Southern-Style Meet & Greet with Deborah Raney

It gives me the most ENORMOUS pleasure to have Deborah Raney as the first featured author on Southern-Style Meet & Greet!  I have been a fan of Deb's stories since I found her books on my local library's bookshelves, and she gets better and better with every single novel she writes.  If you've not had the chance to read any of her books, just pick one (doesn't even matter which one you choose) and discover one of the true gems in the world of Christian fiction.

I hope y'all enjoy our first Meet & Greet!
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When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?

The summer I was 12 and read all of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books. That's the first time I realized that "novelist" could be a career aspiration!

If you were not a writer, what would your dream job be and why? (This is, of course, assuming that writing IS your dream job!)  :o)

I love decorating my home and office, so (NOT including the painting, refinishing, wallpapering, hard-work part LOL!) I might choose to be a decorator or designer. Or a psychologist. I know, I know, BIG difference between those two. And that's why I love being a writer. I get to decorate my character's homes and offices, and play psychologist to them––AND I get to work in my jammies. Talk about the best of all worlds!

The best of all worlds is right!  LOL!  What genre do you most like to write?

Women's fiction, because not only can I explore a social issues, but I can add in elements of romance or mystery or suspense and satisfy my desire to write in various genres under one "brand."  

Do your own personal experiences, or those of family and friends, ever find their way into one your stories?

Almost everything that has ever happened to me has found its way into a novel––just not necessarily in a way that readers would recognize. For instance, the heroine in my first novel is sending her youngest son off to college and facing the empty nest. It was written at a time when I was sending my oldest off to college, but I still had three kids at home, including a 3-year-old, so I was projecting how that empty nest time would feel. I witnessed a murder the day before my very first book contract was offered. In several of my novels when someone has witnessed a murder or other shocking event, I was certainly drawing on my own experience! More subtle ways that my personal experiences make it into my books are based more on "what ifs" than actual happenings. For instance, if my teenagers were WAY past curfew, I start imagining what could be wrong, and how I would deal with it, etc. My "what if?" makes it into the book, but that doesn't mean it really happened. 

What is your latest book release?

Forever After is the second book in Deborah Raney's Hanover Falls Novels series from Howard/Simon & Schuster. Book 1, Almost Forever, is the winner of the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, as well as an Award of Merit for the HOLT Medallion.

Lucas Vermontez was a proud firefighter like his father. Now, not only has he lost his father and his best friend, Zach, in the fire at the Grove Street Homeless Shelter, but the devoted rookie can no longer do the work he loves after being crippled in the tragic event. When friendship with his buddy's beautiful widow turns into more, he wonders what he could possibly offer Jenna.

Jenna Morgan is trying to grieve her husband's death like a proper widow, but the truth is, she never really loved Zach. His death feels more like a relief to her. But that relief is short-lived when she loses her home and the financial support of her in-laws. Now the secrets of her past threaten to destroy her future.

Almost Forever, Book 1 in the Hanover Falls Novels series, won the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence in 2011.

Are you currently working on another novel, and if so, can you give us a snippet about it?

I'm working on my first novel for Summerside Press's When I Fall in Love line. My book, We've Only Just Begun, is set in 1971 in a small-town newspaper office. I'm having a blast remembering a time when cell phones and laptops didn't exist. Boy, does it change the way my plot evolves!

I bet it does!  Seems like you've changed your mind about not writing another historical...  :o)  Where can readers find you on the web?

www.deborahraney.com  I also have a great blog featuring CBA authors and their garden spots:  http://novelgarden.blogspot.com

And now it's time for the fun stuff!  :o)

If you could visit anywhere down South, where would it be and why?

Does North Carolina count? I've gotten to know tons of wonderful Southerners while teaching at various conferences at Ridgecrest Conference Center near Asheville, NC. People in Kansas are wonderful and friendly and kind, but Southerners are downright sweet!

Yes, North Carolina does indeed count!  I've only gotten to visit there once myself, and that was on a trip to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC.  It truly was one of the most beautiful places I've ever been, and I'd love the chance to go back some day. Maybe you'll find your way there, too, if you pop in again for another conference.  :o)

Iced Tea—sweet or un-sweet? 

Most Kansans don't sweeten their tea, but my husband and I always have a delicious mix of brewed tea with a packet of Crystal Light Peach Tea mixed in at half strength in our fridge. Not too sweet and zero calories. 

BBQ Pork or BBQ Beef?

Pulled pork is a guilty pleasure, but BBQ chicken is probably my favorite. Can I choose C?

(Deb, I won't hold the chicken against you, although nothing will do but pulled pork for this girl!)

Potluck dinner or restaurant dinner?

Potluck ANY day! LOVE all the salads and desserts!

Summer or Winter? (because we really only have 2 seasons down here)

Winter! I love spring and fall best of all, but can't stand to be hot in the summer, and love cozying up by a fire in a sweater and socks in the winter. 

Country gal or city gal?

