Early Life and Artistic Awakening

On a wintry December 15, 1955, in the quaint town of Northampton, Massachusetts, Deborah Savage made her entrance into the world. Her family later relocated to the pastoral embrace of north-central Pennsylvania, where she grew up amidst the sprawling embrace of a two-hundred-acre farm. Nurtured by her father, a college English professor and a wordsmith, and her mother, an art teacher, she was encouraged to embrace "individual and rather solitary interests." From a tender age, Savage found herself spinning tales and sketching illustrations, initially weaving stories about animals, and gradually exploring the intricate web of young people's relationships. She recalls an early awareness of "being an artist."

Journeys and Education

With a candid admission of her "hatred for school," Savage left her family home at seventeen, embarking on adventures across Great Britain and the United States. Her journey eventually led her to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where she delved into the realms of writing and illustration, earning her degree. In the vibrant years of the late 1970s, she juggled teaching creative writing with her aspirations to publish poetry and short stories, though success eluded her at the time.

New Zealand Adventures and Literary Success

The year 1981 marked a new chapter as she married a New Zealand native, relocating briefly to the remote beauty of Great Barrier Island, east of Auckland. Upon settling in Auckland, she sought opportunities as a freelance illustrator. Serendipity intervened when Collins, a publisher, expressed interest not in her illustrations, but in a story she penned after her move—A Rumour of Otters. Set against the backdrop of New Zealand's South Island, a place she had yet to visit but whose climate and topography mirrored her rural roots in Pennsylvania. By 1984, the novel was in print, coinciding with her return to Massachusetts. In 1986, Houghton Mifflin introduced the book to the American audience, earning it a "Notable Children's Book Award" from the American Library Association.

Subsequent Works and Inspirations

Back in the United States, Savage crafted her next novel, Flight of the Albatross, during her time in northwestern Connecticut. Released in 1989, this narrative drew heavily from her experiences on Great Barrier Island and her tenure as a muralist at the Auckland Museum. Here, she worked amidst a grand hall celebrating the navigational triumphs of South Pacific's indigenous peoples, including the Maori, whom European explorers encountered upon "discovering" New Zealand. The story features an American girl, steeped in music, visiting her mother for the summer, and a Maori boy, on a quest to define his identity and future.

Ongoing Passion and Reflection

In the following years, Savage traversed between the United States and New Zealand. Despite a divorce, her enchantment with New Zealand persisted. Her 1992 novel, A Stranger Calls Me Home, unfolds on the East Cape of the North Island, where three young individuals—two boys and a girl—navigate the complexities of their Maori and pakeha (European) heritage. Nearing completion is her fourth novel, Along a Path of Stars. Alongside her writing endeavors, Savage has imparted her knowledge of English in secondary schools, continued her muralist work, and inspired others through writing workshops.

Reflecting on her journey, Savage muses, "Why New Zealand has affected me so profoundly is still virtually a mystery. I think I discovered a strong, concrete metaphor there for my own vision. It is a small country, where the problems of environment and cultural differences are extremely pronounced and easily in evidence. In any case, I am somehow able to transpose onto a foreign landscape my own personal experiences in growing up, in discovering a sense of self in my society."