Juliet Marillier was born in Dunedin, New Zealand, a town with strong Scottish roots. She graduated from Otago University with degrees in arts and music, and has had a varied career which included teaching and performing music as well as working in government agencies.

Juliet now lives in a hundred-and-ten-year-old cottage near the river in Perth, Western Australia, where she writes fulltime. She is a member of the druid order OBOD.

Juliet shares her home with a small pack of waifs and strays. Juliet's historical fantasy novels are published internationally and have won a number of awards.