Ask the Author: Deborah Raney
Answered Questions (11)
Deborah Raney
Good eyes, Linda! Yes, that is a typo! We'll get it fixed as soon as possible. Thanks for bringing that to my attention!
Deborah Raney
Thank you, Linda! That's the beauty of ebooks: they can always be corrected. I'll let my publisher know so this can be fixed. I hope you enjoyed the book!
Deborah Raney
Thanks for asking, DJ! Finding Wings releases September 22, but you can pre-order it now! https://smile.amazon.com/Finding-Wing...
Deborah Raney
So glad you enjoyed it, Shirley! Yes, Insight stands alone. I wrote it for Steeple Hill around the same time I wrote Above All Things, and I think if you liked one, you'd like the other. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment!
Deborah Raney
Hi Joy, So delighted to meet another Raney. You're right that we are few and far between! As far as I know, none of my husband's family is in the UK or South Africa. Mostly the Raneys are in Kansas and California, and we know of distant relatives in Kentucky, all in the U.S. But perhaps we're related distantly. I hope you enjoyed the book and I wish you all of God's blessings! Thanks so much for taking the time to write!
Deborah Raney
Sadly, it's a whole process for me. I can't write until the bed is made, the dishes are done, the house is tidy (a little dust is okay ;) ), and my inbox is reasonably empty. Once those things are done, I choose some music to fit the scene I'll be working on, I light some candles and turn on some lamps, make a good cup of coffee (French press is a treat, but usually my Keurig will do), and then, finally, I'm ready to write. The least little interruption can derail my entire day, and I start to get a little panicky and hard to live with toward deadline. Still, I can't think of a job I'd love more.
Deborah Raney
Hi Anne,
What a fun question to answer! Both of my daughters, 10 years apart in age, attended Southeast Missouri State, met their husbands the second day of college, and married and settled down in Southeast Missouri. They are both elementary school teachers, and I will soon have four grandchildren in Missouri. We visit often, and love Cape Girardeau. I figured it would be fun (and make the research easy) to write about a place I often visit and have grown to love.
I'm delighted to know you are enjoying the book. (Be sure to read the first two books in the series! Home to Chicory Lane and Two Roads Home...with two more to come! I just finished Book 4 last night!)
Thanks again for asking, and great to catch up with a Missourian on Goodreads!
What a fun question to answer! Both of my daughters, 10 years apart in age, attended Southeast Missouri State, met their husbands the second day of college, and married and settled down in Southeast Missouri. They are both elementary school teachers, and I will soon have four grandchildren in Missouri. We visit often, and love Cape Girardeau. I figured it would be fun (and make the research easy) to write about a place I often visit and have grown to love.
I'm delighted to know you are enjoying the book. (Be sure to read the first two books in the series! Home to Chicory Lane and Two Roads Home...with two more to come! I just finished Book 4 last night!)
Thanks again for asking, and great to catch up with a Missourian on Goodreads!
Deborah Raney
Kimberly, I'm so glad you enjoyed After All and Remember to Forget. I'm actually working on a novel now that is set partially in a women's safe house (although the bulk of the novel is much more lighthearted than some of my issues-based women's fiction). I have never had a publisher ask me to "dial back" on any issue I wanted to write about. And I know of some upcoming books from Christian publishers that deal with some pretty tough topics. That said, I think publishers are more committed than ever that their novels be first, entertaining (because that's why most people read fiction!) and that they never be merely vehicles for a "sermon", ie. preachy, but that the message of a book be very tightly woven into the STORY. Always, story is king! Thanks so much for the quetstion and for your interest in my books!
Deborah Raney
While taking a break for a few hours or a few days is sometimes just the cure, the only thing I've discovered that truly breaks through my times of writers block is to just keep writing . . . trudge through the uncertainty and blank idea slate and just write anyway, even if you're writing horribly. You can always go back and fix it later.
Deborah Raney
I love working from home (or a favorite coffee shop) and setting my own hours. Even though I work long days 6 days a week, I often feel like I'm on vacation. I also love that I get to "play" creatively as a writer. The things I did for pure fun as a kid—creating worlds in my head, talking to myself, play-acting, decorating imaginary houses, being clever and witty at the exact right moment—I get to do all those for pay now!
Deborah Raney
I was hanging out with author friend Courtney Walsh at a conference a few years ago and in the course of our conversation, we talked about our warm, loving—yet quirky too—families. "You should write about a family like yours!" she said. The idea stuck with me and eventually became the seed of the Chicory Inn Series novels. While I've obviously changed EVERYTHING into fiction, five generations of my wonderful family get credit for these novels about what it means to be part of a family.
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