Joy Dettman was born in Echuca, Victoria, and now lives in Melbourne with her husband and Footrot, the dog. It was a creative writing course in 1988 that helped to turn a lifelong interest into an obsession. A mother of four, Joy is a full-time writer and published author of several award-winning short stories as well as her critically acclaimed and best-selling novels Mallawindy, Jacaranda Blue, Goose Girl, Yesterday's Dust, The Seventh Day, Henry's Daughter and One Sunday.