Special Birthday Guest ~ Deborah Raney!

by +AneMulligan  @AneMulligan

Happy birthday, Novel Rocket! 

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I'm delighted to have as our guest, our very first interviewee, Deborah Raney. 

Deborah Raney dreamed of writing a book since the summer she read Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books and discovered that a Kansas farm girl could, indeed, grow up to be a writer. After a happy twenty-year detour as a stay-at-home mom, Deb penned her first novel, A Vow to Cherish, which won a Silver Angel Award and inspired the acclaimed World Wide Pictures film of the same title. Since then, her books have won the RITA Award, HOLT Medallion, ACFW Carol Award, National Readers' Choice Award, as well as twice being finalists for the Christy Award. She and her husband, Ken, have four children and four precious grandchildren who all live much too far away. Visit Deb at www.deborahraney.com. 

Deb, you were our very first Novel Rocket interview in Sept 2005. What’s happened in the past 10 years? 

Wow, Ane! I can’t believe it’s been 10 years already! Whoosh! What’s happened in the past 10 years. Well, I’ve become Mimi to 5 precious grandkids, with 2 more on the way. Oh, wait… You mean in the writing world? ;) Well, let’s see…

Ten years ago, I was just signing my contract with Howard. I wrote seven books for them, and am now writing a five-book series for Abingdon Press. I’m working on my 31st novel now and still enjoying my career as a novelist. I’m also doing some freelance editing now, and finding I really enjoy that! 

How has your writing changed in these years?

With my two series for Howard, and especially my standalone The Face of the Earth, I was able to incorporate more threads of suspense than in my earlier novels. That was a challenge and made me a better writer, I think, even with my new series, which is a bit more lighthearted than some of my books.

Overall, I definitely write shorter and more spare now than I did earlier in my career. I’m not sure what brought that change about, but I’ve learned to let dialogue carry a good part of the story, and maybe I’ve learned not to include the boring parts readers skip over. 

How have you seen the industry change over the past 10 years?

The whole e-book phenomenon has really shaken up the publishing industry. I see both challenges and advantages for authors in this. Challenges because the competition has never been stiffer, and the rules have never been so hard to pin down. What worked even two years ago doesn’t necessarily hold true today.

With traditional publishing, there seems to be fewer slots and shrinking advances. But the good news is that it has never been easier to self-publish. Many authors are having success publishing their own novels or publishing with small indie presses. And competition is always good for everyone in the long run.

I think the future looks bright for new writers, as long as they don’t skip the important steps—study the craft, get professional editing, professional cover design, etc., things that have always been hallmarks of good books.

I’m sure we have yet to see how things are going to ultimately shake out, but one thing is sure: storytellers will never go away. And that makes this reader happy.

  

I’m so honored to have been a part of Novel Rocket all these years, and I hope you’ll come back [to me] in another ten years and see what’s up with both of us then!

Two Roads Home

Minor-but-nagging setbacks continue to sour Grant and Audrey Whitman’s initiation into the world of innkeeping, but larger challenges brew when an innocent flirtation leads to big trouble for the Whitmans’ son-in-law, Jesse.

Jesse Pennington’s friendly, outgoing personality has always served him well, especially in a career that has earned him and his wife Corinne a very comfortable lifestyle. But Corinne and Jesse are both restless—and for similar reasons, if only they could share those with each other. Instead, too many business trips and trumped-up charges of harassment from a disgruntled coworker threaten their marriage and possibly put their three precious daughters at risk.

With their life in disarray, God is tugging at their hearts to pursue other dreams. Can Corinne and Jesse pick up the pieces of what was once a wonderful life before it all crumbles beneath them?