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 Draper was born in 1952 in Cleveland, Ohio

She was a straight-A student and went through almost every single book in her school library. Draper breezed through high school, taking advanced and honors courses, and graduated a National Merit Scholar. With that scholarship, Draper enrolled at Pepperdine University, located in Malibu, California. In 1971, when she was just twenty years old, Draper graduated with a degree in English.

Pepperdine offered her a teaching position while she pursued a master's degree, but Draper chose to return to Ohio where she enrolled at Miami University of Ohio. She earned a master's degree in 1974.

She taught high school for many years.

One day, a young student of hers handed her a crumpled application form and said, "You think you so bad— why don't you write something! Enter this contest!" Draper accepted his challenge and submitted a short story to //Ebony// magazine's annual Gertrude Johnson Williams Literary Competition. This began her writing career.

Months went by and Draper forgot that she had even entered a contest. One day,though, she received a phone call that her short story, "One Small Torch," had taken first prize. Almost overnight the suprised Draper was in the national spotlight, and she began receiving letters and calls of congratulations—some from very famous writers. More importantly, the win ignited a spark in Draper, who decided to try her hand at a longer work of fiction.

In November 1994 Draper came out with her two first books //Tears of a Tiger and Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs.//