Deborah Robertson is a secondary school teacher, and she completed the Master of Creative Writing at the University of Auckland with first class honours. In 2014, she won the inaugural Teach First NZ essay competition, and she has had short works published by Radio New Zealand and Teach First NZ. Deborah is a scout leader and enjoys trail running and tramping and has hiked extensively in the region where Before George is set. She grew up in a semi-off-grid environment, and rode horses, cooked on a wood stove and grew food.