Marilyn Kaye was born in New Britain, Connecticut in 1949. She received both an undergraduate degree in English and a Master's degree in library science from Emory University. She also has a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Chicago. She is the author of several series including the Replica series, the Out of this World series, the Gifted series, and the Camp Sunnyside Friends series. She also writes under the pseudonym Shannon Blair. She was an associate professor in the Division of Library and Information Science at St. John's University in New York for twenty years.