Debrah Williamson

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Oklahoma Rose Rock

Rose Rock Barite rose.

Rocks resembling full-grown roses were formed by barite rock crystals during the Permian Age and are found in a few rare places around the globe. In Oklahoma, the distinctive red soil colors them in hues ranging from reddish brown to cinnamon. According to an old Cherokee legend, the rocks represent the blood of the braves and the tears of the maidens who made the devastating "Trail of Tears" journey to Oklahoma in the 1800s.

Singing With the Top Down

"There was no way I could have known that before the night was over, our world would be turned upside down and changed forever."

Greetings from the Heart of Oklahoma!

Dear Friends,

It has been a very exciting year. I want to thank you for opening your hearts to SINGING WITH THE TOP DOWN. Readers aged thirteen to eighty-five have written to tell me how much Pauly's story touched them, and that enthusiasm exceeds anything I ever imagined or hoped for. Not only do your letters totally make my day, they also remind me why I willingly spend long hours alone in a room making up stuff that never happened to people who don't really exist.

Readers are my reason. My goal has always been to put uplifting, emotional experiences into words that somehow connect with others. Readers tell me they consider my characters family. That the story made them laugh and cry, and both emotions felt good. They say they hated to see the story to end, but when it did, they felt compelled to rush out in the world and find someone to love.

Your words are powerful too, and I am humbled by them. With road signs like that, how can I stray from my writing path?

I also want to thank the teachers who have helped the book find a wider audience by placing SINGING WITH THE TOP DOWN on required reading lists. Book reports were always my favorite thing in school, and it's a thrill to see my little novel keeping literary company with such classics as TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD and A RAISIN IN THE SUN.

Again, thank you for your continued support. I have enjoyed meeting you, talking to you, and hearing your stories. Keep those heartfelt messages coming and please check out my latest book. I believe you will enjoy PAPER HEARTS as much as SINGING WITH THE TOP DOWN.

Debrah Williamson

Paper Hearts

...is the story of the oddest of all odd couples: a young girl at the beginning of her life and an old man at the end of his. When fifteen-year-old Chancy Deel runs away from Pittsburgh and her abusive mother, she finds herself stranded in picture-perfect Wenonah, Oklahoma. Streetwise and vulnerable, Chancy is afraid. Afraid to be alone and of being hurt. Afraid she'll never find the new life she so desperately wants.

Eighty-three-year-old Max Boyle is scared too. And just as desperate. He's lost his beloved wife and is being forced to give up his home of fifty years, leaving him no reason to tough out the rest of his lonely life. Because his chronic heart condition isn't doing the job fast enough to suit him, Max decides to end it all.

Everything changes when Max finds Chancy sleeping in his garage. He believes the girl with the wary heart was sent by his late wife and hatches a plan that might just save them both. One transforming summer teaches these two unlikely friends what we all know in our hearts-that no one is meant to go through life alone.

To meet Chancy and Max, click Read the Excerpt on the book cover.