#TenThingsYouMayNotKnow – About Deborah Jay

/ Marcia Meara

Once again, another Wednesday has rolled around, and it’s time for a new Ten Things list. This one is from author Deborah Jay, a friend who lives in Scotland (ooooh … men in kilts!) and I think you’re going to enjoy it a lot. With that in mind, I’m turning the floor over to her without further delay. Take it away, Debby!

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Ten Things You May Not Know About Me
by Deborah Jay

  1. Although I work professionally as a trainer of dressage horses, I have competed in a wide range of other horse sports, including long distance riding, horse trials (eventing), show jumping, showing classes, and side-saddle competitions.
  2. I am a total Lord of the Rings geek, and when I visited New Zealand, I took a 2-week tour visiting filming locations, some of which were only accessible by helicopter.
  3. I once modelled nude for a life class for the local art school.
  4. I can’t cook. I love to eat, but someone else has to produce it!
  5. I was an official at the London 2012 Olympics.
  6. A few days before the UK’s first Covid lockdown I achieved my dream house move, and now live full time in the Scottish Highlands, about 15 miles from Loch Ness.
  7. We adopt and foster rescue dogs with behavioural difficulties that mean they don’t fit into regular homes.
  8. I have been a passionate flower gardener for some years. Now I’m learning to grow vegetables as well.
  9. My hair really was ginger when I was young. Now it takes regular dying to keep it this way.
  10. My real name is Deborah Judith Lush. Hence I used my middle initial to come up with my pen name of Deborah Jay.

Debby Outside Sam & Rosie’s Hobbit Hole

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Author Deborah Jay

Deborah Jay writes fantasy and urban fantasy featuring complex, quirky characters and multi-layered plots – just what she likes to read.

Fortunate to live near Loch Ness in the majestic, mystery-filled Scottish Highlands with her partner and a pack of rescue dogs, she can often be found lurking in secluded glens and forests, researching locations for her books.

She has a dream day job riding, training and judging competition dressage horses and riders, and also writes books and magazine features on the subject under her professional name of Debby Lush.

A lifelong fan of science fiction and fantasy, she started writing her first novel aged eight, and has never stopped. Her first published novel is epic fantasy, THE PRINCE’S MAN, first in the Five Kingdoms series, and winner of a UK Arts Council award. #2, THE PRINCE’S SON and #3, THE PRINCE’S PROTEGE are both available with the concluding book in the quartet, THE PRINCE’S HEIR, due out in 2021.

Her first urban fantasy, DESPRITE MEASURES, about a Scottish water sprite, is the opening novel of the CALEDONIAN SPRITE SERIES. The companion short story, SPRITE NIGHT is available FREE on most ebook retailers.

BUY DEBORAH JAY’S BOOKS HERE:
 Amazon author page: https://viewAuthor.at/DeborahJay

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REACH DEBORAH ON SOCIAL MEDIA HERE:

https://deborahjayauthor.com/

https://www.facebook.com/DeborahJay

https://twitter.com/DeborahJay2

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/debbylush/boards/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7172608.Deborah_Jay

Newsletter sign up and FREE short story: http://eepurl.com/bPZcmT

Deborah Jay Author (list-manage.com)

 

74 thoughts on “#TenThingsYouMayNotKnow – About Deborah Jay”

  1. A great list full of achievements but I think the one that caught my eye the most was Touring New Zealand and of the amazing picture by the hobbit hole! I’ve had The Prince’s Man on my TBR list and it’s moving up 🙂

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    • I can’t imagine being able to tour New Zealand, either, Denise. In fact, I can’t imagine having done many of the things on Debby’s list! Glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for stopping by today! 😀 ❤

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  2. I remember Deborah moving up to Scotland and how lucky to get moved just before lockdown. We have been to Loch Ness and that lovely area a few times so I can picture the surroundings. Last winter we had zoom camera club meetings and a very interesting photographer living by Loch Ness gave a talk – one of the advantages of Zoom, getting to meet people who couldn’t have come to the church hall! – anyway, she went for daily dips in Loch Ness in winter! Hope the vegetables are going well Deborah.

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    • Wow – I would so not want to take a dip in Loch Ness, except perhaps in the height of summer. It’s so very, very deep, it’s extremely cold!
      Thanks for the wishes with the vegetables – sadly, this year was a disaster courtesy of the farm, which has been over-run by rats which ate everything except the brussels sprouts, so we shall be alright for Christmas!

