Born in the 1950s in east Kent, England, Marlene emigrated to Australia in the 1960s. Apart from spending many years living in and around Sydney she has also lived in rural New South Wales and Queensland. Marlene has worked in managerial roles within the community sector and is a trained psychotherapist with qualifications in liberal arts, and counselling psychology. Marlene has travelled extensively throughout Australia and brings much of her knowledge and love of the country to her writing. The focus of her work prior to writing the novel, Ruth, has been poetry.