Inky Willis grew up in Hastings, spending much of her childhood on the beach or playing on the rocks around Hastings Castle. She decided she wanted to be a children's author and illustrator at the age of eight, following her parents' advice to always carry a sketchbook wherever she went. Inky studied fine art at Reading University and then went to the Royal College of Art, where she specialised in children's book illustration. Inky now lives in Ramsgate, where she spends many happy hours beachcombing with her kids.