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Debra Burr Downing
Author Bio:
I was born the only child of Walton & Josephine "Bobbie" Burr in Atlanta, Georgia, in the 1950s. When I was still young, five years old to be exact, we moved outside of Atlanta, to live on a lake. Daddy loved fishing and since he had no sons, I became his fishing buddy. I cherished this time I spent with my father. You can learn a lot about patience and perseverance in a fishing boat!
When I was around 15, Daddy's company transferred him to Detroit, and 3 months later to Ontario, Canada where we lived for about a year and a half. This was quite a change for us. I remember asking my classmates, "Do you ever get snow days from school? "They replied, "what's a snow day?" About the time we were beginning to conquer the Canadian winter, if that's really possible, and our Canadian friends were just beginning to really understand our southern accent, Daddy was transferred to Sao Paulo, Brazil where I finished high school – what a cultural treat that was! After I graduated from high school, I chose to attend Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, where I met my husband, Jim. I received a BA in history and education and began my teaching career in Ocala, Florida. Ocala is "next to" Silver Springs, the little town with the famous glass-bottom boats. Ocala was a wonderful town for a first-year teacher. Since I was teaching juniors and seniors, I saw my students constantly as they all seemed to work in every restaurant and grocery store in town. I had to be on my best behavior all the time! After a few years of teaching, Jim and I were married, and we moved to Tallahassee where he worked for the Florida Department of Agriculture. I must admit I really missed the small-town atmosphere of Ocala. In the meantime, I managed to complete my Master’s degree in Education. I thought we would be in Tallahassee forever and then Jim wants to know if I would like to move to Washington, DC. Really? So he accepts a position in Washington working for EPA, the Environmental Protection Agency. Talk about an adjustment! Did you know even if you are left-handed, people get really upset in DC if you stand on the left side of the escalators leading the metro subway system? Anyway, after a couple of years of a career detour into doing computer training for federal agencies (a whole other story within itself), I returned to teaching high school social studies students and am currently teaching in the Fairfax County Public School system in Virginia.
I love my teaching almost as much as I love writing. I’ve had several articles published in the Guideposts magazine and one in their "Angels" magazine. I also had a story published in the Walt Disney magazine. In November of 2019, I published my first novel, "Mary Grace and the Clarview Girls". This book is based on my family's experiences living in Canada as well as my experiences attending Canadian schools, including being a student and living in a Canadian girls' boarding school.
I am currently working on a sequel that chronicles Daddy's next assignment. This new location would be even more unique and different for me and my family. I love to try and make my readers feel like they are right in the middle of my stories. I want them to love and hoot for the new characters they meet in my book. I hope to strengthen the readers' faith as they feel all of the joys and challenges of the characters in my novel. I want to encourage everyones' faith and their walk with the Lord.
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