Deborah was born in San Luis Obispo, California where she spent much of her childhood engrossed in books. Before she learned to read, Deborah would memorize the stories read to her. She began writing when she was very young, penning her first poem at the age of five. Deborah always knew she would be a writer. She would write and organize neighborhood plays and performances, carnivals, treasure hunts, and more!
Deborah graduated from the University of Montana with a BA in English and went on to earn her MFA in creative writing from the University of Arizona. Since then, Deborah has been writing steadily as a journalist and teacher of writing. Deborah Tobola's poetry has been published in more than 50 literary journals and anthologies in the U.S. Her work has been recognized by the Academy of American Poets, Pushcart Prize, the National Writers Union, and the Alaska State Council on the Arts.
The Big Buck Adventure, co-written by Shelley Gill, is Deborah's first book for children. This tour, in verse, through a department store "puts lie to the notion that economics is by nature a dreary topic. . .if the value of money is in its possibilities, rather than its purchases, readers, too, will be relieved when the girl leaves the store. Lin's illustrations make the mayhem memorable in an easy book to pair with Scieszka and Smith's Math Curse (Kirkus Reviews).