagine…