 She grew up in poverty, living on a converted barge with no plumbing.In high school, McFate spent much of her time in the burgeoning early-1980s San Francisco punk scene, but at the same time, was a strong student with an academic focus, earning numerous scholarship that helped put her through college.During this time, McFate was a close friend of Cintra Wilson, and the character Lorna in her novel "Colors Insulting to Nature" is largely based on the young McFate.