About
Deborah Shouse, writer, editor, impossible dreamer, laughter yoga facilitator, dementia advocate
At age five, Deborah wrote stories starring princesses. She also got her first paying job: picking off bagworms from the neighbor’s bushes, at a penny a worm. Things could only go up from there. And they did: candy shop clerk, cashier, bookstore associate, nursing home activity director and manager. All the while, Deborah wrote: essays, short stories, articles, corporate communications and business books.
Deborah has an MBA but uses it only in emergencies.
Her writing has appeared in publications including The Washington Post, The Kansas City Star, The Huffington Post, Reader’s Digest, Newsweek, Woman’s Day, The Chicago Tribune and Unity Magazine. Deborah has been featured in many anthologies, including dozens of Chicken Soup books.
When Deborah’s mother was living with dementia, Deborah was determined to find the gifts and blessings in the experience. She chronicled her quest in Love in the Land of Dementia: Finding Hope in the Caregivers Journey. Deborah also wrote Connecting in the Land of Dementia: Creative Activities to Explore Together. Deborah and her life partner Ron Zoglin traveled the world, from Istanbul to Florence, from New Delhi to Dublin, sharing their hopeful stories with care partners.
Several years ago, Deborah fulfilled a lifelong dream and wrote a novel: An Old Woman Walks Into a Bar.
And then, Deborah’s older daughter died of an overdose of meth and fentanyl. For months, Deborah could not write. Deborah’s burning desire to stay connected to her daughter led to her latest book: Letters from the Ungrateful Dead: A Grieving Mom’s Surprising Correspondence With Her Deceased Adult Daughter.