Iris M. Díaz was one of many thousands of Cubans who left the island in 1961 with only five dollars in their wallets. For years, she lived with relatives, friends, boarding schools, college dorms, and even a convent. She was finally able to afford her first apartment in 1972, a small studio in upper Manhattan. She taught for a few years, acted Off-Broadway, and worked as a researcher, associate producer, and videotape technician at NBC-TV. After working eighteen years in New York City, she moved to a small central Florida town where she bought the small farm and the horses she had always dreamed of. She spends her time horseback riding and writing, her two passions in life.