Career Highlights
2022 – Debra launched her new Green Brotherhood SEAL Team XII series after rights on books in Susan Stoker’s world reverted to her. When this happens the previous world and host author’s characters must be removed and replaced. Debra moved her SEALs from CA to Virginia Beach, VA where SEAL Team XI is located, and with the help of her SEAL advisor, Bill Hellman, created the team, with new titles, Finding Bryce; Real Movie Hero; and Saving the Bellydancer, and brought more authenticity to the stories.
2022 Bestseller list – Montana Delta Protector (Brotherhood Protectors series) Amazon bestseller list paid category #24.
2018 Bestseller lists – Marine Protector (Brotherhood Protectors series) Amazon bestseller list paid category #41. Protecting Pippa (Susan Stoker’s Operation Alpha world series) Amazon bestseller Kindle World paid category #4. Split Screen Scream (Susan Stoker’s Operation Alpha world series) bestseller suspense paid category #40.
2017 – Bestseller list – Debra was invited to write in Elle James Brotherhood Protectors Kindle World and Debra’s first book in that world, Montana Marine made the Kindle World Romance Bestsellers list in a paid category, the first time one of her books made a bestseller list as it climbed to #3.
2017 – Debra established her new Indie press, Belo Dia Publishing Inc. to republish her backlist. Belo Dia is Portuguese for beautiful day.
Radio Host: Debra hosted Book Lights: Shining a Light on Good Books for Readers Entertainment on BlogTalk Radio for a year and a half, chatting with authors of fiction every Tuesday night.
Cover Model Corner interviews were picked up by Affaire de Coeur magazine and Debra continues to freelance for the magazine, offering interviews.
2013 – RONE Awards at RNC, Las Vegas – Debra’s novella Dangerous Ties was up for an award in the historical novella category.
2013 – Debra published her first indie book, Twilight Dips, a collection of poems from her college days.
2011 – RT Booklover’s Convention in L.A. – Debra’s name was drawn to win a Breakfast in Bed with cover model Jimmy Thomas photoshoot. Later she interviewed him and posted the interview on her website. The link had 5K hits. Approached by cover model Jason Bacca, who requested an interview, she came up with Cover Model Corner and has interviewed cover models ever since.
2009 – March 31st A Desperate Journey released in paperback. April 2nd, Book Launch party for A Desperate Journey at Burke’s Books, Memphis, TN.
2008 – A Desperate Journey, came out in eBook.
2007 – Her first novel, A Desperate Journey, was sold to Samhain Publishing.
2006 – On April 13th Debra signed with an agent and he began pitching her book.
2006 – Jan. 9th – Debra began Make Believe Mondays interviews – interviewing authors of fiction on her blog every week until August 2010.
2005 – The contest that launched Debra’s career. – On August 5th, Dorchester Publishing requested Debra’s full manuscript, and on Sept. 26th Debra’s manuscript, A Desperate Journey, was selected as a finalist in the American Title II Competition sponsored by RT BOOK Reviews magazine and Dorchester Publishing. It was the first novel Debra wrote. Nov. 14th – 27th was the first round of the contest. Her manuscript made it through the first round to the second round before she was bumped.
2005 – RT Booklovers Convention St. Louis – Debra entered her manuscript Gone to Texas in Bobbi Smith’s writing contest, was selected as a finalist and the manuscript won third place. Bobbi went over the manuscript with Debra and said the book needed to start in chapter three.
2002 – Ozark Creative Writers: Seven Oaks Publishing Co. Award 3rd place “Chosen Child.”
2001 – Ozark Creative Writers: Hightower Award – 1st place “The Magi.” Seven Oaks Publishing Co. Award – 2nd honorable mention “Corrections.” Come to Eureka Springs Contest 3rd honorable mention “We Can All Say Eureka.”
2001 – Bellowing Ark published her poems “In the Desert” and “Letters to Emily.”
2000 – Ozark Creative Writers: Mid-South Writers Group award 2nd honorable mention “The Magi.” Hightower Award 3rd place “Corrective Shoes.”
1999 – Debra’s first short story was published in the More Monsters from Memphis anthology. On March 21st WKNO’s Checking on the Arts Show, Khaki Walton interviewed Debra. live on the air. On March 23rd she attended her first book signing at Burke’s Books, Memphis, TN, reading with other authors from the anthology. On March 26th she appeared on the Fox 13 morning show. Her short story, Vampire from Memphis, was up for a Darrel award at Mid-South Con.
1999 – The Mid-South Writer’s Association: Mid-South Writers Festival: Good Morning Award – 1st place “Wake up Call.”
1998 – Poetry Society of Tennessee: Mid-South Poetry Festival: Poet Laureate Awards – 1st place for her poem “Grasshopper.” The Lorraine Smith Award – 3rd place for her poem “In the Desert.”
College Years:
1997 – Debra graduated from Marywood College, in Scranton, PA cum laude with a BA in English Literature.
1997 – Bellowing Ark volume 13 Jan/Feb published her poem, “Onions.”
1996 – Bellowing Ark volume 12 #4 July/Aug. issue published 4 of her poems – “Meditations on 4 Fragments” – “Standing by my Bed,” “Yes, it is Pretty,” “Without Warning,” and “Afraid of Losing You.” These poems were originally a class assignment to complete poem fragments written by Sappho.
1996 – Bellowing Ark Volume 12 Jan/Feb published her poem “Twilight Dips.”
1995 – Marywood College, in Scranton, PA (now Marywood University) – Debra was the first student at Marywood to win first place in two categories of the Delta Epsilon Sigma Beta Epsilon Chapter writing competition. Category Expository: Informal “The Magi” 1st place, and Category Creative: Prose “Day at the Fair” 1st place. The winning entries went on to compete at the national writing competition.
