Debralynn Fein

The sense of place I write about are from the New York metropolitan area, since it is where I am most familiar. I've read  my work before audiences at the New York Public Library and Montclair Library. All stories have been well received. 

On a personal note, I've hasI have been happily married for the past thirty-eight years, and have two grown sons. I had been a kindergarten teacher for many years, and more recently teache English as a Second Language to adults. For hobbies I like to do needlepoint and knit. Reading is a big focus as well.

Like most children, I learned to read around age six. I became an avid reader in elementary school, and that’s continued throughout my life. I Through my seventh grade English teacher, Mrs. Beatrice Moskowitz, I gained an appreciation for better literature. . Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, and Dibs in Search of Self by Virginia Axline, were among my favorites. My friends were my first reviewers.

My own creative process begins with a story rattling around  in my head. . Once I  organize my ideas. I meld them together, amd creating a first draft is easy. I present my ideas to  her writers’ critique group, listen closely, and accept comments I believe will strengthen my vision, and craft  a second, third or fourth draft. The hard part is editing and marketing.

I prefer to write in the first person because it lends itself to immediacy. It’s easier to draw in the reader. . Writing fiction is my  preference.  I call the genre in which I write, realistic fiction, geared to women.  As an author, I create situations that could happen to anyone, and are more believable because of that. The characters must be credible--not just the main characters but everyone in the book. Most of them come from a combination of people, real and imagined.  Important elements are the personal difficulties encountered by the characters, a climax and, hopefully, a successful resolution. . Fulfilling my dream includes sharing lessons learned with parents, teachers, and children.