Carol Garden was born in the UK in 1965 but came to New Zealand as a baby. She grew up in Auckland, studying English at Auckland University, then a post-graduate secondary teaching diploma.

Carol has worked as a journalist, a high school English teacher, a communications manager and a chef. Her first novel was written in response to learning about climate change anxiety in children. She is a keen sailor and in 2018 sailed to the Pacific Islands for five months.