Born in Arbroath, Scotland, Joan spent her early childhood in Cambridgeshire. She began her working life as a secretary but ultimately fulfilled her ambition to become a primary school teacher. Her teaching career spanned over 30 years and took her from Bedford to West Sussex where she taught in four schools ultimately becoming a head teacher of a rural primary school. Joan experienced many changes during this time from no national curriculum and limited resources to Ofsted inspections, interactive whiteboards and a wonderful selection of fiction and non-fiction books. One thing which always remained constant was Joan's love of literature. Story time was always an important part of the day and an inspiration for cross-curriculum work inspiring drama and creative experiences. Joan now lives in a village in the South Downs of West Sussex and enjoys gardening, keeping bees, painting and writing.