“Between Wounded and Well’ by Dr. Debbie Palmer
Dr. Debbie Palmer author of “Between Wounded and Well: Lessons in Healing”
When Wounds Become Wisdom: A Nurse Practitioner’s Journey from Hurt to Hope
DULUTH, MN, UNITED STATES, April 14, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — During National Nurses Week and in celebration of Florence Nightingale’s birthday, Minnesota native and nurse practitioner Dr. Debra Palmer returns to Duluth for two special book signings featuring her acclaimed memoir, Between Wounded and Well: Lessons in Healing.
Written by a clinician who has spent her career caring for others, Between Wounded and Well blends medical insight with deeply personal reflection. Dr. Palmer draws powerful parallels between the science of tissue repair and the emotional work required to heal from loss, trauma, and adversity. With clarity and compassion, she reveals how physical wounds mirror emotional ones and what both can teach us about resilience, recovery, and hope.
As a nurse practitioner, Dr. Palmer brings a unique and authoritative voice to the conversation around healing. Her book is especially timely during National Nurses Week, which honors the life and legacy of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing and a symbol of compassionate care. Palmer’s work reflects Nightingale’s enduring belief that healing involves both the body and the human spirit.
More than a memoir, Between Wounded and Well offers a transformative framework for understanding how people recover from life’s deepest wounds. Through patient stories, clinical insight, and her own journey, Palmer shows how pain can become a pathway to purpose, meaning, and connection.
In honor of Florence Nightingale’s birthday week, Dr. Palmer will host two author signings in Duluth:
May 6, 2026 from 7pm to 8:30pm
Zenith Book stores
318 N Central Ave
Duluth, MN 55806
218-606-1777
books@zenithbookstore.com
https://zenithbookstore.com/
May 9, 2026 from 11am- 1:30pm
The Bookstore at Fitger’s
600 E Superior Street
Duluth, MN 55802
218-727-9077
bookstore@fitgers.com
www.bookshop.org/shop/fitgerbooks
Mexican Lindo a restaurant at Fitgers Mall, is offering a 20 percent discount with a book purchase receipt for ‘Between Wounded and Well’ from the bookstore.
Both events are open to the public and celebrate the vital role nurses play in healing individuals and communities.
Between Wounded and Well is broken down into four parts, Dr. Palmer (formerly known as Debbie Shepherd) aligns the stages of emotional healing with the stages of physical wound healing: Bleeding (Homeostasis), Burning (Inflammation), Building (Proliferation), and Transforming (Maturation). Through difficult family dynamics as a child and an unexpected pregnancy at age 13, Dr. Palmer examines the entirety of her life through relationships, motherhood, family, faith, and career challenges. Her memoir is a thorough exploration of the effects of childhood trauma and the steps it takes to find courage, strength, and, ultimately, healing.
This valuable memoir, a testament to resilience, is a powerful resource for understanding and incorporating emotional and spiritual healing. Very highly recommended.
Grady Harp M.D., Amazon Top 100 Hall of Fame Reviewer, 5-Stars
“Perhaps you, like me, have firsthand experiences of woundedness, either personally or within your family or community. We are all injured in diverse ways at various times in our lives; it is a universal experience,” Dr. Palmer says. “Some injuries are physical, others psychological, involving thoughts and feelings that originate in our minds, and some are a combination of the two. Feelings, often referred to as emotions, symbolically originate in the heart. As injuries occur, we suffer, sometimes down to the essence of our purpose for being, what I refer to as the soul, and lose all motivation to live.”
Debra Palmer writes with authenticity and transparency about a journey most survivors are never willing to share. Hope can heal trauma and pain can become power; Debra is a living, breathing testimony to both.
Casey Gwinn, JD, President of Alliance for HOPE International
With excellent prose and vast knowledge of medical insights, Dr. Palmer offers a one-of-a-kind look at healing. Whether it’s from childhood trauma, supporting others on their path to recovery, or simply seeking to live a more whole and joyful life, Between Wounded and Well: Lessons in Healing will show you that brokenness need not define our stories. It can be the beginning of a beautiful new chapter.
Between Wounded and Well: Lessons in Healing, ISBN 979-8998557705, $18.99 Paperback, $9.99 eBook, 224 pages, Palmer Aces 4 Wellness, 2025. Available on Amazon.
About Debra Palmer: With four decades of distinguished experience as a nurse practitioner and nursing professor, Dr. Palmer has dedicated her career to advancing healthcare practices and improving patient outcomes. Her groundbreaking collaboration with the medical community significantly contributed to pioneering the role of orthopedic nurse practitioners, helping to establish new standards of orthopedic care that continue to benefit patients today. This exceptional work earned her recognition from her peers through the California Association for Nurse Practitioners’ prestigious Bridging Healthcare Needs Award. Her employer further honored her contributions with both The Everyday Hero Award and a Community Service Award. Dr. Palmer earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the College of St. Scholastica and completed both her master’s degree and dual doctorate degrees, a DNP and PhD in Nursing, from the University of San Diego. A transplant from the Midwest, Dr. Palmer now resides in Northern California with her husband, near their adult children and grandchildren. When she’s not working in her new Wellness business or writing, she finds restoration through hiking in nature and tending her garden.
Media Contact: For a review copy of Between Wounded and Well or to arrange an interview with Dr. Palmer, contact
Scott Lorenz
Westwind Book Marketing
scottlorenz@westwindcos.com
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