Apr 5, 20227 min read

Author Spotlight Debra Parmley

Tell our readers briefly about yourself.

I’m an author who lives full time in a motorhome where I travel the U.S. with my husband. I write romance as Debra Parmley. Military romantic suspense, historical, contemporary, fairy tale, sci-fi and fantasy. As Debra Bishop, I write all my work which is not romance such as fairy tales, fantasy, and children’s books. These will be coming out in 2023 and maybe a few in 2022.

What books do you have available?

Right now I have 29 available on Amazon, and 36 works listed on Goodreads if we count the anthologies. Many of those are now out of print.

Currently I have 7 in the Brotherhood Protectors World, and 2 in the Special Forces Operation Alpha World.

Four western historical romances.

Two 1920’s romance. And many others.

Can you give us a short description of them?

Montana SEAL Protector is my 7th in the Brotherhood Protectors series and came out February 8th, 2022.

Kindergarten teacher Ellen Young has a stalker with a love obsession who has followed her since college. When he attacks her in the school parking lot, she struggles to get away. He is winning when a man sees them and yells, the distraction just enough for her to break free. Now she is at the Three C’s Ranch in Eagle Rock Montana learning self-defense. Travis “Ballistic” Bannerman, SEAL vet, widower, and father of a five-year-old son, leaves the teams to come home to take care of his son when Hank Patterson offers him a job with the Brotherhood Protectors. He’s more than happy to teach Ellen to get over her fear of guns and would like to date her. But there’s a no fraternizing rule and he’s focused on taking care of his son. When Ellen graduates from the program and takes a job teaching Kindergarten in Eagle Rock, his son is one of her students. She’d love to date the handsome SEAL, but that would be conflict of interest and she doesn’t want to lose her job. He makes her want to break all the rules to be with him. They’re dating when her stalker finds her and succeeds in kidnapping her. He doesn’t realize he’s become the enemy of a Navy SEAL determined to hunt him down, retrieve his woman, and exact vengeance.

Buy link:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09RT7QNBV/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

Do you stay in one genre when you write, or do you find yourself veering toward others?

I always write in more than one genre. I’m a Gemini and sticking to one stops me cold. Writing in many allows me to be much more prolific and to avoid writers block.

Are you a panster, planner, or someone in between?

I’m a panster and I love to discover my story as I’m writing it. When I fully plot a book, I don’t ever start it. I’ve sold manuscripts to publishers on synopsis before, so I had to learn how to give them the general direction of the story.

What I start with when writing page one, is an idea of where the story is going and what needs to happen. So, it’s a very loose outline in my head and leaves space for growth and change. Even with a synopsis nothing is set in stone. I allow my stories to be what they want instead of forcing them into a corset.

What is your writing routine like?

I don’t have one. Some days we’re traveling down the road in the motorhome and on those days I don’t write. Some days we’re hiking in a national park, and I know I won’t write. But I’m soaking up all these adventures which fill my writing well of ideas and places and people so that I have much to draw from. If I don’t write for a few days that urge will build until I simply must write. Otherwise, I get cranky. Writing days are when we stay put in an RV park, and I’m usually inside, with headphones on, tuning out the world and listening to music with no lyrics or to nature sounds. Occasionally I’ll write outside in a folding chair beside the RV. I tend to write at night when everyone is asleep. I’ve traveled a lot and written on planes, in airports and in hotels.

Tell me about your favorite character that you’ve created?

I’m not sure I have one. There are many that I am quite fond of.

Where do you get your ideas for world building?

Everywhere. I’ve set book scenes in old 1920’s buildings, in the wild west, on a cruise ship, in my local library, all over. Currently I have one set in a motorhome that I was working on earlier today, and I’ve visited a few more 1920’s buildings in Florida this winter. With the Brotherhood Protectors books, those are set in Elle James World, and I created a ranch in that world which is a world within her world, where women go to learn self-defense and other skills to survive and thrive. With that one, I created the world that I wished was real.

Do you add romance to your writing?

