"Tropical Rose" is inspired by the author's maternal grandmother, the charming and adventurous Therese. The book chronicles the heroine's coming of age on Mauritius, a troubled, colonial, tropical island located in east Africa, and her subsequent move to England with her soldier husband. Therese grows into a bold and confident young woman. During the course of two world wars, she often assumes a leadership role. She is up for a challenge and faces perilous dangers in occupied France, while attracting admirers everywhere she goes. While fiercely coming to the aid of friends and family who are in difficult situations, she remains a loving wife and devoted mother.
Debbie was born in London, England to scientific parents, but always preferred the arts, especially creative writing. At the age of 17, she moved with her family to Toronto and attended Trinity College, emerging with a degree in French and English. Being undecided on a profession, she became a bilingual secretary in a large corporation and met her future husband, Ed, not long after that. In 1980, they moved to his home province of Alberta, where they raised a family. She worked in many administrative jobs, and was involved in community theatre with her whole family. Debbie always wanted to write so, after the tragic loss of her second daughter, she wrote of the family's experience with mental illness in "A Moth to the Flame — Amy's Struggle with Borderline Personality Disorder" (Crossfield Publishing — 2016). Debbie is happy to present a new genre to her readers, and hopes they will enjoy the adventures of Theresa, her character, who is loosely based on her grandmother.
Updates Available: Updates Available: Update available for Picture Gallery Module