Janet Rigg was born of a mother of German-Jewish dissent and a father of English-Scottish stock. They were interesting and inspiring people who both had their respective and profound effect on Janet during her childhood years.

Her Mother was the only female builder and contractor in the area of Berkeley where they lived, building dozens of original houses during her active engagement in the profession. Janet's grandfather was a chief engineer on British ships for forty years. He took her father to sea at the tender age of twelve while directing his education which led to her father's entrance to the University of California at Berkeley. He later became instrumental in ending capital punishment in California. He witnessed over one hundred executions during his career as a successful lawyer and eventually filled his position as a very popular and liberal judge.

Janet's background and upbringing moulded her into a strong, stubborn young woman who nurtured high hopes, ambitions and personal aspirations. Despite her battle with dyslexia Janet graduated from Stanford University with a BA in English Literature and the Arts which led to her career as an English language lecturer for many years at various universities around the country. Nothing was to deter Janet from fulfilling her dream to write her novel 'The Lost Dream of Don Quixote' in which she narrates fictional and non-fictional events that unfolded in the life of her personal hero and role-model - Fidel Castro. From his birth to his growing up years as an innocent but highly intelligent youth; the man who ultimately became known to the world as the most charismatic, political and tenaciously long-during leader of the Cuban peoples.