Jeff Mariotte was born in Park Forest, Illinois. He's lived in Arlington and Reston, Virginia, Worms and Schriesheim, Germany, San Jose, San Diego, and Arizona. He graduated from San Jose State University with a degree in Radio/TV/Film. He has worked delivering the Washington Post, in a comic book store, fast food, selling encyclopedias door to door, and as maintenance supervisor for a large regional shopping center. He was the manager of Hunterís Books, La Jolla when his first fiction was published.

He has been VP of Marketing and Senior Editor for comic book publisher WildStorm Productions, Editor-in-Chief for IDW Publishing, and a freelance writer. He and his wife Maryelizabeth Hart and partner Terry Gilman are the owners of Mysterious Galaxy, an independent bookstore specializing in mystery, science fiction, fantasy, and horror. He currently lives in Arizona with Maryelizabeth, daughter Holly, son David, two cats and two dogs, in a house filled with books and comics and toys and music and laughter.