Jessica Hart was born in Cameroon, where her mother continues living. She has traveled by Australian Outback, Indonesia, Belize, Cameroon, Algeria and Afghanistan.She published her first book in 1991, and in 2004, she completed a Ph.D. on York's later medieval and early modern streets.
Jessica generally lives in York, England dividing her time between Yorkshire and Wiltshire, where her partner, John, lives.