Vanessa Hannam was brought up in the Quaker village of Jordans. She left school at 16 and became a couture model for the House of Worth. She then became personal assistant to the Director of The Contemporary Art Society at the Tate Gallery. She married and had 4 children, 12 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. During this time she studied singing with Walter Gruner at the Guildhall, performing in concerts, oratorios and amateur operatic productions.

In 1983 Vanessa Hannam married a Member of Parliament. She has worked a journalist and was for many years a fund-raiser for Cruse Bereavement Care.

In 1992 she became a magistrate. She began writing short stories in 1993 and has subsequently written 5 novels. She is an avid supporter of Compassion in World Farming.