Before immigrating to the Sunshine Coast Jo Hammond was a dairy farmer, a school teacher and a member of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir. She is an accomplished singer and performer and has a University Diploma in secondary education. She began her writing career as typist and editor for her husband, the author Dick Hammond, when he refused to lay his hands on a typewriter. Eventually, Jo turned her attention to her own stories, writing articles for the local newspapers and then novels for young readers. Her first book, "Home Before Dark", was published by Orca Book Publishers in 2005.