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        • Loch Ness is only shallow at the very edges – it drops sharply down to an incredible depth, and holds enough volume you could sink the population of the world into it and it would fit. (Fact given on the tour boats)
          We have chickens, so the rats are always going to be a problem, but apparently their population has grown by 80% during lockdown. Now there’s a scary figure!

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    • I can only imagine living with the view she has, Olga! Amazing. Someday, I’m gonna get to Scotland, myself. I’ve always thought it looked beautiful in the extreme (and I’m not even including the men in kilts! 😀 ) Thanks for stopping by today! 😀 ❤

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  4. I love LOTR and hope to visit New Zealand one day. That tour sounds perfect! It’s heart-warming that you help animals who others deem loveless. ❤ And I find it very cool that you had the courage to pose nude for a class. Bravo! I enjoyed learning about you, Deborah. I love fantasy and will definitely take a look at your books. Thanks for sharing her with us, Marcia! 🙂

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    • I particularly enjoyed both of your first two things, too, as I’m a dedicated animal lover, myself. And New Zealand? I can only imagine!! So glad you enjoyed Debby’s list, Jeanne, and thanks so much for stopping by to let us know. 😀 ❤

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    • Hi Jeanne, I’m so glad I’m able to work with animals, it’s a labour of love for sure. I fought quite a bit of negativity when I went that route, because I’m a scientist by training, and I was told by many people I was wasting my talents. I happen to disagree!

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    • Wonderful, Sharon! And while I don’t “do” rescue as a regular thing, all four of our cats were feral. Two were kittens we found in our woodpile, and two came from a friend who does help a rescue group with their Spay & Release program. She found the kittens under a house, and called me right away, because we had just lost a cat. I went over to get ONE, and came home with two! 😀

      Glad you enjoyed the post, and thanks for taking time to let us know! 😀 ❤

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        • Hahahaha. Yeah, THAT. I had the little one I’d chosen from the pictures my friend sent, but his much bigger brother did not want to be left behind, crawled up on my lap, too, and completely stole my heart. They are four years old now, and absolutely inseparable to this day. I did the right thing bringing home both. (BTW, They’re named Kell and Rhy after the two brothers in V. E. Schwab’s A Darker Shade of Magic and have made a wonderful addition to our family. Even if our older pair, Harry & his sister Murphy, try to ignore their shenanigans.)

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    • You’re very welcome, Staci. I simply LOVE Debby’s list! For several reasons, including that she works with horses and rescues dogs. But then there’s that living in Scotland thing. I’ve seen the view from her house, and it’s amazing!

      Glad you enjoyed today’s post, and thanks for taking the time to let us know. 😀 ❤

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    • Hi Staci, I do love Marcia’s 10 things posts – they bring out such interesting new facts about people, don’t they? And I realise I’m really blessed to have been able to make a living doing what I love, and moving to the Highlands has been the icing on the cake ❤

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  9. What a cool collection of 10 facts. Deborah has lived such a fascinating life, and a house in the Scottish Highlands 15 miles from Loch Ness sounds divine. I’m also besotted with LOTR (I fell in love with the books in high school), and would love to visit those filming locations in New Zealand.

    The Prince’s Man is an excellent book, one which I highly recommend!

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    • I agree with you on every point, Mae, including your comment on The Prince’s Man! I’m so looking forward to the last book in this series, and plan to do a read-through of the entire thing at one go. And don’t even get me started on the thought of living in Scotland. How lovely it must be. While there are many, many things I love about Florida (some very beautiful ones, included), I’d so LOVE to see the Highlands someday. And Loch Ness. And one or two other things that appeal to me about Scotland, which I’m sure you’ve heard me say many times! 😂😂😂

      Thanks so much for stopping by today and taking a moment to share your thoughts on Debby’s Ten Things list. 😀 ❤

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    • Thank you Mae 😀
      I didn’t read LOTR until I was in my twenties. Before that, I was besotted with SF, having read DUNE at 14 and had my mind blown away by the sheer scope of what one could imagine. I saw the movie last night, and I’m still in love with it, although there’s a long way to go to catch up with LOTR – I have the extended movie version set, and I’ve lost of how many times I’ve watched those!

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      • I loved Dune, too, especially the first book. I still have to see the new movie release.
        I have the extended set of LOTR, too. Actually both sets, but the extended one is always the one I reach for when I want to rewatch those fantastic movies. I think Tolkien would love how Peter Jackson interpreted his books!

