It's beginning to read a lot like Christmas 2025: Author Interview with Deborah Raney

What made you decide to write a Christmas themed book? Could you give a short synopsis on the book for my readers?
I’ve always loved Christmas books, especially novellas. In fact, the first (and only historical) novella I wrote was a Christmas book. Gifts of the Season contains two novellas, Christmas then and now. "Circle of Blessings" is set in Dakota Territory in 1864 and tells the story of Stella Bradford’s unexpected romance with the English professor at her college. “Measured with Love” is a contemporary tale set in a Mississippi River town in Southeast Missouri (where I happen to live). Benji Gabriel believes the chef’s position she’s just taken at an award-winning bed and breakfast is temporary—only a stepping stone to greater things. Her boss—and God—have other ideas.

What are some of your favorite Christmas traditions?
"Circle of Blessings” from Gifts of the Season is based on a family tradition from my own family. Each Christmas, we would take our kids out to eat with the intention of blessing our server with an extra generous tip. We would pray for the server ahead of time, and one of our rules was that we would leave the restaurant without waiting to see that person’s reaction…we simply trusted that God would use that gift to bless the server in ways we will surely never know this side of heaven.

Recently, I’ve loved what has become a tradition of setting up our Christmas tree on our screened porch, and leaving it up and decorating it for Valentine’s Day and again at Easter. It adds the twinkle of lights and pretty decorations throughout the long winter months and makes Christmas seem to last longer.

What’s coming up next?
I’m working on the third book in The God Who series, Who Names the Stars. The first book, Who Touches the Mountains, is a Christy Award finalist this year and I’m thrilled about that. I’m especially looking forward to teaching at the Seaside Scribes conference at Myrtle Beach in January, and at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference’s 50th anniversary in May. Teaching the craft of writing is one of my favorite parts of my writing career.

What’s the best writing tip you’ve learned or been given you’d like to share?
Even though this may not apply throughout a long career, it’s still good advice for beginning writers: Write what you know. Yes, if you write more than a few books, you’ll need to research new things and write about characters who are very different from you. But when you are starting out, I think you find your truest voice when you are writing about characters much like you and settings with which you are intimately familiar. Once you’ve mastered the craft of writing, then you can stretch yourself writing what you don’t know but are willing to learn.

What do you know now about writing and publishing you wish you had learned sooner?
That the publishing world is ever-changing, ever-challenging, and sometimes brutal. I have had a wonderful career, written many books that I’m proud of and that readers loved, but at the same time, I’ve often been disappointed by rejections, poor sales, one-star reviews. It’s all part of the business of being a writer and I wouldn’t trade it for any other job I can think of (except being a stay-at-home mom, which, if you do that job well, you quickly put yourself out of a job.) The relationships I’ve formed with other writers, readers, and professionals from the publishing world are golden and have enriched my life so wonderfully. So hang in there. For every disappointment there is a success. For every challenge, there will be a triumph.

What’s your newest release that you’d like to tell my readers about?
Who Stirs Up the Sea is the second novel in The God Who series from Raney Day Press. It has been one of the most fun-to-research books I’ve written, including a week-long research trip on beautiful Saint Simons Island, Georgia, and a DNA test my character takes, that I took too, for research’s sake. I think you’ll love the romance that grows between my Emma and Tadhg.

That's all for today's interview. To learn more about Deborah's books, start with these links.
Website: http://www.deborahraney.com
Facebook Readers Group: http://tinyurl.com/DRreadergroup
Instagram: http://instagram.com/deborahraney
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/deborahraney/
X: https://twitter.com/authordebraney
Goodreads: http://tinyurl.com/DRGoodReads
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/deborah-raney

And here's a bonus for my readers, leave a comment on this post and we'll pick one reader who'll receive a copy of Deborah's book, Gifts of the Season. So do that now. It can be as simple as I want to be in the giveaway. We'll chose a winner next Saturday!