A native of New York state, Marion Tinling took a "temporary" job as a research assistant at the Huntington Library in San Marino, California, during the Great Depression, and "by sheer doggedness I managed to stay there nineteen years." Later she held various editorial jobs and retired in 1986, only to begin another career as a freelance writer. She has authored numerous articles and several books, specializing in women's history. A mother of three and grandmother of seven, she lives in Sacramento, California.