Mara Hollings (b. 1986) grew up near the North Norfolk coast, where foghorns and tidal creeks shaped her fascination with folklore. She studied literature and ethnology at the University of East Anglia, later cataloging maritime ephemera for a small museum in Blakeney. Before writing full time, she worked nights as a local radio producer and volunteered with a coastal rescue charity. She lives in Norwich with a partner who repairs clocks and a lurcher that hates the rain.
