The youngest of three, Thora Gabriel is from a small town in Illinois-a rural part of America that is rapidly fading from the scene.  Her father worked on the farm while her mother raised the kids and worked at the nearby hospital.

Thora moved to Southern California in1987 and received an associate degree in Business Administration from Fullerton College.  She continued studying, taking numerous writing classes at Cal State Fullerton and University of California, Irvine.