Almost always. My first published short story was for a horror anthology, and it was a vampire story. The editor said, “you have a lot of romance in this.” And my first novel was supposed to be a western, but it turned into a western historical romance by the time I was done with it. Most of my stories have romance. The children’s books and other books coming out soon as Debra Bishop books won’t have romance though.

Is it steamy or clean?

I’ve written both ways but I’m more interested in writing an exciting story than writing sex scenes, honestly. Some publishers wanted more steam so a few of my books floating around out there have that.

What was your favorite scene to create?

As far as setting, I loved writing scenes in Hot Springs Arkansas in the 1920’s. At the Arlington Hotel, Al Capone used to rent the entire fourth floor.

Where do you get character inspiration?

Everywhere. Real people, movies, and imagination. The story people simply appear.

What genre do you prefer to read?

This depends on what I’m writing and if I’m writing. If I’m writing romantic suspense, I’m probably reading mystery. If I’m writing historical romance, I might be reading romantic suspense. If I’m in between I might read in the genre I was just writing in. My head must stay in the genre I’m writing in when I’m working on one. No muddying the waters.

Do you have any specific authors you follow and try to craft your work after?

No, I would rather write like me. Though I used to do that with my poetry, I don’t with my fiction. I have read Elle James books and Susan Stokers because I was writing in their Kindle Worlds, but I still wanted my books to read like a Debra Parmley book.

Do you have any recurring themes in your book?

A few. My heroines in military romantic suspense will learn to become stronger and will probably learn to shoot. Same with my western historical romances. My 1920’s stories are about flappers and women in that area becoming freer. The first one in the series is a coming-of-age theme.

What does your editing process look like?

I read the last chapter before I write the next one if I am new to the page that day. It pulls me into the story and I’m not jumping in cold.

So I read the last chapter before I write the next one, fix anything that jumps out at me. Write the new chapters, run spell check, then save and close. Repeat the next day. So, it’s had a wee bit of editing before anyone else ever sees it. Usually this is more of a story content edit, but I type fast so there could be other fixes. Unless I am on a drop dead deadline with no time, I usually read it through before sending it to my editor.

Do you have a preferred drink or snack that you eat/drink while writing?

Essentia Water that I usually forget to drink if I’m in storyland. When on heavy pressing deadlines, dark chocolate M&Ms. By the handful. But I try not to do that to myself any more as my sugar reading would be scary high.

When is your favorite time of day to write and why?

At night when everyone else is asleep. There’s little chance of anyone calling, texting, or knocking on my door and I’m a night owl.

What is your favorite vacation spot?

Tahiti, Bora Bora, and Moorea which are islands of French Polynesia. We went to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, back when I sold travel and I put a package together which had us staying in over the water huts on two of the islands. We also swam with dolphins at the rescue center which only allows three humans per day in to swim with them. Everything about that trip was amazing.

Marvel or DC?

If we are saying comic books I will have to go with DC. When I was in elementary school, I had the batman lunch box and even dressed in a Batman costume for Halloween. It was the only boyish costume I ever picked because I love the girly things. But yeah I read many Batman comic books.

What hobbies do you have?

I like shooting long guns, shooting primitive archery with my Mongolian horse bow, and shooting pool. I love to dance, read, write, and travel all over the world.

Where can our readers find you?

I’ll be in Jacksonville April at BOBASE book signing event. Online you can find me doing interviews, and every year on Facebook I host a 12 Days of Creepy Shelf Elf Party which is loads of fun. It runs Dec 1 to 12.

Then there are all my links:

Follow Debra’s RV Living and Travel Adventures: beautifuldaytraveler.wordpress.com/

Follow Debra’s Beautiful Day YouTube Channel: youtube.com/channel/UC27hTWse4gLJxTETQw6i7xw/

Website: debraparmley.com

Newsletter sign up: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/w9s9h0

FB page facebook.com/debra.parmley.7

FB fan group Beautiful Day Dreamers: facebook.com/groups/debraparmley/

FB fan page: facebook.com/authordebraparmley/

To Catch An Elf FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/793115644206381/

Instagram: instagram.com/debraparmley

Pinterest: pinterest.com/debraparmley/

Goodreads: goodreads.com/debraparmley