By Rita L. Sherwood
Deborah Rine retired and escaped the brutal winters of Chicago last August and made the move to the Emerald Coast. She taught French for nearly 25 years, was married to a Frenchman, and lived all over Europe including France, Italy, Belgium and Sweden.
When she retired, she decided to take a $99 creative writing class online and learned that she loved it. Deborah says, “People say to write out your thoughts in a journal to work through life’s problems. I started writing short stories to escape my issues and my kids’ issues. In addition, I joined a women’s creative writing group.”
“The next thing I knew, a creative piece about a morning walk down to the beach with my dogs was published in the Chicago Tribune. That poetic walk became the prologue of my first novel but with the addition of a dead body!” Deborah explains.
The first three books were mystery novels set on the north shore of Chicago. Then came Raw Guilt which was based on a true story of a child killed in a snowstorm.
Deborah talks about her experiences here on 30A, taking part in a Zen Buddhist meditation at Monet Monet, participating in a book club at Sundog, and meeting a myriad of fascinating people.
What makes her recent books unique are that the characters all peruse our local restaurants and shops along 30A. Deborah says that people love the novels because they can relate, and it makes it more fun. “I just love the vibe and the charm along 30A, the incredibly friendly people, and of course the beautiful beaches.” She’s even branched out a bit and included Hammock Bay in Freeport, and locations in Choctaw and Panama City Beach.
And where does Deborah get her inspiration? She says she gets it from different publications like the New York Times science section, Northwestern University blogs, and current events.
The 30A books include The Girl on 30A, Envy on 30A, Missing on 30A, and the most recent one, Double Trouble on 30A. The books are fast moving thrillers and serve as travelogues. They are sold at Sundog Books, Hidden Lantern bookstore, Footprints gift shop in Miramar Beach and North Bay Mercantile in Freeport.
When not writing, Deborah enjoys spending time with her husband Larry and visiting with her sons and daughter who live in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Chicago. Oh, and of course spoiling her 14 grandchildren!
Stay tuned for Deborah’s next 30A novel (not named yet) about the disappearance of a character named Jim Thompson who worked for the CIA in the late 60s in Thailand. Sounds interesting, are you hooked yet?
Author: SWal Life
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