Juliet Marillier

The Author

Juliet Marillier was born on July 27, 1948 in Dunedin, New Zealand. Her family (Pringle, Greer and Johnston on her mother’s side, Scott and Flett on her father’s side) originally came from Scotland and Ireland. Juliet grew up in Dunedin and went to school at Arthur Street Primary and Otago Girls’ High School. She later attended Otago University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Music Degree with first class honours, and a Bachelor of Arts in languages. Juliet was a Canadian Commonwealth Scholar in 1971-2, studying music at the University of Toronto.

Juliet has taught music at high school and university level in both New Zealand and Australia. She has performed as a singer in opera and other fields, and has a background in choral conducting. She joined the Australian Commonwealth public service in 1989 and worked in various government jobs for thirteen years.

Juliet’s first novel, Daughter of the Forest, was completed while she was working full time in the public service, and was published in 1999 by Pan Macmillan Australia. It was well received by readers and critics, with US and UK editions and various translations being published in following years. The other two books in the Sevenwaters Trilogy, Son of the Shadows and Child of the Prophecy, were published in 2000 and 2001. The author then branched out into Norse history and folklore with Wolfskin and Foxmask. Juliet gave up her public service job to become a full time writer in 2003.

Juliet was formerly married to Glyn Marillier, an academic and musician. She has four adult children and four grandchildren. She lives in Western Australia, where she shares her home with three dogs and a cat.

Juliet’s novels combine historical fiction, folkloric fantasy, romance and family drama. The strong elements of history and folklore in her work reflect her lifelong interest in both fields. However, her stories focus strongly on human relationships and the personal journeys of the characters. Juliet is a member of the druid order OBOD (The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids) and her spiritual values are often reflected in her storytelling – the human characters’ relationship with the natural world plays a significant part.

As well as her books for adult readers, Juliet has written two novels for young adults and has contributed short fiction to several anthologies. She is a regular contributor to genre writing blog Writer Unboxed, where she posts on the first Thursday of the month.

Awards

Click for a complete list of Juliet's honors.

Interviews

Straylight Literary Magazine a 35min podcast (May 2010)
Good Reading Magazine extended interview for the magazine's blog (December 2009)
The West Australian about 'Fantasy Lessons in Real Life' (December 2009)
Writer Unboxed: Take Five Q&A about Heir to Sevenwaters (November 2008)
The Specusphere Interview about Heir to Sevenwaters (October 2008)
Darkstar's Fantasy News Interview done in late 2007 (posted March 2008)
Writer Unboxed: In-depth Interview with Therese Walsh (October 2006)

Communities

Links to the various Juliet Marillier communities may be found top left of this page. Disclaimer: Juliet is responsible for the administration of the Juliet Marillier Official Facebook Fan Page, and posts monthly on genre writers’ blog Writer Unboxed. All other sites are unofficial, including several fan-organised Facebook groups, and Juliet is not responsible for their administration or content. Moderators do their best to keep the boards free of any inappropriate material while allowing participants the right to express their individual opinions. For legal reasons, Juliet does not read any fanfiction or roleplays posted on the forums.