Barbara Leist Nelson, a Tampa, Florida, native, began her undergraduate education at Tampa University, focusing on voice. She worked part time in retail while going to school. After marrying her husband, a geologist, together they traveled to Colorado, Idaho, and then finally settled in St. Louis. She went on to teach music for three to four years. Since she had not yet completed her undergraduate degree, she went on to receive her BA from Concordia University in 1996. From there, Nelson worked as a news editor and on-air newsperson for radio station in St. Louis for ten years. She then moved on to become an editor for the Saint Louis Lutheran and then became an organist for the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church for twenty-three years. After retirement, she continued to work part time as an organist and to develop her craft as a writer.