There's something about the way art, design and words come together that lights Joanne up. Her first picture book, My Hong Kong, was a labour of love created with her friend and artist Ralph Kiggell, and first published in 2010. To her delight, it stayed in the Top 10 Children's Books in Hong Kong for several years and was reprinted many times over. Buoyed by that wonderful response, Joanne went on to write a new children's title close to her heart — The Swimmers, a tender story about a father and son's love for the water, and for each other. It was her first collaboration with the artist and illustrator Kori Song, and the beginning of a creative friendship that has since brought several more books to life.

When she isn't writing, you'll most likely find Joanne wandering an art gallery or tucked into a yoga class, where she sometimes dreams up stories while standing on her head.

Joanne was born in Melbourne, grew up in Perth, and found her way back to Melbourne after a brief stint in London in her twenties. Twelve years living and working in Hong Kong gave her the chance to travel widely and meet people from every corner of the world before she settled in Melbourne again — though she'll always wish Melbourne came with a little bit more of Perth's sunshine.