Vivien Alcock was born September 23, 1924, in Worthing, England, a Sussex seaside town, where she lived until her family moved to Wiltshire ten years later. She attended the Oxford School of Art which led to her employment as a commercial artist in London.
She also has worked as an ambulance driver, a secretary in a beauty salon, and a clerk in an antique shop. She currently is a full-time writer, married to author Leon Garfield.