The daughter of a vicar and a teacher, Theresa Tomlinson was raised in North Yorkshire, England. While as a child she had a strong desire to become a ballet dancer, she had no inclination to become a writer. Her parents, however, read to her and encouraged a love of books, and when Tomlinson had children of her own, she discovered that she enjoyed making picture books for them.

Her literary career began with stories inspired by the local history of North Yorkshire, and her novels are frequently set there. She writes about characters who have daily courage in the face of hardship, and her books generally feature strong female protagonists. Tomlinson's 1991 novel, Riding the Waves, and her 1998 novel, Meet Me by the Steelmen, were both shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal from the British Library Association.