About Marielle

I love to write. I'm curious. I enjoy storytelling and peculiar anecdotes (listening or telling).

I was born in Teesside but spent three years of my childhood in South Africa. The sweeping grasslands and dry bushveld of South Africa and the rugged moors and windy coastlines of the Northeastern countryside, rich in industrial history, continue to influence my writing.

From an early age, I loved creating stories. I was thrilled to win a school writing competition when I was eight. The prize was to have your story 'published', so my teacher typed it up, laminated it, and popped it on the school library shelf. It was a special moment for me; it planted a seed, although it would take some time for it to germinate.

I fell in love with theatre and moved to London to attend acting school in 1996. After graduating, I spent the following years touring the country in plays, musicals and farces. If there were a board to tread and someone would employ me, I'd be there! I would arrive at the theatres early to write in the peace and silence of dusty, deserted dressing rooms. I had no direction or clear idea of what I wanted to achieve from the writing; I simply enjoyed doing it.

I stepped back from stage work once my eldest daughter was born but continued to do voice work, adverts, and corporate films. It took a while for the penny to drop, but I eventually realised that rather than act out other people's stories on stage, I wanted to write my own!

I took a creative writing course and instantly fell pregnant with twins. Creative writing and twin pregnancies aren't directly related, but be warned! I promptly lost 18 months in a fog of nappies, three-hour feeds, never-ending wash cycles, and the absolute best cuddles bar none from my three girls. And this is when I chose to write my first children's picture book, Frog's Bog because, between potty training, tantrums and tickles, I had far too much time on my hands.

These days, when not writing or attending author events, I can be found rambling in the wilderness with my husband and three girls or reading a gripping murder mystery.