Born in Chicago, Pamela Marin spent her undergrad years working in taverns on Lincoln Avenue and the editorial offices of Playboy magazine. She was a staff writer at The Orange County Register and a columnist for the Los Angeles Times, and has contributed to Playboy, Redbook and other magazines. An essay she wrote in 2001 was featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Her memoir, Motherland (Free Press, 2005), was named one of the "Best Books of the Year" by the Chicago Tribune. Marin and her husband, Kevin Cook, co-wrote Tommy's Honour, which will open the Edinburgh Film Festival in June.