Jacqueline Roy is a writer of fiction for adults and children. She was born in London and is of dual heritage; her mother was English and her father was a Jamaican sculptor, painter and novelist. Before becoming a writer, she worked in shops, selling everything from bacon to books, but eventually she did a degree in English as a mature student. This led to a career as a university lecturer, specialising in decolonial literatures and creative writing. Her fiction focuses primarily on the ways that those who are marginalised find a voice and their strategies for fighting back.