Deborah Nelson grew up in Germany, Cuba, and Peru. She traveled to Mexico, Ecuador, and Spain during her college years and holds a BA from Vassar College and a MA from Stanford University, both in Spanish literature. She did advanced PhD coursework in Spanish literature at Catholic University and Boston University and taught Spanish in various high schools over a 20-year period. Now retired, Deborah volunteers as an ESL instructor at the Neighborhood Care Center in Cornelius. She also is active with International House, Charlotte, where she participates in a weekly Spanish Conversation hour and chairs their International Book Club.