“I’m working on my first novel; it’s historical fiction based on the true story of how my great grandparents saved a group of Jews from the Holocaust with the help of a world leader.”
-Deborah Lynn Blumberg
A member of the Writers’ League since earlier this month, Deborah Lynn Blumberg lives in Houston, Texas.
Scribe: In what genre(s) do you write?
Deborah Lynn Blumberg: I come from a journalism background and now freelance full-time. I write for publications and corporate clients and specialize in business & finance and health & wellness. I’m also working on my first novel; it’s historical fiction based on the true story of how my great grandparents saved a group of Jews from the Holocaust with the help of a world leader. I’d love to connect with other Texas writers working on historical fiction!
Scribe: What author would you most like to have a drink with, and what’s the first question you would ask them?
DLB: Erik Larson. I love his books that read like fiction but are about true events – Devil In The White City and Dead Wake. My own book is fiction, but it’s based on a true story set in the late 1930s. I often find myself going down the rabbit hole with research. I’d ask him, “How do you know when to stop researching?”
Scribe: If you were stranded on a deserted island, what book would you want to have with you to keep you sane?
DLB: And Then There Were None by Agatha Chrystie. I love mysteries and books set in England. I have an old copy of her 1939 novel in my home library. It’s one of the few books I can read over and over again.
Scribe: What have you learned from your association with the Writers’ League?
DLB: I went to a great WLT event in Houston about how to turn your mess of pages into a book. I’m part of the way through my first draft, and it’s always so inspiring – and encouraging – to hear tips and tricks from veteran novelists and short story writers.
Scribe: Where do you see your writing taking you (or you taking it) in the future?
DLB: I’m excited to continue building my fiction writing skills and eventually get my novel published. I also just finished a personal essay for a local magazine about my experience during Hurricane Harvey, and another piece for my alma mater (Wellesley’s) alumni magazine about my grandmother’s death and our home flooding. I really enjoyed working on them and would like to continue writing personal essays in addition to my other freelance work.
Scribe: Here at the Writers’ League, we love sharing book recommendations. What’s one Texas-related book that has come out within the past year that you couldn’t put down?
DLB: I reviewed Austin writer Jeff Abbott’s recent thriller Blame for the Rice University alumni magazine and stayed up way past my bedtime several nights reading it. I couldn’t resist the cliffhangers at the end of each chapter. It was a page turner.
Scribe: Is there anything else about you that you would like to share with the world?
DLB: I’m the co-president of the American Society of Journalists and Author’s Texas chapter and am co-chairing ASJA’s first regional conference in Texas with fellow Writers’ League member Susan Johnson Taylor. We have an exciting day planned – a session on mindfulness for writers, a panel on self-editing, etc. – and would love to see fellow Writers’ League members there. Members can get a discount using code TX18-WLT-TX.
You can find me online at deborahlynnblumberg.com on Twitter at @dlblumberg.
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Thanks, Deborah!
If you’re a Writers’ League member and you’d be interested in being interviewed for our Meet the Members feature, email us at member@writersleague.org for more information. It’s a great way for other members to get to know you and for you to share a bit about what you’re working on!
