Grace Through Fire

Coming October 2026

Grace Through Fire

Coming October 2026

Grace Through Fire

A Memoir of Murder, Tragedy, and Resilience

For fans of Cheryl Strayed and Glennon Doyle, a raw and redemptive memoir of surviving generational trauma, caregiving, and spiritual awakening that chronicles one woman’s journey from southern survival to West Coast freedom.

When her elderly mother shoots her abusive husband—Deborah’s father—in their Arkansas home, Deborah is thrust into a storm of media frenzy, grief, and caregiving. As she fights for justice, supports her paralyzed wife, and battles personal demons, Deborah begins to unravel a deeper legacy of generational trauma—and realizes the need to rescue herself.

Told with gripping honesty, Grace Through Fire follows Deborah’s odyssey through murder trials, chronic illness, financial collapse, and spiritual reckoning. From the chaos of the rural South to the stillness of yoga studios and the healing waters of Lake Powell and Crater Lake, Deborah rediscovers her strength, sobriety, and purpose.

This is a narrative of transformation and fierce resilience—a memoir for anyone who has ever questioned their worth, carried the pain of their family, or longed for a fresh start. At the heart of it all is a bold love story, a leap of faith, and one woman’s courageous choice to create a life of freedom, service, and light on the California coast.

Grace Through Fire

Distributor: Simon & Schuster

Editor: Amely Greeven

Publicity, Speaking Engagements: SparkPoint Studio

Deborah Samuel, Author

Deborah (Walter) Samuel was born in Rogers, Arkansas, into the third generation of the Walter family. Entrepreneurial by nature, she started a successful service business while still in high school, and then supported herself through technical school, earning both a pilot’s and an airplane and powerplant mechanic’s license, before obtaining a master’s degree in education. Over a twenty-year career in the Rogers Public School District, she created innovative programs for at-risk youth and was repeatedly honored as Arkansas Teacher of the Year for her ten years of work at Crossroads Alternative School, devoted to kids she especially understood, many abused or trapped by drugs, many already with children, severely at risk of failure. In 2006, she received national attention when she was named National Physical Education Teacher of the Year and was invited to give presentations throughout the country on her program’s success. At the same time, during those years she and Susan also bought, renovated, and resold twenty-three homes; built six homes for themselves, ending with the one on Rogers Lake; and then renovated the green house, Deborah’s childhood home.

Now living in Santa Barbara, California, Deborah is a respected real estate professional, specializing in helping seniors who need to sell their homes and then navigate the emotional and logistical challenges of downsizing to a new home. She lives with her spouse and their beloved cat, Black Cat, in the Santa Barbara Harbor aboard a wooden 1973 Grand Banks yacht named Summer Solstice.

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Publicity, Speaking Engagements: SparkPoint Studio

Grace Through Fire

Simon & Schuster

Editor: Amely Greeven

Deborah Samuel Author & Public Speaker

Grace Through Fire

Grace Through Fire