Born in New York, raised in Toronto, J. Arlene Culiner set out young, to have a life of adventure and discovery, not one of security and comfort.

She has since crossed much of Europe on foot, traveled, by bus, train, car, or truck throughout North and Central America, Europe, and the Sahara, has lived in a Hungarian mud house, a Bavarian castle, a Turkish cave dwelling, on a Dutch canal, and in a haunted stone house on the lonely English moors. Such a lifestyle has meant staying flexible and taking up any sort of work that presents itself: belly dancer, fortune teller, b-girl, translator, fashion model, storyteller, radio broadcaster, actress, social critical artist, photographer, and writer.

She now resides in a 400-year-old former inn in a French village of no interest, and protects all creatures, especially spiders, earthworms, and snakes. She particularly loves incorporating into short stories, mysteries, narrative non-fiction works, and romances, her experiences in out-of-the-way communities with their strange characters, and very odd conversations.