Episode 86 - We Will Get Through This with Debra Butterfield

Date: August 29, 2025 Podcast Show Notes: Interview with Debra Butterfield

 

Story Highlights: In this episode of The Women Behind the Words, host Debbie Dufek sits down with Debra Butterfield, an author, Marine Corps veteran, and editor whose life is marked by resilience, faith, and unshakable determination.

Debra’s story begins with a life-changing moment as a teenager: while babysitting during a tornado, nearly every house around her was destroyed, yet she and the children survived unharmed. She says she “grew up that day,” and it became the first of many defining moments that shaped her strength and perseverance.

Her journey hasn’t been without pain. After enduring two failed marriages, one impacted by her husband’s alcoholism and the other shadowed by her daughter’s abuse, Debra chose not to let brokenness define her. Instead, she found healing and strength in her faith and determination to move forward.

From being bullied in school to navigating some of life’s hardest battles, Debra leaned into the encouragement of a teacher who once told her she could accomplish anything she put her hand to. That truth, coupled with her disciplined mindset developed through her service in the Marine Corps, helped her develop her personal motto: Just keep going.

In this heartfelt conversation, Debra shares how her faith in Christ, her commitment to perseverance, and her ability to find joy even in hardship have shaped her into a woman of endurance and hope. Listeners will be inspired to press on, no matter the challenges they face.

 

About Our Guest: We all begin as beginners. For Debra Butterfield, her writing career started at Focus on the Family, where she worked as a junior copywriter and account/project manager for their in-house ad agency. In 2006, she transitioned into freelance writing, adding freelance editing in 2010. By 2014, she joined CrossRiver Media as an editor, where she has since worked on numerous award-winning books.

Debra is also a Marine Corps veteran, a mother of three adult children (each born in a different decade and state), and a grandmother of two. Her years living abroad in Europe, her military service, and her life experiences have all shaped her into the writer and editor she is today. A graduate of the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild Apprentice program and CLASSeminar, Debra continues to combine her passion for storytelling with her heart for helping others grow as writers.

 

Book Spotlight: Claiming Her Inheritance by Debra L. Butterfield

A secret beyond her wildest imagination. Will this fierce loner finally find love and acceptance?

Sally Clark, a fifty-eight-year-old Marine Corps veteran stuck in a publishing job she dreads, is praying for a fresh start. When she unexpectedly inherits a substantial sum of money, but with serious conditions attached, her life takes an unpredictable turn.

Traveling to a luxurious Montana ranch, Sally must work alongside the late multi-millionaire’s children and grandchildren for a month. But when suspicious accidents nearly cost her life, she realizes someone may want her gone. Despite her strong Christian faith and willingness to serve others, Sally wrestles with staying where she isn’t wanted.

Can she dig deep, lean on her faith, and find the courage to stay the course?

Claiming Her Inheritance is the fast-moving first book in the Her Inheritance Christian fiction series. Readers who love strong female characters, touches of humor, suspenseful twists, and faith-filled themes will be drawn into this unforgettable story.

 

Connect with Debra Butterfield: Website: https://DebraLButterfield.com Email: [e-mail] Facebook: Debra L. Butterfield, Author YouTube: Debra L. Butterfield on YouTube LinkedIn: Debra L. Butterfield, Editor