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Born on a Sunday in 1981 in the heart of Alabama, sliding into the grasp of a doctor she'd summoned away from Church by her birth, Deborah sported red hair and a curious nature. Her red hair darkened to brunette, but her lust for knowledge from the world around her was never tempered.
ACADEMIC LIFE She began her academic life as a private school brat before steep fees, a growing family, and a dwindling parental income put her in public school. She feels this worked to her benefit, character-wise, and refuses to entertain notions that the public school system of Alabama crippled her academically-- she spent a mere few years there and then found her rightful place in the academically advanced programs offered in her state.
Graduating from high school an AP Scholar with Honors, she went to Huntingdon College for her undergraduate degrees. Under the guidance of Dr. Gregory Salyer and Dr. Erastus T. Dudley, she worked her way through a B.A. in Biology (with Honors), one in Mythology, and a minor in English. She graduated magna cum laude in 2003.
She was a member of the following honor societies upon graduation from college: Phi Eta Sigma, Alpha Beta, Beta Beta Beta, Psi Chi, Sigma Tau Delta, and Theta Alpha Kappa. She generally feels that, belonging to so many Greek letter-sporting societies, she should at least have gotten one secret decoder ring out of the lot; however, she still happily accepts the honor cords and uses them as curtain ties. |
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WRITING LIFE
Deborah has been writing stories since about the age of five, though most of her early works were simple retellings of stories she'd been told or read. One fateful day in her thirteenth year, however, she sat down and decided to write her first original novel. That novel was all of about twelve pages long, but it was an early attempt at a deconstruction of the Garden of Eden and her personal mythos.
Early recognizing some worth to her writing, a couple of committed teachers gave her their sponsorship and sent her to two Young Author's Conventions (hosted by Auburn University at Montgomery). In the following years, she would see her work published by her school literary magazines: The North Tower in high school and The Prelude in university.
Now she plays the part of the frustrated writer: of abundant ideas, a stalled-out novelist, a frustrated screenwriter, poet errant, and as yet unpublished. She continues to work, though, spinning stories and poems of art and meaning. Her favorite themes of late include exploring the idea of what it means to be the lover of a god, what it means to be a survivor, and the madness of researching for a travel guide.
WHERE IS SHE NOW?
Recently returned from Japan (relatively speaking, anyway), Deborah has spent the last year and a half teaching high school English at the Crossroads School (which you can read more about in her blog). She has also recently become engaged to her friend of ten years, one Sir Andrew, and plans to wed in December 2008. They live in Montgomery with their two cats: Tiger Jack and Kaylee.
For a more entertaining bio about Deborah, follow this link into an entirely different version of the space-time continuum.