Jo Bavington-Jones

I was born in Dover in 1967, where my father owned the local newspaper. I have an Honours Degree in English and American Literature from the University of Kent at Canterbury, and am the author of eight novels to date, in both women’s fiction and crime.

I have had quite a varied career since university, from non-conformance management in the pharmaceutical industry, to events manager for a Texan fitness celebrity. I was actually working as a veterinary receptionist when I made the decision to write full time, just before the pandemic. I wanted to commit to my writing and also to make the switch from women’s fiction to crime. I wrote the first book in the series, The Write Way to Die, during the first lockdown and loved every minute of it. This first book does feature the vet’s, and also a version of the writing group I joined when I left my job. There are usually aspects of my life in all my books, and the crime series now also features a photographer inspired by my partner.

I’ve found real joy in writing a series and being able to develop the characters with each new story. Folkestone, where I now live, is the perfect seaside setting for the books, and never fails to inspire.