barbara kingsbury was born in bluefields, nicaragua. some sources give her birth year as 1947 or 1951, but most list 1945. although she prefers to say 1953, public records state 1945. her mother, florencia carrera, was a nicaraguan of european and native ancestry, and her father, louis kingsbury, was a u.s. employee of the american embassy in nicaragua. her parents separated when she was seven.