About the Author:
Debra Moffitt's rare psychic abilities open up a world of unexpected insight into the subjects she explores. Her first novel, "The Girl on the Roof", set in WWII Annecy in the French Alps, touches on the French Resistance, life beyond death, and reincarnation and invites readers into a world that bridges time and dimensions. Her award-winning non-fiction books explore themes of intuition, creativity and spirituality by encouraging readers to tap into their inner wisdom. Debra teaches workshops at venues worldwide and leads annual writing retreats in France. She loves to support writers with their projects through the Writers Circle and mentoring as well.
Debra Moffitt on the Web:
Website * Blog * Facebook * YouTube * LinkedInInterview with Debra Moffitt
When did you first realize that you wanted to be a writer/ a storyteller?
Thank you for the opportunity to do this interview. As a writer, I so appreciate what you’re doing in sharing about books and helping us find the right readers and for the right readers to find us. Very grateful.So, I’ve known since I was a child that I would write and publish books. I remember thinking, “Don’t give me baby dolls, give me a computer to type on!” And I knew even then that I would give birth to books. But it took time to gain the maturity and the life experience to accomplish what I wanted to with writing.
Tell us about your writing process.
Writing for me is a very expansive experience. It’s multi-dimensional and I see images as I write. With my first novel, “The Girl on the Roof”, a WWII mystery with a supernatural twist, I felt strongly that the main character, Aurelie, was a departed soul who came in to show me her story. This happened at a time when my intuitive abilities were expanding and I was attending a spiritual circle in Geneva, Switzerland. At first it was a real shock to discover the energies / presence of departed souls in my writing space. But the story they helped to reveal showed the struggle between good and evil, between light and dark, and it touches on themes of reincarnation, and how loved ones may communicate with us once they’ve passed.I also use meditation and accessing other brainwave states. The process combines both a non-linear approach with a linear three-act structure, inspired by work I’ve done in screenwriting.
What is your favorite scene in the book? Why?
So I’m going to preface this with an experience that responds to the “why” first.As my psychic abilities opened up, I began to perceive departed souls. At first it came as a real shock to me. I was sitting in meditation at five a.m. when I felt a presence come in and I heard a male voice say, “Debra Moffitt”. He wanted my attention and he knew that I could see and hear him, even though it was news to me at the time. In that moment, I knew from working with the spiritual circle, that I could set boundaries. I told the departed soul to step back as I intended to finish my meditation. I also set up an inner room, a sort of receiving room, with two chairs, one for me and one for departed souls, and I said, “When I’m in this room, you can communicate with me.” It worked. The wall to the hallway of this inner room was made of glass and the top part was frosted, but the bottom area, from the knees down, was clear. In a split second, I saw the hallway filled with departed souls waiting in line, visible from the knees down. I was stunned at the numbers of people who wanted to communicate with families, friends, or simply to get attention (like many people do when they’re alive in the physical earth plane).
That experience inspired the scene in the later part of the “The Girl on the Roof”, where Claire and Ginny escape from the Nazis and end up with the old woman in her tiny flat in the tower in Annecy. The old woman sees and hears departed souls and assumes that Claire and Ginny do too. Claire is Aurelie (the main character’s) older sister, and she is a wonderful, strong-hearted, courageous woman who works with the Resistance, and helps children escape into Switzerland, away from the Nazis. Aurelie speaks to the old woman and asks her to relay messages. The old woman tells Claire what Aurlie’s saying and in an instant, the whole kitchen where they’re eating is filled with departed souls shoving and pushing to take Aurelie’s place. They are all desperate for the old woman to tell their family members, lovers, and friends that they are okay.
So if any of you have departed loved ones, know with an easy heart that they are truly okay, in fact they’re more than okay. They’re in peace, bliss, and they love you more than you can know. They want you to feel happy and not sad about them. They’re always right here and you may even feel their presence if you tune in and send love and open to receiving love from the beyond.
Did any of your characters inherit some of your own quirks?
Not at all. This book came from a very inspired place and it felt / feels like the characters are more than just people in a book. They are very real, and I feel strongly that they had lived during WWII and experienced many of the challenges I “saw” with my inner vision and put on paper.What is the best piece of advice you have received, as a writer, till date?
