She was born in Derby, Connecticut, in 1924 to Richard and Grace DeMarco. After moving to North Carolina in 1961, she graduated summa cum laude from Belmont Abbey College with a bachelor's degree in English. After college, she spent ten years working as a reporter, drama critic, and feature writer for the Australian Associated Press (New York City), the Ansonia Sentinel (Ansonia, Connecticut), and the Sunday Herald (New Haven, Connecticut).
