Trot Town Studios Press
Publishing Women's Stories
Leaf River, Illinois
What people are saying about Dance...
“Deborah Ann Lucas sensitively explores the wild self-yearning for art, recognition and connection, and how she grew to define herself as sister, wife and woman, and ultimately reclaim her artistic self. With humor, pathos and well-drawn characters, we see her family-both human and horse-as clearly as we see her art. A beautiful excursion into memoir from a driven artist triumphing over chronic pain and sharing the wisdom gained along the way.”
– Allison K. Williams
“…Lucas pens her story in heart-warming transparency, exploring family bonds…she learns to embrace her unique path, particularly after meeting Greg, whose steady, loving presence grounds her and inspires pursuit of her artistic dreams….As Lucas builds a secure self-identity, readers will be moved by her touching story of found family and the unwavering love between siblings….”
– BookLife Review
“…her relationship with her brother is honest and raw, and though readers know the outcome from the beginning, the ending packs a punch. A heartfelt, often engaging exploration of messy family dynamics, grief, and healing.”
– Kirkus Review
Lucas’s story is a testament to perseverance, as she navigates obstacle after obstacle with unwavering determination. With skillful pacing and vivid descriptions, the author puts us right in the saddle, experiencing every triumph and heartache of her wild ride.
-Joan Fernandez, author of Saving Vincent
“I couldn’t put the book down. Deborah pulled me into her world and didn’t let go. Reading her memoir Dance While The Fire Burns is like watching a movie….Fast paced and at times breathless, she tells her story with an unflinching look back on the first forty years of her life.”
– Michaela von Schweinitz, writer, editor, and book coach
“when an author manages to pull you in so completely and you feel you stand with her in the story of her family and her life, you know you’ve got something special in your hands.”
– Sandra Postma, writer, editor, and book coach
“Deborah Ann Lucas’s decades-spanning memoir Dance While the Fire Burns is a bold and beautiful tale of an extraordinary life. Lucas’s love for her family, her art, and the many animals that come into her life, is palpable and richly told.”
– Jennifer Landau, writer, editor, and book coach
“Dance While the Fire Burns is a masterful weaving of the threads of the author’s life-horses, art, and her family-all coming together in a way that couldn’t be more compelling. It has inspired me to adhere to my dreams no matter what challenges may appear.”
– Mary Yero Bernstein, book coach, editor, and writer
“This memoir was engaging from the first page. I couldn’t put it down….To read of Deborah’s bravery and tenacity through her life’s many challenges, of her healing by and of horses, of her true and enduring call as an artist and her refusal to deny what was calling her–this is all so inspiring and calls for self-reflection by the reader. Dance While the Fire Burns is a book of hope for writer and reader.”
– Karen, Goodreads review
“Deborah Ann Lucas’ memoir is a captivating tapestry woven from threads of resilience, creativity, and healing that invites readers to embark on their own transformative journeys. …I find myself enchanted by her ability to turn calamity into opportunities for growth and empowerment.”
– Catherine L., Goodreads review
About Dance...
Deborah dreams of horses in her backyard throughout the upheaval of her nomadic childhood and longs for a place to call home. After high school, she moves to LA with her parents and meets up with her older brother Chuck, who reveals only to her he’s gay. Their parents split and everyone scatters, leaving her vulnerable to unscrupulous men, and she turns to Chuck for help. She wanders for years through a myriad of places, jobs, and relationships across the country, and lands back in LA where she meets Greg.
His loving support helps her find the confidence to pursue her dream of becoming an artist. But at the onset of a promising career, she walks away from all she has achieved to repay an unspoken debt to her brother, diverting her quest for home. Deborah perseveres through a rollercoaster of learning and losing to keep the life she’s built with horses and art. Her curiosity, humor, and a fierce belief in dreams sustain her until she finds the place where she belongs.
For those of you in search of your own dreams, reading Dance While the Fire Burns will help you believe you can achieve them—as long as you don’t give up.
About the Author
For thirty years, Deborah Ann Lucas and her husband have lived on their twenty-acre farm in Illinois with their rescued animals, which now include two senior retired racehorses, a German shepherd dog, and a slew of cats who have wandered into their sanctuary of loving care. Deborah creates art and writes stories about horses and her life down the long lane.
Leaf River Writer reflects my life as a writer with family stories in my memoir Dance While the Fire Burns (in final revision). I will also share lists of my favorite books and teachers along with insights into a writer’s life.
Trot Town Studios shows my artwork: paintings, drawings, clay sculptures, and art quilts. I will be including photos of my BFA show Heart of Woman, my series of watercolors Nature As Symbol, and my MFA installation at the UCLA Wight Art Gallery called Spirit of Woman.
Down the Long Lane is where I write about healing the land as it has heals me, about our life on twenty-acres with stories of horses, making hay, and gardening.
When you breathe with a horse,
your worries will vanish.
Blow softly into their nostril,
and look into their eye.
Offer your spirit to them
in a moment of silence,
and they will return it restored.
