Debrah Williamson

I’m not a romance reader, so I hadn’t read any of Debrah’s earlier books. If Singing with the Top Down is any indication, however, she’s a wonderful storyteller with a great future as a writer of gentle fiction. Singing with the Top Down’s narrator, Pauly, is a 13-year-old girl whom you’ll just love! Readers will have to take my word on that for now, as her book doesn’t come out until September … I know, that’s a long time to wait. It’s worth it! (The bound galley proof I read contained glowing recommendations from two of our favorite writers who are featured in the Cozy Library: Karin Gillespie and Ann B. Ross.)

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Born with the mutant maverick writing gene, I started writing early. My first “aha” moment came in third grade when I mastered cursive penmanship and was finally able to commit to paper, quickly and legibly, the stories that filled my imagination. A couple of gold stars later, and I knew writing was what I would do.

My high-minded resolve was short-lived. In high school, I was advised that fiction was not a viable career choice for ordinary people from small towns in Oklahoma. As a result, I had to reinvent myself several times over the years. I worked many different jobs, always searching for what was missing. Always writing on the side.

I graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in communication. Married. Devoted myself to motherhood. I was still writing on the side, and it never occurred to me to pursue publication.

In 1984 I took a writing class and began collaborating with another beginner. We knew nothing about the publishing world but total ignorance didn’t stop us from selling our first romance novel the next year. As an award-winning writing team, we went on to publish over 20 contemporary and historical romances under several pseudonyms.

A need for knowledge and another “aha” moment led me to pursue educational and professional goals. I completed a graduate degree in health science and worked as a medical speech-language pathologist specializing in neurological rehabilitation. I didn’t write for several years, and despite a rewarding career, I felt like something vital had been carved out of me.

A writer can try to give up writing, but writing does not give up on a writer. Another “aha” moment. If  I wasn’t writing, I wasn’t fully participating in life. Tackling a solo career, I sold five category romances before making the move to mainstream women’s fiction.

Every writer has a book of her heart. Singing with the Top Down is the book of my heart. It’s the story I longed to write before I even knew how. How could I not love a story that helped me find my voice and taught me to trust my instincts? Singing with the Top Down has been the best “aha” moment so far.

Another major “aha” moment. I no longer write on the side. My three children have flown the nest. My husband of 29 years accepts my writer quirks and is apparently willing to stick around for the duration. I currently work on the side. I teach on the side. Sometimes I even live on the side.

But writing? That’s now what I do.

Profile courtesy of the author. Photo from the author’s website. Used with permission

Author website:  http://www.debrahwilliamson.com/

If you're interested in reading Debrah's earlier work, more information is on her website.