DANCE WHILE THE FIRE BURNS
Family, Identity, and Dreams, a memoir
Praise for
Dance While the Fire Burns
Deborah Ann Lucas sensitively explores the wild self-yearning for art, recognition and connection, and how she grew to define herself as sister, wife and woman, and ultimately reclaim her artistic self. With humor, pathos and well-drawn characters, we see her family—both human and horse—as clearly as we see her art. A beautiful excursion into memoir from a driven artist triumphing over chronic pain and sharing the wisdom gained along the way.
— Allison K. Williams, author of Seven Drafts
Lucas pens her story in heart-warming transparency, exploring family bonds…she learns to embrace her unique path, particularly after meeting Greg—whose steady, loving presence grounds her and inspires pursuit of her artistic dreams. As Lucas builds a secure self-identity, readers will be moved by her touching story of found family and the unwavering love between siblings. Emerging on the other side of uncertainty and chaos, she redefines what home really means, finding it not in a place but in the strong embrace of her husband, the soft beauty of her beloved horses, and the bittersweet memories of a life filled with love.
—BookLife Review
Find Your Story –
– and Write
For Women Writing Memoir or Fiction!
My Three Creative Expressions
Leaf River Writer reflects my life as a writer with family stories in my memoir Dance While the Fire Burns (in final revision). I will also share lists of my favorite books and teachers along with insights into a writer’s life.
Trot Town Studios shows my artwork: paintings, drawings, clay sculptures, and art quilts. I will be including photos of my BFA show Heart of Woman, my series of watercolors Nature As Symbol, and my MFA installation at the UCLA Wight Art Gallery called Spirit of Woman.
Down the Long Lane is where I write about healing the land as it has heals me, about our life on twenty-acres with stories of horses, making hay, and gardening.
When you breathe with a horse,
your worries will vanish.
Blow softly into their nostril,
and look into their eye.
Offer your spirit to them
in a moment of silence,
and they will return it restored.
