Marlana grew up on a horse ranch outside St. Louis, Missouri. Following too many brutal winters and a degree in theatre at the University of Illinois, she headed west and began her entertainment career as a Page at NBC and a PA on the Oscars. She was a writers assistant and later a script coordinator on DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES. Marlana then moved to CW’s REAPER, where she script coordinated both seasons and wrote her first freelance script. This gained her entry into the WGA where she joined the Writers Education Committee. Following Reaper, she had the distinct pleasure of working on the final two seasons of FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS and the third season of SOUTHLAND. Most recently, Marlana joined the writing staff of ARMY WIVES for what would be their final two seasons. As a staff writer and story editor, she wrote four scripts and got to travel to Charleston, SC for the filming of her episodes. Outside of writing, Marlana mentors a teen girl who lives at a local group home, tries to get into the dance studio at least once a week and enjoys all the benefits of living in sunny Southern California. For the past three years, she has also organized the WGA Writers Salon, bringing together hundreds of Guild members with top showrunners for a series of break-out sessions.