Today I’m thrilled to have Debby Lee, author of Butterflies are Beautiful, with me in the Blue Rose Writing Room.
Plus, she’s giving away a digital copy of her book!
Welcome, Debby.
What’s one thing you absolutely can’t tolerate during your writing? One thing you can’t write without?
I’m very noise sensitive and can’t focus or concentrate with a lot of noise and distractions. On the other hand I can’t seem to get more than a few pages into my current work without my favorite thesaurus, Roget’s International thesaurus.
I have to have quiet myself!
Why did you choose to write in this genre? Have you ever written any other genre? Do you plan on doing so in the future?
I write Sweet Romance because I wanted to offer something to readers that wasn’t filled with a bunch of illicit sex but didn’t necessarily lean towards preachy either.
I write Sweet Romance because I wanted to offer something to readers that wasn’t filled with a bunch of illicit sex but didn’t necessarily lean towards preachy either.
What historical figure do you wish you could have met?
Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King
Tell us one unusual, weird, or curious fact you discovered while researching this book.
A curious fact, while coming up with a name for my heroine, I looked specifically for someone who had a physical handicap, somebody who others wouldn’t normally think of as a romance heroine. Then I heard the story of Mother Theresa’s feet.
Mother Theresa received donations of shoes for her charity work. She consistently chose the worst pair of shoes for herself, no matter how poorly they fit. This was to save others from having the worst pair. As a result of her sacrifice her feet became gnarled and deformed, but that didn’t seem to matter to her. What mattered is that others had the best of what she had to offer, no matter what.
If that’s not love in its purest form I don’t know what is. So I decided to name my heroine after her. Gabby Theresa Keller gets her middle name from none other than Mother Theresa.
That’s so powerful and moving. Thank you for sharing.
How do you respond to negative reviews?
I do take a moment to read through them, sometimes they have merit, sometimes they don’t. If the reviewer points out something serious I take note of it and try not to make the same mistake in future books. Otherwise, I just let it go. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I know I can’t write to please everybody, so why bother getting upset about it.
What’s one new thing you’d like to try?
I’d love to learn how to surf, which is odd considering I’m terrified of sharks and I can’t swim a stroke to save my drowning soul. Maybe learning to surf is, in some weird way, a means to overcome my fears. Then again, while flying out of LA, I gazed out the airplane window and the sight of the cool blue Pacific Ocean was so beautiful it took my breath away.
I grew up along the north Oregon coast. Our waters are much cooler than California’s but there are some die-hard surfers up here. They surf in wet suits.
Do you have a favorite quote?
“Just living is not enough,” said the butterfly. “One must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower.” Hans Christian Andersen
Tell us something unusual, quirky, or odd about yourself?
You mean I have to pick just one? Oh boy, I had to ask for help on this one, and here’s what I came up with.
You mean I have to pick just one? Oh boy, I had to ask for help on this one, and here’s what I came up with.
I love muscle cars, American made, big block engines with lots of torque that will get you up to speed and keep you there. I can check transmission fluid, help replace alternators and even change my own oil. What’s unusual is that I can’t count the number of times I’ve absentmindedly ran out of gas.
Okay, now for the quickie questions: Answer in three words or less. Ready? Go!
Favorite Disney Character? Dumbo
Favorite Fruit? Pineapple
Favorite Hero? Betsy ten Boom
Favorite Eye Color? blue
Best Vacation destination? Touring Europe
Food you can’t stand? Animal innards, eeewww!
What annoys you? cruelty
Coffee, tea, or something else? Tazo Passion tea
Nightgown or Jammies? Jammies
Prefer dogs or cats? Both
A bit about Debby
Debby Lee is a proud and active member of several chapters of Romance Writers of America. She has held an office, helped coordinate a national contest, and served on a conference committee.
She lives in Washington state with her family, and loves to cheer for the Seattle Seahawks. Italy and Denmark are places she dreams of visiting.
The blurb about Butterflies are Beautiful
This is a retelling of The Ugly Duckling, set in 1970. Gabby Theresa Keller hopes to attend her friend’s wedding and dreams of being normal. No easy thing for someone who has been handicapped since birth. With the help of cancer survivor, William Franklin, Gabby learns what it means to be truly beautiful, and what it means to love.
Enjoy an excerpt from Butterflies are Beautiful
Seattle Washington, Spring 1970
With her chest heaving full of anxiety, Gabby Theresa Keller dodged behind a Campbell’s Soup display at her local grocery store. Her heart beat so rapidly, she thought it might burst through her chest as she struggled to steady her breathing. This couldn’t be happening.
After uncurling her white fingers from the shopping cart handle, she peered warily around the display. The evil sisters lurked not far from where she stood. Rich and socially elite, Jane and Julia Calhoon stood, entitled as only the privileged purport themselves to be, before the store’s selection of fine wines. The sleek bottles weren’t normally on her shopping list and they were beyond her budget anyway.
