Marie Rydzynski was born on March 28 to Polish parents in West Germany, and moved to the United States when she was four. She has a Masters degree in Shakespearean comedy from Queens College in New York.

Her first romance was sold in 1981, and she has since written over one hundred and thirty other novels, which have been translated into at least seven languages. She has also written under the names Marie Nicole, Marie Michael, and Marie Charles.

She has won a Romance Writers of America RITA Award for best Traditional Romance, and has been named a Romantic Times Career Achievement Winner. Ferrarella and her husband live in Southern California, with their two children. Her hobbies include old movies, musicals and mysteries.