She was a student at Drake University from 1951-1953 and graduated with a bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina in 1955. She taught junior high school English in Ohio from 1956-1957 and high school drama and speech in New York from 1957-1962. She also was an actress at Ohio's Wilmington Summer Theater in 1957. After teaching, Ms. Murphy published her first book, Home Free, in 1970. Since that time, she has continued to write and publish books for both children and young adults.