Patricia Anne Klein Ernst was born on July 1, 1927. In 1946, she married Marvin Owen Brisco and they lived in Arizona. After they divorced in 1961, she focused on her writing career, becoming a writer of gothic novels. In 1972, she married the writer Clayton Matthews, and they moved near San Diego, California. When the market for gothic novels softened, she began writing her first romance novels. She published her first historical romance in 1976 under her second married name, Patricia Matthews. In the 1970's, she become a popular writer, called "American's First Lady of Historical Romance". She often collaborated with her husband. She was a prolific writer of gothic and romantic suspense novels, with over 15 included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV under her own name and often pen names. Series character Casey Farrel, at least in one book a female member of the Governor of Arizona's task force on crime, appeared in five books, each in collaboration with Clayton Matthews. She also wrote three books for the Thumbprint Mysteries Series, at the fourth- sixth- and eighth-grade reading levels, yet offer characters, situations, and concerns appropriate for adult readers.

Patricia Anne Brisco Matthews died at 5:30 a.m. December 07, 2006 in the familiar house of Brisco in Arizona.