Jill Johnson

Jill is a Māori writer based in the UK, having lived in south-east Asia, Europe and New Zealand. She moved to London when she was 18 and the following year opened Gosh! Comics. Alongside this, she and her partner launched a graphic novel publishing company and an editorial cartoon gallery. While running her businesses and raising her three children, Jill obtained a BA Hons degree in Ornamental Horticulture and Design. In 2013, she submitted her writing to Faber and Faber, and was accepted into the Faber Academy, where she began work on her first novel The Time Before the Time to Come. When she's not writing Jill is passionate about plants and when she’s not writing, has been known to spend hours pottering in her garden. She also loves to sculpt with clay, particularly from life models. Although her heart belongs in south-east Asia – where she was born and spent her formative years – for now, she lives in Brighton.