DEBORAH RANEY is bestselling novelist whose books have garnered multiple industry awards including the RITA Award, HOLT Medallion, National Readers’ Choice Award, Silver Angel from Excellence in Media, and have twice been Christy Award finalists. Her first novel, A Vow to Cherish, shed light on the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease. The novel inspired the highly acclaimed World Wide Pictures film of the same title and continues to be a tool for Alzheimer’s families and caregivers. Deborah is on faculty for several national writers’ conferences and serves on the advisory board of the 2500-member American Christian Fiction Writers organization. She is at work on her 21st novel, and her recent Hanover Falls Novels series is published by Howard/Simon & Schuster. Deb and her husband, Ken Raney, enjoy small-town life in Kansas.
While at the ICRS in Atlanta last month, I had the opportunity to talk with Deborah Raney. What a warm and friendly woman Deborah is! Here are some highlights from our talk.
BTB: Tell us about your debut novel, A Vow to Cherish.
Deborah: A Vow to Cherish really is the story of my heart. And it was a big surprise that it did so well and was made into a movie. To have a debut novel do that well was wonderful and unexpected. (From Wikipedia — A Vow to Cherish (1996), drew national attention to the pervasive impact of Alzheimer’s disease on a traditional American family. The book was later developed into a movie that was released in 1999 by Billy Graham‘s World Wide Pictures.)
BTB: Your novels are relational. How do you create such realistic characters?
Deborah: Tamara Alexander is my critique partner. We have learned to trust each other and to accept the needed criticism while working on a novel. I have other readers as well, and I often have those who have a connection with my characters’ backgrounds to keep the emotions and even the language true.
BTB: What was the inspiration for the Hanover Falls series?
Deborah: The tragic fire in South Carolina that took the lives of 9 firemen was my inspiration. I wanted to explore how the survivors and families of such a tragedy would respond and cope. I had the idea for the homeless shelter prior to my church’s participation in a similar project. I started volunteering, but was very clear from the start that I was doing some research for my book.
BTB: Do you still volunteer at the homeless shelter?
Deborah: I do. But unlike the community of Hanover Falls, the churches in our community are very supportive of this ministry. About 50% of the churches have volunteer teams.
BTB: What projects are you currently working on?
Deborah: The re-writes for the 3rd Hanover Falls novel, After All are due August 1. That book will be released in April, 2012. It will feature Susan Marlowe, the director of the homeless shelter and fireman’s widow, and Pete, the Fire Chief. I have a contemporary novel in the Love Finds You series also coming out — Love Finds You In Winterset, Iowa. And I am working on a book for Summerside’s new series, When I Fall In Love.
A very Big Thank You to Deborah Raney for taking the time to talk with me.
You can read my reviews for Almost Forever and Forever After, by clicking on the titles.
Deborah is one of the sweetest authors the Christian fiction world has to offer….and her books are pretty darn great, too! 🙂
You are absolutely right. It was more like talking to an old friend than an interview. And her books are great.
The first book I ever read by Ms. Raney was titled A Nest Of Sparrows.The characters in that book really grabbed my heart, and funny thing is after all these years I still remember the plot and the main characters name, a sure sign of a fantastic writer.
I really like her books. And she really was very, very nice.