Country gal. I was raised on a farm and totally enjoy small-town life now. Cities are great to visit, but wouldn't want to call one home!

You, you all, or y’all?

You. Even though I was born in Texas, my parents returned to their native Kansas when I was just 5 months old, so I never learned y'all. : )

Well, that about wraps it up!  Deb, you could fit in with us Southerners down here real easy...but you may have to put up with sweet tea bein' on the menu.  :o)  Thank you so much for sharing a little bit about yourself today, as well as the scoop on your upcoming novel.  I hope you'll come back to   "meet & greet" with us again sometime soon!

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Be sure to come back next time to meet another fantastic Christian fiction author!  I'll bring the sweet tea...you bring the conversation!  :o)

If you'd like to check out my review of Deb's new book, Forever After, click here.

Book Review: Forever After by Deborah Raney/5 Stars!!

About the book:

A fire killed his best friend and his lifelong dream of being a firefighter. The same fire killed her husband and hopes for a family. Can new dreams replace old?

Lucas Vermontez was a proud firefighter like his father. Now, not only has he lost his father and his best friend, Zach, in the fire at the Grove Street homeless shelter, but the devoted rookie can no longer do the work he loves after being crippled in the tragic event. When friendship with his buddy’s beautiful widow turns into more, he wonders, what could he possibly offer Jenna?

Jenna Morgan is trying to grieve her husband’s death like a proper widow, but the truth is, she never really loved Zach. His death feels more like a relief to her. But that relief is short-lived when she loses her home and the financial support of her in-laws. Now the secrets of her past threaten to destroy her future.

Can the two forget the painful past and discover new reasons to live and love?

My thoughts:

I feel like I'm gonna sound like a broken record here, but Deborah Raney gets better with every single book she writes! Seriously! I said this very same thing for her last book, Almost Forever, and not to take anything away from that book (because it's equally as good), but Deborah has taken her writing to a whole other level with this newest book, Forever After.

I knew I would be in for another sad story because this was a continuation of the events surrounding the fire in book 1. A lot of the same characters from book 1 are featured in this story, but it mostly focused on some new ones--Lucas and Jenna--who were drawn to one another partially because of their grief. Lucas was injured in the fire that happened one year ago, and is still trying to recover from his injuries. Jenna's husband was lost to the fire, and she's left with in-laws who are too concerned about their societal image. How both of these wounded individuals overcame their sadness and grief was nothing short of incredible...thanks to the masterful writing of Deborah Raney.

I was surprised how much I identified with Jenna. She had a past similar to mine (although loving parents was a major difference), and a present situation with her in-laws that I've experienced as well. I admired her courage to stand up to them, and not let them dictate her life...although it did come with some harsh consequences. She matured so much throughout the course of the story, and was a better person for it once she was able to stand on her own two feet.

What I was impressed with the most was Deborah's note at the back of the book. It's no secret that our economy is drastically different now than ever before, and it affects all of us in one way or another. She took her own personal, financial struggles, and wove them into the fabric of this story. Being short on cash or not being able to pay a bill on time is something that most of us have had to deal with at some point in time. But it's how we handle those moments that shape our character, and that lesson was portrayed beautifully through Jenna's character in this book.

As far as I'm concerned, the conclusion for this series cannot come soon enough! I have not even scratched the surface about all the good qualities that this series, and particularly this book, has to offer. Bravo, Deb, for getting me attached to these wonderfully realistic characters that I now feel like I know personally. :o)

Highly Recommended!

5 Stars

Southern?  No
Sass?  No

**Many thanks to Howard Books and Glass Road PR for providing a copy for review.

**Check out my interview with Deb here where she is featured on my first ever Southern-Style Meet & Greet!

Book Review: Almost Forever by Deborah Raney

About the book:

Unearthing a lost memory may cause her to lose everything she holds dear...but could it also set her free?

Bryn Hennesey, a volunteer at the Grove Street Homeless Shelter, was there the night the shelter burned to the ground and five heroic firefighters died at the scene. Among them was her husband, Adam. Like the rest of the surviving spouses, Bryn must find a way to begin again. But Bryn must do so living with a horrible secret....

Garrett Edmonds's wife, Molly, was the only female firefighter to perish in the blaze. As her husband, it was his job to protect the woman he loved.... How can he go on in the face of such unbearable loss and guilt?

And what started the fire that destroyed the dreams and futures of so many? Investigators are stumped. But someone knows the answer....

My thoughts:

No joke...Deborah Raney gets better with every single book she writes! This has to be her best book yet, and she's written some pretty awesome books! Her trademark is evoking emotion through her characters, which in turn, sucks the reader into an unforgettable story. Another author who does this well is Karen Kingsbury, but I don't think she's got anything on Deborah Raney!

The action begins in the very first chapter, and that is my kind of book. Unfortunately, it starts with a huge tragedy that affects 5 families and the community around them. As the days go by, the questions start to pile up. "Who's responsible?" "What started the fire?" Bryn thinks she knows how it started, but after awhile she convinces herself that she had nothing to do with it. It's not long, though, before the doubt starts to creep in, and she wonders if she truly was responsible.

