Born in Adelaide, Wendy Scarfe graduated from Melbourne University and later trained as a secondary school teacher. For over four decades she has written poetry and novels in her own right, revealing her interest in history, political conflicts and social injustice. Her non-fiction works were written with her late husband, Allan Scarfe. Writing in Australian Literary Studies, Dr Katherine Bode commented that Wendy is 'an important and innovative contemporary author' whose books offer a 'difference'.