Jo Rothwell

Jo Rothwell grew up in the Yarra Valley, Victoria. Australia. The travel bug hit in her early 20s and the lure of foreign countries saw her work and travel in Europe for many years. She then took her passion for adventure and travelled into outback Australia where she taught children on cattle stations via the School of the Air.

Settling back in the Yarra Valley, Jo established Rothwell Publishing in 2004 and has written and published 17 children’s books. The My Adventure and One Yelpy Kelpie series explores specific Australian themes and destinations. Continuing this theme, she has launched the Australian Adventure Passport. Her children's books are on the Premiers Reading Challenge list and have sold over 150,000 copies and she proudly donates thousands of copies to charities.

Her 'Aloysius the Ram at Chateau de Lalande' picture book series raises much-needed funds for research into paediatric brain cancer.

Jo was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011 and a subsequent metastatic prognosis in 2015; however, she continues to write stories and values her time encouraging children to read and to explore Australia.

Shifting her focus to non-fiction, Jo has just released 'Chasing Normal - Balancing the Ups and Downs of Life and Cancer, A Memoir'. A unique insight into her life and how she uses distraction, mindfulness and humour to put cancer in its place.