Jean Marie Auel (/ˈdʒiːn məˈriː ˈaʊl/; née Untinen; born February 18, 1936) is an American writer. She is best known for her Earth's Children books, a series of novels set in prehistoric Europe that explores interactions of Cro-Magnon people with Neanderthals. As of 2010 her books have sold more than 45 million copies worldwide.

Early years

Jean Marie Untinen was born in 1936 in Chicago, Illinois. She is of Finnish descent, the second of five children of Neil Solomon Untinen, a housepainter, and Martha (née Wirtanen) Untinen.

Auel attended University of Portland. While a student, she joined Mensa, and worked at Tektronix, as a clerk (1965–1966), a circuit board designer (1966–1973), technical writer (1973–1974), and a credit manager (1974–1976). She earned an MBA from the University of Portland in 1976. She received honorary degrees from her alma mater, as well as the University of Maine and the Mount Vernon College for Women.

Career as novelist

In 1977, Auel began extensive library research of the Ice Age for her first book. She joined a survival class to learn how to construct an ice cave, and learned primitive methods of making fire, tanning leather, and knapping stone from the aboriginal skills expert Jim Riggs.