Garrett's wife, Molly, was one of the firefighters who died in the fire, along with Bryn's husband, Adam. Even though I never got to read about them while they were among the living, I thought Deborah did an awesome job of portraying them after their tragic deaths. She also did an incredible job writing the emotions of the surviving spouses, and the incredible grief that each one felt.

There is so much more about this story I could share, but if I did, I would honestly be spoiling it for you! If you love stories that pull on your heartstrings, make you shed a few tears (I certainly did), and ones that just stay with you for days and weeks, then you need to get your hands on every single Deb Raney book available! I assure you....you will not be sorry! :o)

5 Stars

**Many thanks to Howard Books/Simon and Schuster through Glass Road PR for providing a copy for review.

*Click here to purchase a copy of Almost Forever.

Book Review: Kindred Bond by Deborah Raney

About the book:


For Claire Anderson, her position as a teacher in Hanover Falls is the realization of a long-held dream. In this loving community she attempts to cast aside the memories of her troubled childhood in the day-to-day interaction with the young lives entrusted to her care.

Michael Meredith finds worth as a nursing home administrator until an unwelcome investigation concerning suspicious deaths among the residents threatens his career. In the midst of this crisis, the linking of Claire's and Michael's lives creates a unique friendship that blossoms into a shared understanding neither has known before.

Both are empowered by the understanding and support they experience with each other until an agonizing secret is revealed that may tear the delicate fabric of their love. Is their faith strong enough to survive this astonishing discovery?

My thoughts:

It is no secret that I am a huge fan of Deborah Raney. Her style of writing is just so easy to read, and the stories she tells have a way of stirring up all your emotions, especially if she's writing a tearjerker.


Kindred Bond is one of Deborah's first novels, and I can definitely tell that she has grown as a writer since this book. Not to say that this was a bad story....just that she has greatly improved since writing it. The book is geared more as a romance, and that part of the story is done very well--almost too well as I wanted to throw the book up against the wall a couple of times. :o)

There were a few spots that the story seemed to drag, but overall, I'd say it was a good book. If you're new to Deb's books, I would recommend starting with Beneath a Southern Sky or her Clayburn series first to get a better appreciation of her style.

3 1/2 stars

Author Spotlight and Book Reviews: Deborah Raney

Well, I've discovered a new author. Not new to most of you, by any means, but one that I've yet to have the pleasure of reading. I've read 3 books by this author in the past 2 weeks, and I have been thoroughly impressed! Deborah Raney has written about 18 books, and I've started at the beginning, reading some of the first books that she wrote.

My first experience was with Beneath a Southern Sky. Just reading the blurbs inside the front cover really encouraged me to read it. It was like nothing I have ever read! Deborah tells a story of a young couple, the Camfields, serving as missionaries in Columbia. Very quickly into the story, there is a horrible fire in a nearby village and Daria Camfield finds out that she has lost her husband forever. She returns to her hometown in Kansas, where she eagerly awaits the birth of her child, a child that her husband will never get a chance to know. A year or so goes by, and Daria gets some shocking news. Her husband, Nathan Camfield, has been found alive. What should be a joyous reunion for the two of them is going to be pure agony once Nathan learns that Daria has remarried. How will Daria be able to choose between two men that she has loved so deeply? This book is such a remarkable story about trusting in the Lord, even when everything in you wants to move in another direction.

My next experience came with the previous book's sequel, After the Rains. This story follows Daria and Nathan's daughter, Natalie. In case you haven't read the first book, I don't want to reveal too much!! :o) However, this is another heart-wrenching story. Natalie has a wonderful best friend, Sara, who is like a sister to her. One night, Natalie makes some decisions that will forever change their lives, and will leave Natalie with a load of guilt that she wonders if she will ever be free from.

Lastly, I got to read her novella, Playing by Heart. Maddie Houser is a successful novelist that has moved from the big city of New York to a small town in Kansas. Several different things bring her to Kansas, one of them being her mother who is suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. Also, she is helping her sister remodel a house. Too bad that she's got a writing deadline to meet in the midst of it all! With all of the craziness going on in Maddie's house, her neighbor, Ginny, kindly suggests a local bed and breakfast for her to go and write. The owner, Art Tyler, is a professor and won't even be at the inn while Maddie is there writing. After her first day at the inn, she leaves Art a short note of thanks and tells him that she hopes her being there is not an inconvenience. She returns the next morning to find a note that Art has left for her. Slowly over the next couple of weeks, they get to know a bit about each other through these small notes. However, neither one realizes that they've already met each other in town!

I have loved, loved, loved each one of these books, although there is a bit of partiality toward the first one. I was thankful to have the tissue handy! I am so eager to read the rest of her books. Next up in my TBR pile by her is A Vow to Cherish and A Scarlet Cord. The big decision will be which one to start first!