Career
Derby was a puppeteer at one point, working with Frank Oz at the Children"s Fairyland Puppet Fair hosted by the San Francisco Puppeteers Guild of America. Derby"s father was driving Suzuki from Los Altos to San Francisco and he inquired about Suzuki"s ambition wherein Suzuki replied "I"d like to write a book" After hearing about this conversation from her father, Derby approached Suzuki about taping his lectures and transcribing them. Suzuki later suggested she give the manuscript to Richard Baker who then further refined it with the help of Trudy Dixon.