Frances was born and brought up in North Wales. She went on to study for an honours degree in English Language and Literature, and also achieved a diploma in both Creative Writing and EFL. Frances has lived across the world, including Moscow, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Lesotho and Botswana, where she taught in a private primary school. In Moscow, she set up and ran a British A-level school. Later, she taught Creative Writing part-time for the University of Wales, and was a member of Writers on Tour, which was organized by the Arts Council of Wales.
She is also well known for her book on cancer. After a long fight with cancer, Frances sadly passed away in April 2007. Marty's Diary is her last, and her best, novel.