murphy is originally from st. louis, missouri, and began her career as a journalist at the "st. louis post-dispatch". from there she moved to the "los angeles times", where she worked for eight years. she was hired away from the "los angeles times" to become a correspondent for new york/new west magazine. in the 1980s she became the west coast roving editor for "esquire" magazine. she also wrote extensively for "tv guide" magazine.