Debbie was born and raised on a dairy farm in northwest Ohio. She married her high school sweetheart forty-four years ago and is a proud mother of two sons, their wives, and 2 grandchildren and four grand-dogs.
McKenna Goes Home
Coming Home. “The Civil War has ended, and McKenna is drawn back to Charleston, the cradle of her childhood and the echoes of a tumultuous past. As she steps into the post-war remnants of her once-beloved city, questions haunt her-does her home endure, or has it succumbed to the ruin? Are the ghosts of her youth lurking in the shadows of devastation, or will the rubble reveal secrets long buried?"McKenna's Crossing
The Journey Begins. 
McKenna's Return - Unfair Contempt
Her story continues. “Parker, I am so torn inside,” she said as she gripped the lapels of his waist coat. “Part of me wants to stay here and part of me wants to start our new life with Father in Washington, D.C. It just hurts to say good-bye to those I love. It has been a long five years here in England, and now I am going to a strange city, strange neighbors, and possibly a whole new way of life..."
If you like historical fiction romance novels, you will enjoy reading McKenna’s Crossing. It’s an intriguing read making it difficult to put down.
Author Debbie Dee’s initial setting is in Charleston during the unrest prior to the beginning of the Civil War.
McKenna’s father, a surgeon, protects his daughter from the horrors of war by sending her to live in England with her Aunt Olympia. Accompanying McKenna is a freed black woman named Zadie, who has been her nanny since birth.
McKenna meets her match with Parker Sloan, the captain of the ship on which she crosses the Atlantic. Intrigue builds as a turbulent romance develops between McKenna and Captain Sloan.
Throughout the novel, there are surprise relationships that develop as new characters are introduced keeping the plot fresh and enticing.
For readers who appreciate a book with Christian overtones, as well as those who have an equestrian interest and enjoy the historical events of the Civil War, you will delight in the way Debbie Dee has crafted her first novel, McKenna’s Crossing.
“Be warned fair maiden,” he murmured under his breath, “I do not play fair.” With those words spoken, the reader has a glimpse into the tumultuous relationship of Captain Parker Sloane and Miss McKenna Reed. McKenna Reed is a headstrong, petite spitfire sent from Charlestown across the Atlantic to her Aunt Olympia in 1860. Her father, Dr. Harper Reed, worries for her safety as America is on the brink of a civil war. Captain Sloane, powerful, arrogant, and equally headstrong, has the task of safely delivering McKenna to her Aunt Olympia, whom he knows as a friend. Can anyone say Rhett and Scarlet?
Readers will find themselves immersed in the horse country of England along with the events of the Civil War through four difficult years in the life of McKenna as she grows into womanhood. New insights to both England and the US Civil War will be gained as Debbie Dee has done her research on both in this historical romance debut novel.
Perhaps the most intriguing of all is the unusual relationship McKenna has with Zadie, a free black woman who has cared for and loved McKenna since birth. In McKenna’s eyes, Zadie is the mother who has given her the love, understanding, and guidance needed throughout her life.
Debbie Dee weaves intrigues, long-held grudges, lost loves, and new loves as McKenna’s story unfolds while she discovers who she truly is in order to follow her heart and destiny.
From the moment Captain Sloane first spots Miss Reed, he is captivated by her beauty and her zest for life. Their journey to England is filled with quick witted comments and at times softly spoken wishes. However, neither of the two are willing to admit when they are wrong. They tease, banter, argue, and ultimately, they fall in love with each other. McKenna will repeatedly encounter danger. Someone wants her gone from England. When she finally faces her tormentor, she must decide whether to run from the hatred or face it with love and kindness.
McKenna will mature from her sheltered life and come to understand the destitution and beggary that the Port of London offers to its inhabitants - paralleled with the horrors of war back home in the states.
“Parker, I am so torn inside,” she said as she gripped the lapels of his waist coat. “Part of me wants to stay here and part of me wants to start our new life with Father in Washington, D.C. It just hurts to say good-bye to those I love. It has been a long five years here in England, and now I am going to a strange city, strange neighbors, and possibly a whole new way of life that I am not familiar with. And, worst of all, the ladies in D.C. will hate me,” McKenna whispered as she sniffed back a tear while tightening her bonnet ribbons under her chin.
“Don’t be ridiculous. They will love you as does everyone else who meets you.” Parker replied as he tilted McKenna’s chin up and studied her face before she spoke.
“They may love me once they get to know me, but they will despise my southern accent as soon as they hear it. I just have a bad feeling about this, Parker. I come from Charleston, and it represents slavery and succession. The people in D.C. will associate the whole blasted war with me,” she said with a louder tone as she scanned the water and rubbed her forearms. How many nights had she lain awake thinking that very same sentence she had just spoken aloud? This is one time that she wished her accent would not betray her heritage. The Civil War had forced people to be divided in their way of thinking and she couldn’t but help wonder if any harm would come to herself, her babies, Parker, and even her father with such fractionated temperaments. Was she being ridiculous or just being cautious?”
Will McKenna be accepted in her new home in Washington D.C.? Will she find peace and joy as she once knew before the War? Or, will she be subjected to the wrath of widows and fatherless children? Will D.C. be a welcoming place to call home, or a resentful blueprint for a reunified land?