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!

Trust Your Readers: Author Interview with Deborah Raney

The start of your writing career sounds like the plot for a book with a happy ever after ending. Your first novel, A Vow to Cherish, was optioned and made into a movie. Was it really as easy as that sounds? How long did that process actually take?
It really was! At least from my end. I’d sent a copy of the manuscript to World Wide Pictures and kind of forgot about it. A year after the book came out, I got a call from my editor that A Vow to Cherish was one of ten projects the film company was considering. A week later, I learned they’d chosen mine, and within months, the movie was in production! Ken and I got to go to Hollywood to the movie premiere in 1998—quite a highlight for this Kansas farm girl!

I’ve since sold movie options for two other novels and those processes were a little longer in the making, and as yet, no movies have resulted. Of course, Covid didn’t help matter. But we just renewed the options, so that’s a hopeful sign!

What inspired you to write that first book? What keeps you inspired after writing over three dozen books?
I was privileged to stay home with our kids for most of their childhoods, but I knew when it was time for our oldest to go to college, I’d need to go back to work to help pay tuition. What I didn’t know was that when that time came we’d have a 3-year-old “oops baby” who I desperately wanted to stay home with. 

I started trying to think how I could stay home, yet still make some extra money, and I felt like God tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Remember that book you’ve always wanted to write? Now’s the time!” So I started writing, and here I am 26 years later, still happily writing away—and with four kids who all have their college degrees. :)

What is the hardest part of writing for you? 
My hardest is writing the first draft. The blank page is so intimidating to me! I write from the seat of my pants (outlining takes all the fun out of it!) but that does mean that sometimes I really struggle with knowing what should happen next in my plot. 

The next hardest part of writing is finishing the book. By the end, I’ve grown to love my characters so much that it’s sad for me to write “the end” and say goodbye. This is even more true when I finish a series because I’ve been working with those same characters for three to five years by the time I write the final scene!

What does your editor remind you to do most often?
To trust myself. And to trust my readers. Too often, I overwrite because I’m afraid my reader won’t get what I’m trying to say. So my editors often write in the margins, “Trust your readers to get it!"

What’s the best encouragement you’ve had in your writing?
My husband is my biggest encourager and has so much confidence in my writing. Even though I’ve given him “permission” to stop reading my books at any time, he has still read every one (he’s currently reading my newest, Bridges) and always finds something to compliment about my writing. Ken’s comments mean all the more knowing that he deeply values honesty and never gives an insincere compliment.

What has surprised or frustrated you the most in writing/publishing? 

The answer is the same for both questions. I’ve been so surprised how much of a professional writer’s time is spent NOT writing! And sometimes I DO find that frustrating. On the other hand, I really enjoy some of the non-writing tasks that go with my job: research, traveling, speaking, social media, conferences, teaching writing, etc. I even love cleaning and organizing my office.

What is the best writing advice you’ve received or could give?
Write what you know. I used to think that meant not stretching myself, researching new ideas, or writing outside of my comfort zone. It doesn’t mean that at all, but merely that my writing will be most natural and realistic when I am writing about settings that I know intimately and people who think a lot like I do. 

Of course I want the casts of my novels to be diverse and varied like the real world, but most of the characters whose heads I occupy while writing have a lot in common with me, and my novels are set mostly in my native Kansas or Missouri or elsewhere in the Midwest.

Are there any other points about writing you would like to add?
I don’t think I would have stuck with writing this long if not for the wonderful writer friends I’ve made over the years. I’m an extrovert, so it would be torture if the whole of my job was sitting at a desk by myself typing! But I’ve been blessed to be part of several wonderful writers groups, both in-person and online, and that has made all the difference.

What is the next book coming out? Can you give me a short synopsis?
Breath of Heaven is the third book in the Camfield Legacy series, following Beneath a Southern Sky (RITA® Award winner) and After the Rains. 

This story will continue following Natalie Camfield, daughter of Nathan Camfield, Daria Camfield Hunter and Cole Hunter as she returns to her father’s beloved Timoné in Colombia, South America to join the love of her life, David Chambers, her father’s colleague at the mission in Timoné. Their lives will soon be thrown into turmoil when Natalie goes missing and David must search for her in the wild jungles of Colombia.

What a delightful interview! Thank you for your time and insights. If you'd like to start or continue with the Camfield saga or learn about Deborah's other books, here are some links to get you started.

Website: http://www.deborahraney.com

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/61073266770

Goodreads: http://tinyurl.com/DRGoodReads

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/deborah-raney