Marlene Cheng lives with her husband, Richmond, in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. They are both retired and spend their time puttering in the garden or traipsing around the world. They have six grandchildren, who keep an eye out for them. In an interview, when Marlene was asked about herself, she said, "I grew up on a farm, I've had a university life, most of my working years were spent in the medical field, and I married into a Chinese family. Chinese culture, in many instances, is completely opposite to anything that I had experienced, and I don't speak the language, so I miss the nuances. The Chinese experience has been a strong life-shaper. "In my writing, all the parts of my life-the spring of my imagination-tend to be revisited. For instance: the farm finds a way to show up, education sneaks in, a medical condition happens, mixed-racial relationships are common. It's as if I'm trying to integrate the separate parts of myself, understand who I am. "It's confusing. At this stage of my life, I often find myself standing by the wardrobe, trying to decide which hat best suits me. 'Maybe, I'll just wear purple.' "But on the other hand, I have discovered something. Writing 'Found, Lost and Forever' has helped me put all my different selves into the melting pot and give them a good stir. All the labels from my personal history amalgamated. It left just me. On any given day, I'll wear whatever pleases." Marlene Cheng has also written The Many Layered Skirt and The Tuareg Ladies.
