Ever since seeing the movie Camelot in the mid-70s, Debra A. Kemp has wanted to write her own version of the Arthurian legends. She could hardly disobey when King Arthur himself commanded: "Don't let it be forgot..." The idea of her main character was conceived that very night. She just wishes she could remember the specific date of that important moment in her life. But what started as an innocent evening at the cinema turned into Debra's obsession. She read everything she could find on the topic, slowly building her now-extensive Arthurian library and quirky collection of artwork, movies, toys and figurines.

Before Debra took up her fountain pen to write, however, she earned a nursing degree from Indiana University, married and raised two children. Originally from Highland, Indiana, Debra's husband's career in the United States Air Force sent the family to Louisiana, England, Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and finally the Black Hills of South Dakota. While in England, Debra felt a special connection with the land and especially a few of the sites that play key roles in her novels and stories. She would dearly love to return to England someday, perhaps to stay.

The nursing career long abandoned; Debra now balances her writing around her part-time hours at a local secondhand bookstore. There is no better job in the universe. She is also active in the Black Hills Writers Group and various critique groups. Debra's work has earned a variety of writing awards and has appeared in such literary journals as Samsara, Mythic Circles, and Lost Worlds. Earlier this year (2003) her short story, "A Passing Fair Lady" placed in the top ten of the Preditors and Editors reader's Poll. A sample of her second novel, currently in progress, can be read at bardsongpress.com.

Although no longer living in Northwest Indiana's Calumet Region, Debra is still a die-hard Cubs fan and will always enjoy an Indiana University Hoosiers basketball game when she can catch one on television.

As excited as Debra truly is about seeing her lifelong dream finally becoming reality with the publication The House Of Pendragon, Book I: The Firebrand, nothing will ever top the birth of her first grandchild, Victoria, in March of 2003. Her own children might be grown and married, but they are still very much a part of Debra's life—her personal cheering section.

Debra A. Kemp's Website