Rebecca James was born in Sydney in 1970. She spent her early twenties working as a waitress, her late twenties teaching English in Indonesia and Japan, and most of her thirties having babies and working as a kitchen designer. Her first novel, Beautiful Malice , was an international publishing sensation, selling in 52 countries. This was followed by Sweet Damage , published in Australia in 2013. Rebecca now lives in Canberra with her partner and their four sons.