Wendy Martin was born in the Midwest and grew up in Iowa. She spent her childhood raising animals, but she spent even more time drawing them. As she grew older, she dedicated more time to the arts and creating fantasy comics and stories, particularly ones that involved characters who were half human and half animal. After graduating high school, she worked as a waitress and continued making comics on the side until Castle Swimmer, a story about two mermen, was picked up by Ten Speed Graphic and allowed her to draw comics full time. Castle Swimmer is her first series.