I attended the Cannes Film Festival several times as a screenwriter when working with a producer. While there I met a successful, B-movie writer with a long career behind him. When I asked him for his writing advice, he said, “The key to success is to put your butt on the chair and write.” This is essentially true. Without working through the first draft, and getting words on the page / screen, nothing will happen. Also, I lead writing workshops and an annual French Alps Writing retreat, and one of the biggest misconceptions about writing is that stories arrive fully formed. They don’t! I know many successful, bestselling writers and we all agree that writing is a process where many surprising and unexpected ideas come during the writing process – no matter how well plotted a story might be. So be open to serendipity and inspiration!What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to get into writing?
Oh, this is an easy one. My advice to writers who want to start is “Just Write!”. I teach workshops with that title and they aim to help writers get out of their own way and do just that. Many people are blocked by too much thinking and not enough doing. By writing morning pages, journaling, creating blog posts, writing articles, or starting to flesh out a story, a writer discovers his/her love of words, voice, tone, and more. So Just Write!If you were to be stranded on the famous deserted island, what three things would you carry?
I like this question. Many people ask this question in a slightly different way, “If you could only take one book on a deserted island, what would it be?” My answer: “A blank book!” So I’d take a lot of blank, unlined notebooks. I keep notebooks around all the time and for me they’re a great way to anchor thoughts, pick up on intuitive insights, and also to put together a good story. Other items would be a pen, and of course plenty of ink cartridges. I’d leave the computer behind as it wouldn’t be compatible with the sand and seaside setting. Oh, and don’t forget the dark chocolate – 85% cacao please!How do you spend your free time? Do you have a favorite place to go and unwind?
I love hiking, cycling, swimming, walking in nature and spending time in good company of friends and family. One of my favorite places to go is the Camargue in the South of France during the flamingo mating season in February. It’s spectacular and there’s a beautiful ancient church at the little village of Les Saintes Maries de la Mer, where legend has it that two Mary’s from biblical times of Jesus, landed with their helper, Sara.Can you share with us something off your bucket list?
Oooo! One item on my list is to have at least one bestselling book! So, readers can help if they feel inspired to purchase, “The Girl on the Roof” and follow me on social media and let me and others know their thoughts about my books.Tell us three fun facts about yourself.
1. I love languages and am fluent in English (mother tongue), French, and Italian.2. I love dark chocolate.
3. I’m an intuitive and psychic and also give private intuitive readings.
What do you have in store next for your readers?
“The Girl on the Roof” is a part of a series, but also stands alone. I’m completing “Immunity”, the second in the series now. It is set in the same area as the first, on the French-Swiss border, but in 2020.The theme of reincarnation has fascinated me since I began to recall so many of my previous life experiences. I also perceive past lives of people who I do psychic readings for. This happens when they can be beneficial for the individual in understanding things that are happening in their lives now.
Some things I’ve noticed is that people often tend to return to the same physical areas to continue their next lives. They also meet people who they have unfinished business with. Aurelie and Herr Schmid, the dangerous Nazis officer, meet up again in 2020 Geneva, Switzerland, but in different bodies.
Herr Schmid (the Nazi officer from “The Girl on the Roof”) returns in 2020 as Smyth, a smooth diplomat who is celebrated as a hero and a humanitarian. When Aurelie meets him, she feels the familiar connection and the encounter activates her past life memories. During WW2, Schmid was dangerous and deadly. In 2020, Smyth is as well, only it’s hidden beneath a smooth veneer of outer appearance.
The biggest challenge that many people face when meeting people from past lives is to wake up and become aware of unconscious ways they may be responding to someone – or them to us. If not, we’re often destined to repeat the same mistakes. So, in “Immunity”, Aurelie must make a decision to wake up and understand this. If she doesn’t it can be fatal for her. Her life is at stake.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with your readers?
Yes! Thank you for reading and sharing about “The Girl on the Roof”. You are the reason that we writers write. I look forward to connecting on social media or email and hearing about your experiences with “The Girl on the Roof” and my other books, “Awake in the World: 108 Practices to Live a Divinely Inspired Life,” “Garden of Bliss: Cultivating the Inner Landscape for Self-discovery” and “Riviera Stories: Just Below the Surface.” |
| Check out the Book on Amazon |
As the people of Annecy in the French Alps meet the Gestapo’s brutality with surprising resistance, a teen-aged girl cannot rest until she solves the mystery of a death in her family. Aurelie watches as her father places a shrouded body on the North side of the roof of the family home. It’s winter, under a Nazi-declared state of siege, and they must wait until the spring thaw for the burial. But who died? And why is no one speaking to her anymore? Aurelie cannot rest until she discovers the truth and fights to prevent the same terrible fate from happening to her best friend.
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