Jill Todd

Jill Todd was born in Hampshire, England. Her parents taught her to read and write before she started school, to occupy her during a long illness, and she has been writing stories ever since.

After completing a historical novel while working full-time, she then rediscovered a social life, married and had a family, working as an admin assistant at a local secondary school while her son was growing up – though still writing as a hobby.

Her first contemporary novel, Echo of Bells, was published in 2016 as a stand-alone thriller – but after retiring in 2023, she decided to write a series following the cold-case investigations and controversial love story of Echo’s two main characters. In 2025 she self-published a revised 2nd edition of Echo, to coincide with the release of her new thriller, Avalon Sky. The books are now linked on Amazon as Books 1 and 2 of The Pevensey Files.

Jill hopes that the 3rd book, Sunken Ground, will be ready to self-publish this autumn.

Although her stories are entirely fictional, one aspect of Avalon Sky is drawn from real life. Twenty-five years ago, Jill’s husband and four fellow-pilots won a microlight aircraft kit in a competition. The Jabiru took three years to build and Jill’s husband still flies it today – although, unlike its fictional twin, theirs has never played a part in solving a crime. They hope to keep it that way!

Jill likes to set her stories in atmospheric UK landscapes, so couldn’t resist using Lundy in Avalon Sky. The island is ten miles offshore and seems almost untouched by the modern world. It’s one of her favourite places, and provided the perfect location for the climax to a thriller.

You can find out more about Jill and her books via…

Jill joined us for the 23 March 2026 Monday Mini-fests panel on Dialogue and Description:

On Monday 13th April 2026, we (BB Elsin, David Wake, Jill Todd, Karl W Newton, Meriet Duncan, Morgen) talked about the saggy middle of a novel