Penny Dreadful is a Magnet for Disaster

Joanna, author of Penny Dreadful is a Magnet for Disaster, is small, funny, clever, sneaky and musical. She writes for children, teenagers and young adults about extraordinary things happening to very ordinary people, in very ordinary places. Joanna has lived many other lives: as a lifeguard, a radio newsreader, a producer on a TV cookery show, a journalist, and a special adviser to the Prime Minister. And she still has other guises: as a government speechwriter, and (in her head at least) as a future ice dance champion. Her perfect day would involve baking, surfing, sitting in cafes in Paris and playing with her daughter- who reminds her a lot of Penny Dreadful…

Jess loves creating funny characters with bright colours and fancy patterns to make people smile. Her favorite place is her tiny home, where she lives with her tiny dog and spends lots of time drawing, scanning, scribbling, painting, stamping and sometimes venturing to even use her computer! She loves to rummage through a good car boot sale or a charity shop to find weird and wonderful things. A perfect day for her would have to involve a sunny beach and large amounts of curry and ice cream. Jess has been an illustrator since 2002 and has worked in educational publishing for many years.