Ashley Marie Witter was born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin, and she went to the Madison Area Technical College, where she was a student of Mark A. Nelson (Aliens, Dark Horse Comics) and earned her associates degree in Animation and Conceptual Development. After experimenting a bit with web comics like Reign of Adeodatus and Scorch, she later contributed to a comics anthology called The Eternal Sad (Gothology). Building a name for herself in the Madison art scene through gallery shows and working on commissions to pay the bills, Ashley was just saying to herself, "I need a real job!" when she received an e-mail from Yen Press the following day.