Gabby suffered from a disfigured left arm since birth. Hideous scars from corrective surgeries zigzagged their way from elbow to wrist no matter how much vitamin E oil she messaged into them at night. With a modest income provided by Social Security she could ill afford plastic surgery.
Heaven forbid, the Calhoon sisters bumped into her and began their tirade against her here in the produce section. Gabby imagined Jane and Julia picking out bananas and it seemed fitting because they behaved like a pair of trained monkeys. A chuckle threatened and Gabby could barely stifle it.
Hoping to put distance between herself and the Calhoon sisters, Gabby hurried around a corner stocked with condiments and head for the cereal aisle.
Just when she thought it was safe to pick out her cornflakes a squeaky voice all but clawed into her back. The words sawed through her ribs and into her heart as if they were made of serrated butcher knives.
“Why it’s Gabby Theresa Keller. Her welfare check must have come in today.” Jane, the older sister, giggled. Julia laughed with cockiness bred from money instead of life. They sounded like a gaggle of stuck-up school girls and Gabby’s face flushed hot with shame.
Why can’t they just leave me alone?
Anyone who treated a handicap as a reason for ridicule deserved to be the very garbage these two treated Gabby like.
Without further adieu, she threw a box of cereal in with her other groceries and shoved her cart past them, counting the tiles on the floor to keep from looking into their snide faces. The checkout line seemed miles away. Their laughter chased after her as if it were a starving animal bent on devouring her dignity, her pride, and her self-respect.
“Oh!” Gabby gasped. Her cart crashed into an end cap displaying containers of the newest brand of instant coffee. The entire display cascaded down and buried her in coffee cans up to her ankles. Several shoppers turned and stared at her. A shelf stocking boy glared at her with his hands on his hips. The Calhoon sisters cackled louder than Gabby thought possible. Gabby felt her face flush hotter yet.
Gabby bent down to pick up the items she’d knocked to the floor.
“Here, let me help?” A man towered over her.
A sleeveless t-shirt revealed his broad shoulders and hugged his muscled chest. Eyes the color of fresh green grass in the spring time stared down at her. She had never seen eyes that shade of green before. They were mesmerizing, and for a moment, she was speechless, captivated. The man’s reddish blond hair was tied back into a loose pony tail and he aimed a roguish smile in her direction. As he bent to pick up a handful of items Gabby noticed a thin jagged scar snaking its way down his neck and right shoulder.
“Thank you.” Gabby mumbled. All the while, she tried not to be rude and stare.
She gathered the coffee containers as quickly as possible and stood to place them back on the shelf.
“Allow me to introduce myself. I’m William Franklin.” The man said, helping her.
“Pleased to make you’re acquaintance Mr. Franklin, I’m Gabby Keller.” Gabby thrust her left hand behind her and placed her right hand in his outstretched one. He grasped it firmly as her breath caught in her throat. He had such strong hands.
“I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.” The man laid a tender kiss upon the back of her hand.
Gabby’s breath and heartbeat all but stopped.
“I haven’t seen you around here before William. Are you new to the area?” Gabby did her best to mask the squeak in her voice but wasn’t sure she succeeded.
“Hello, again,”
Gabby’s stomach lurched and rolled. She closed her eyes, wishing with everything she had that the voice behind her wasn’t who she knew it to be. Just once, couldn’t they leave her alone? Pain eroded what shred of happiness she’d found in Will’s smile. Julia had everything. Gabby had nothing. Julia was sunshine to Gabby’s cold, grey moon glow. Julia would override any sense of tentative camaraderie Gabby and Will had forged.
Julia approached with a sway in her hips as exaggerated as the pitching of a fishing boat on stormy waters. “Who’s the guy you’re flirting with?”
The echo of the sister’s laughter taunted Gabby with painful humiliation.
Gabby bit her lip until it hurt, mumbled good-bye to William, and hurried away. Hatred of the sisters coursed through her entire body like toxic venom. She tossed her groceries onto the conveyor belt so fast they nearly toppled onto the floor. She couldn’t get through the checkout line fast enough. Gabby thrust the money at the cashier and made a dash for the exit.
Casting a glance over her shoulder, her watery gaze took in the Calhoon sisters batting their eyelashes at William. A stab of pain pierced into Gabby like a red hot needle. Tears of fiery indignation blazed a thin trail down her cheeks.
So much for getting to know William Franklin.
Here’s how you can contact Debby Lee
My blog address is: sweetinspirationals.wordpress.com
Thanks again, Debby, for joining me here today.
Buy links
http://www.amazon.com/Butterflies-Beautiful-Butterfly-Fairytales-Collection-ebook/dp/B00HMV6WXO/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388797802&sr=8-1&keywords=butterflies+are+beautiful+by+debby+lee
