Rhodes was born and brought up in Yorkshire, and now lives on the Sussex coast. Many of her novels are set around the Yorkshire Dales. A former library assistant, writing stories from an early age, she was a regular author of short stories in magazines and for radio for many years before her first novel, "Opal", was published. Elvi Rhodes' best known novels include "Ruth Appleby", "Cara's Land", "The Mountain", and the recent "A Blessing in Disguise".

Elvi Rhodes is the grandmother of Bedfordshire Artist Emma Rhodes and mother-in-law to Margaret Rhodes