Tropical Rose is inspired by the author’s maternal grandmother, the charming and adventurous Therese. The book chronicles the heroine’s coming of age on a colonial tropical island and her subsequent move to England with her soldier husband. Therese grows into a bold and confident young woman, and the story spans two world wars. She is always up for a challenge and faces unknown danger in occupied France, while attracting admirers everywhere she goes. While fiercely coming to the aid of friends and family who are in difficult situations, she remains a loving wife and devoted mother.

Debbie was born in London, England to scientific parents, but always preferred the arts, especially creative writing. At the age of 17, she moved with her family to Toronto and attended Trinity College, emerging with a degree in French and English. Being undecided on a profession, she became a bilingual secretary in a large corporation and met her future husband, Ed, not long after that. In 1980, they moved to his home province of Alberta, where they raised a family. She worked in many administrative jobs, and was involved in community theatre with her whole family. Debbie always wanted to write so, after the tragic loss of her second daughter, she wrote of the family's experience with mental illness in "A Moth to the Flame — Amy's Struggle with Borderline Personality Disorder" (Crossfield Publishing — 2016). Debbie is happy to present a new genre to her readers, and hopes they will enjoy the adventures of Theresa, her character, who is loosely based on her grandmother.

Debbie Sands' profile page

Every family has stories but Debbie Sands' family tales were so epic that she turned them into a novel inspired by her larger than life grandma. From the French resistance to transatlantic romance, Tropical Rose blends history and storytelling to sweep readers into a fictionalized version of Sands' fascinating family lore. https://open-book.ca/

What a wonderful book, well done! Tropical Rose is engaging and beautifully written––and it’s fascinating that it’s based on a true story. While reading, I often found myself at the edge of my seat, excited to know what was coming next. Isabel Armiento

Other Works - Author Debbie Sands presents her story (A Moth to the Flame - The Story of Amy's Struggle With Borderline Personality Disorder), in a very real, honest and relatable way. The Author has a wonderful writing style and keeps the reader intrigued and involved throughout the book. F.Malone, Amazon reviewer