Farmer was born in Phoenix Arizona and lived in her fathers hotel in Yuma. When sh began working in her fathers hotel she began to develop ideas based on stories she received from the guests. In 1963, Farmer joined the Peace Corps and served in India from 1963-1965.When she returned to the states she continued her academic career by studying at Merritt College in Oakland California. Later she studued at the University of California at Berkely. Then she, and one of her best friends, caught a ship to Africa where she spent the next 17 years as an insect pathologist and lab technician. After sh returned from Africa she began writing short stories and composing picture books. She did not receive public recognition until the release of her first novel Do You Know Me. Since that time she has published many compelling novels that deal with issues such as human cloning, alcholism, immigration, drug trafficking,and the fight for womens rights in Africa. Her Best-Selling novels include Do You Know Me, (The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm), A Girl Named Disaster, and The House of the Scrpion. Her newest release deals with Norse mythology and is titled The Sea of Trolls. Farmers novels have claimed many notable awards such as The Newberry Honor Award, The National Book Award, The Micheal L. Printz award and the Sequoyah Young Adult Award.