After graduating from high school, Cushman won a scholarship and chose to attend Stanford University. She graduated in 1963 with a degree in English and Greek. After graduation, Cushman wanted to go to Greece and dig for treasures in ancient ruins, but instead, she began working for the Beverly Hills telephone company. She eventually quit that job and several subsequent jobs. She was working as an assistant clerk-administrator at Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles, when she met Philip Cushman, then a rabbinical student. They married in 1969 and moved to Oregon. While in Oregon, her husband taught at a small college and Cushman took up weaving and made blackberry jam. They also had a daughter named Leah. Two years later, they returned to California, where Cushman and her husband went back to school to earn master's degrees. Cushman graduated from United States International University in 1977 with a master's in human behavior. Her husband received his master's in counseling. Her husband continued with his studies and received a doctorate in psychology. He has been a psychotherapist and professor ever since. Cushman also continued her studies. She received a second master's in Museum Studies from the John F. Kennedy University in 1986. After graduating, Cushman stayed at John
F. Kennedy University, where she has taught classes in museology and material culture, edited the Museum Studies Journal, and coordinated the master's project program.
As her daughter, Leah, grew up, Cushman read numerous books to and with her. When Leah began reading adult fiction, Cushman didn't. She chose to keep reading young adult literature because the stories and themes captivated her attention. Cushman began to share her ideas for stories with her husband, until one day he told her to write the stories down.
