She is the daughter of Walter Hautzig and Esther Hautzig. She is now married to Willie DeVries and has a daughter named Molly.

In addition to the Little Witch series, Deborah has written several Sesame Street books. She has written versions of children's classics such as The Secret Garden, The Little Mermaid, and The Nutcracker. She has also written two young adult books, Hey Dollface! and Second Star to the Right, which was loosely based on her own battle with anorexia, a battle she did not win until after finishing writing it.