Flake was born December 24, 1955, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is the next to youngest sibling with three brothers and two sisters, and grew up in an inner-city neighborhood where people were close and looked out for one another. Her father worked for Philadelphia Gas Co., while her mother did days work and raised her children with much care and love people all around the world. Through their guidance and eclectic nature, Flake and her siblings were encouraged to be culturally fluent, learning through music, tv, politics, and printed media. As a teenager, she attended Simon Gatz High School, where she belonged to the tennis team.

Flake achieved her bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1978, majoring in English Writing and minoring in Political Science. During this time, she performed an internship at the University's public relations office, as well as contributing her writing to the Pitt News. Immediately after graduating she took a job as a house parent in a Pittsburgh area youth shelter, working with those who'd been forced into foster care. From 1987 until 2005, Flake returned to the University of Pittsburgh public relations department where she eventually became a supervisor, then went on to become Director of Public Relations at the University's Katz Graduate School of Business.

During this time her writing career still remained active. Flake participated in writing workshops at the Pinocchio bookstore, where she began working on The Skin I'm In in the mid nineties.

Over the next few years, Flake continued to work at Pitt, while also writing for nonfiction for B-level and local magazines, and reviewed articles for Shooting Star Review, a Pittsburgh literary publication. Periodically, she also wrote pieces for Pitt's alumni publication, and worked in a writing group with two friends.

When her daughter Brittney was born, Flake's interest in fiction writing became consistent. She often credits her daughter's birth with launching her fiction writing career. "If she weren't born," Flake says, "I'm not sure I ever would have become a consistent enough writer to make this journey. Her birth gave me the inspiration and dedication I needed to stay the course." Flake created short stories for her daughter, and read them at her daughter’s daycare. She went on to write “The Luckiest Sister”, a story about two twins who lead different lives because of their different skin colors. It was the winner of the August Wilson short story contest, and was published in AIM magazine.

Flake later won a scholarship to, and attended the Highlights for Children’s writing conference in Chautauqua. Her first novel, The Skin I'm In, was published in 1998 when Disney released its Jump at the Sun imprint. She has since written six pieces, both novels and collections of short stories through Disney Books (Jump at the Sun).

In her spare time, Flake enjoys gardening, line dancing, and reading, and walking with her dog, Pharaoh. Pharaoh Flake, a three-year-old purebred Shih Tzu, is a dog of humble nature who still knows instinctively that he is well liked.