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        • I think he would – did you know his nephew has a bit part in the final film?. I’ve been known to do a binge-watch over Christmas, the whole extended set just fits nicely into one day sitting in front of the fire with brief intervals to collect more food!

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            • I recalled a bit later – it’s actually his grandson, but hey, its a direct relative! When the orc hordes are crossing the river to take the derelict city before attacking the white city, and Faramir is organising the defence, there’s a black-haired guy handing out weapons: that’s him.

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  10. What a great “Ten Things” list! I loved getting to know Deborah better. New Zealand has been on my Bucket List for some time…maybe someday. Thank you, Marcia, and my best wishes to Deborah. 😊

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  11. Fascinating facts and I’m amazed that Debby can find the time to scribble a shopping list let alone a novel! I knew that Loch Ness was deep but that population fact helped give me an idea of the scale! I must investigate Debby’s The Five Kingdoms. Many thanks for this, Marcia. ❤

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    • Yes, you really MUST, Trish! 😀 I highly recommend the series, and think you’d enjoy it, too! And I agree on how much Debby has going on. How she manages to write epic fantasy is beyond me. But she does. And it’s GOOD, too! Thanks so much for stopping by today and taking a moment to comment, as well. 😀 ❤

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    • Hi Alex, thanks for taking a look at my list – I am one of those people that lives by the maxim, ‘if you want something doing, ask a busy person’!
      Yeah, the fact about the size of Loch Ness really blew my mind – you can’t go out on the water in a boat (which I’ve done a few times now) without thinking about the incredible depth beneath you when you can still comfortably see the shores both sides.

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  12. I enjoyed this very much. I love horses, but I’ve only ridden twice in my life. I’m so happy for you to be living your dream life with a great job in a magical location. I love the Highlands and I can’t wait to return someday.

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    • Ah, Amy, you have no idea how many people say to me, “I’ve ridden a horse, once.” At least you’ve done it twice!
      I hope for your sake when you make it back to the Highlands the tourist boom will have died down a bit. With lockdown preventing people from travelling abroad, half the UK population seems to have discovered Scotland, and its not been great for those of us who live here. Hoping it will go back to normal soon, but it isn’t showing much sign of abating, even now holiday season is over.

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  13. How lovely that you’ve been to Scotland, Amy! I envy you that, for sure! 😊 I love horses, too, though have never really “ridden” properly. As a kid, I used to be the one seated BEHIND the saddle, holding onto my older cousin who was actually in it. And we were going very slowly. As an adult, the only time I’ve ridden was on a “trail ride” in the North Carolina mountains, during a gathering with fans of the Last of the Mohicans movie, which I intended for several years. (But that’s another story.) So, not much horseback riding experience for me, though I still think they are wonderfully gorgeous animals.

    Thanks for stopping by and taking a moment to comment today! 😀 ❤

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  15. A bunch of new things to know about Deborah. Our daughter was a showjumper and then went on to be on the Equestrian team at Baylor University here in Texas. She started riding at 5 years old and is now 32. Thanks for featuring Deborah, Marcia.

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    • Awesome that your daughter showjumped for her University – I did so for mine (Nottingham in the UK) and had a great time. My choice to go into horses as a profession caused a fair bit of consternation, as my lecturers wanted me to go into research (I have a BSc in Animal Science), but my heart won.

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    • So glad you enjoyed Debby’s post, Sue! I have great admiration for anyone who takes in problem animals, or rehomes feral ones. Thanks so much for stopping by and taking a moment to say hi! 😀 ❤

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      • Like Lay’s potato chips, eh? You can’t stop with just one. 😉 It’s wonderful that you are ABLE to do this, as many who’d consider it don’t have the room or time or funds to try it. I know it must be challenging, but it’s also a blessing that you can help these animals. 🤗💖🤗

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    • So glad you enjoyed learning more about Debby, Joan. She does, indeed, live an interesting life! And in a beautiful place, too! Thanks so much for stopping by and taking a moment to say hello! 😀 ❤

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    • New Zealand is fabulous, and strangely like Scotland on a larger scale, so many of its people can trace their roots back to Scotland. Lots of Scottish surnames and place names made if feel like home. I hope to go back again one day, but its an awfully long journey!

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  21. Deb I loved this. I had to laugh at the last one where you took the initial from your middle name for your pen name. That’s what I did! I took the initial from my maiden name starting with a “k”, and made it all my initial, D.G. Kaye. LOL ❤

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  22. Pingback: Doggie fun in the sun – and the rain! #Scotland | deborahjay

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