-TENNESSEE AUTHOR-
DEBBIE PAINTER
ABOUT ME
DEBBIE BIOGRAPHY
At twelve or thirteen, I was lucky to have a couple of random events occur that affected my perception of who I was.
My mother, a reserved woman who tended to be heavy on criticism and light on praise, submitted a poem I had written to a national magazine without my knowledge.
Even through the poem was not accepted for publication, the very thought that she had believed it was good enough had a big effect on me.
I also found a special teacher, Mrs. Frances Lovelace, who believed in my writing and expected big things from me. She was the first person to tell me I might be creative.
Although my life path took me in other directions, I always believed that I could write, even when real life said I couldn't. I was also fortunate to come across the late Marion McChesney, the editor of the Vault of Tomorrow fanzines, which featured Star Trek fan stories. Her encouragement made me think that writing might not be a pipe dream for me, and her friendship opened many doors.
Finally, the sudden death of my father, Howard Painter, in 1983 made me realize how little I really knew about him and set me on a course of discovery that led me into the world of geneology.
I found that although there are many brick walls on the path to knowledge there are also as many windows that let the light in. Genealogy has been a path of self discovery that has led me back through the generations and has helped fill out the many blanks in my father's life.
