Joanne Michèle Sylvie Harris (OBE, FRSL) is an esteemed English-French author, celebrated for her novel Chocolat, published in 1999. The book garnered widespread acclaim and was adapted into an Oscar-nominated film starring Juliette Binoche. Harris's literary oeuvre is remarkably diverse, encompassing fourteen novels, two cookbooks, numerous short stories, game scripts, libretti for two short operas, several screenplays, a stage musical in collaboration with Howard Goodall, and three cookbooks. Her works have been published in over 50 countries and have received multiple British and international awards.

Harris was born in Barnsley in 1964, to a French mother and an English father. She attended Cambridge University, where she studied Modern and Mediaeval Languages. Prior to achieving literary fame, she spent fifteen years as a teacher. Throughout her career, Harris has been a fervent advocate for authors' rights, serving as the Chair of the Society of Authors for four years and presently serving on the Board of the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society.

Aside from her literary pursuits, Harris's hobbies reflect her vibrant and rebellious personality, including "mooching, lounging, strutting, strumming, priest-baiting and quiet subversion of the system". She is also known for her enjoyment of obfuscation, sleaze, rebellion, witchcraft, armed robbery, tea, and biscuits. Harris continues to create from a shed in her garden, plays in a band, and resides with her husband in a small wood in Yorkshire. Not one to shy away from bribery, Harris humorously asserts she would not necessarily refuse offers involving perfume, diamonds, foreign travel, or pink champagne.