Beyond The Tearoom: A Writer’s Journey
Halifax born Author Debra Murphy celebrates 60 years with a resilient journey from diverse careers to published writer. Hear tales of overcoming adversity, from childhood struggles and a comical Maypole mishap to life-saving dog Beatrix and a heart attack on a mountain. Discover her path to becoming a celebrated author, including new children's books. An inspiring story of triumph!
Debra Murphy is back in Halifax to celebrate surviving 60 years.
It’s been a long journey, but after years in different roles, including medical secretary, photographic researcher, vocational assessor, teacher, motorbike instructor, owner of a training company, and tearoom owner, Debra is now doing what she wanted to do as a five-year-old pupil at Abbey Park Junior and Infants School. She is a published author.
For Halifax-born Debra, a love of writing has always been deep within her, but she has had her challenges. From being forced to write with her right hand (which failed) and struggling with inner turmoil, she used cycling and walking to escape her demons.
Cycling became her second love, after books, and she proudly tells everyone she raced against the legendary Beryl Burton (not beating her, of course).
Escaping her spiralling life to live in Scotland, a chance meeting with a Scotsman led Debra to boast about her Yorkshire roots and her past pole dancing history. So charmed was he that he asked her to marry him. It was only then that she had to confess that the pole dancing was actually Maypole dancing in the Piece Hall in front of Calendar TV cameras when all the ribbons blew in the wind, the music didn’t play, and Debra and her school chums all forgot which way to turn, causing one mass of knotted ribbons. Oh, the shame!
Life was suddenly great, and Debra was learning to love herself. But it very nearly came to a swift end with the discovery of masses in her stomach requiring emergency surgery. As she lay on her hospital bed, not knowing what the prognosis was, Debra made two decisions that would alter the course of her life.
She would get a dog – a black and white border collie named Beatrix after Beatrix Potter, the author, and she would open a tearoom that her Grandma Lammie would be proud of.
Along came Beatrix, the Border Collie, and this 10-week-old bundle of fluff coaxed Debra from her illness and became her soul mate. They got stronger together and developed a shared love of mountain climbing, relishing the solitude it provided.
Mother Murphy’s Tearoom opened, and Debra and her husband, Jim (proving the myth that all Scotsmen are called Jim), created an environment where people could be nurtured and made to feel special.
Meanwhile, Beatrix became Debra’s true lifesaver when, at the top of a remote mountain in Scotland, Debra suffered a heart attack. With nobody else around and no mobile signal, Debra wondered if this was the end. But Beatrix had other ideas. This amazing dog left Debra and found other people, saving Debra’s life.
When COVID-19 forced the closure of the tearoom, Debra decided to follow her dream and write her first book, The Magical Tearoom on the Hill, which included the story of the heart attack.
Beatrix, being a very clever Border Collie, then wanted to write her own book, and with Debra’s help, it was all finished except for the last chapter. After a sudden illness, Beatrix had to go over the rainbow bridge, and created the final chapter.
Debra’s second book, Beatrix the Time Travelling Collie, is a tribute to this incredible dog.
Debra spent the last five years writing her third book, Campervan Capers – Have you turned the water on?
But has Debra bitten off more than she can chew with a new series of children’s books, The Magical Adventures of Florence the Border Collie? And who is Florence?
They say never work with children and animals, but Debra seems to be doing just fine with them.
Debra now helps other writers to turn their words into books and get their stories published.
When the tearoom closed, somebody said to Debra, “You don’t need a tearoom to help people. Find another way.”
Debra now divides her time between writing and delivering inspirational talks to groups and schools, showing that when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
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