AFTER ALL - Deborah Raney - Free Book

Since you’re being published regularly, what new avenues will your future books take?

The publishers I've written for have always been very quick to use the latest technology, so my books are all available for the Kindle and other e-readers, as well as being available in several languages, including Dutch, German, Turkish, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian. Of course, I'd love it if my books all followed in the footsteps of my first novel and became movies, too!                

What conferences will you be attending this year? Will you be a speaker at any of them?

I love conferences and can't say enough about how crucial they are for anyone wanting a career in publishing. I just returned from Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference in San Jose, California last month and as always, it was amazing. I usually teach at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference each May, but our daughter's wedding falls on that weekend this year, and she kind of wanted me to be there. ; ) September is a very busy conference month starting with the Kansas Book Festival in Topeka. Then I'll be teaching at ACFW in Dallas, along with doing critiques and mentoring appointments. The following weekend I'm teaching at a small writers retreat for teachers near Springfield, MO. October will find me teaching at Autumn in the Mountains Novelists Retreat, and in November I will do a library talk and co-host a small private writers retreat, both here in Kansas.

If you were in charge of planning the panel discussion at a writing conference, what topic would the panel cover, and who would you ask to be on the panel, and why?

I would love to hear a panel of writers talk about the challenges they've faced to fulfill their dream of becoming a writer. And especially about the sacrifices they've made. Because anyone who's successfully written knows that you simply can't have/do it all! Something must take a backseat if a writer is going to succeed. Just a few of those I'd invite to share their experiences include: Jill Eileen Smith, who wrote for twenty years before landing a contract; Stephanie Grace Whitson, who wrote while homeschooling four children; Terri Blackstock, whose recent series was informed by her own difficult experiences; Deborah Vogts, who has written through severe physical pains; and any number of my writing friend heroes who wrote while holding down full-time jobs and raising children!

How important is it to you to be active in writing organizations?

Very! I am active in ACFW, including our local chapter that meets in Wichita, and over the 18 years of my career have held memberships in several writers organizations including ACFW, The Authors Guild, Romance Writers of America and other smaller groups. The information I have gained just from the publications of those groups has been well worth the member fees! But when you factor in the connection to other writers and the support and guidance I've gotten from leaders and fellow members, as well as the continuing education from these groups' conferences, I can't afford not to be active in writing organizations! I highly recommend them to any writer, no matter how long they've been at it.       

Where in the community or your church do you volunteer?

I began volunteering at our local homeless shelter three-and-a-half years ago when I started researching the Hanover Falls novels.    I still volunteer there several times a year, and also co-lead the Novel Chicks book club, an outreach ministry in our church. My husband and I host a small group from our church in our home twice a month, and really enjoy that.

Who are the five people who have made the most impact on your life, and how?

My parents, because of their work ethic, their unconditional love for me, and their strong faith in God.

My husband, because he has been so supportive of my dream of being a writer, and because he makes me laugh like no one else can.

Each of my four children, because they fulfilled my strongest and longest-held dream, to be a stay-at-home mom, and because they continue to bless and amaze and inspire me every day.

Add them all together and that's 7, but I couldn't leave any of them out! : )           

If you could write the inscription on your tombstone, what would it be?

It would be the same inscription that is on my sister's gravestone: Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. Psalm 116:15 Not that I've done anything to deserve sainthood (LOL!) but when you belong to the Lord, His grace automatically qualifies you! And there's great comfort knowing that our deaths come as no surprise to Him, and in fact are precious to Him.

Tell us about the featured book.

Eighteen months after the tragic Grove Street Fire took the life of her husband and four other heroic firefighters, Susan Marlowe thinks she’s finally beginning to heal. But then she discovers that David carried a secret to his grave—a secret that changes everything she thought about their marriage. For the sake of their sons, can Susan forgive the unforgivable?

Andrea Morley lost her closest friend in the fire. But she has no right to mourn him. Instead, she must forever grieve in silence—for someone else’s husband. Peter Brennan carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. As Hanover Falls fire chief, he was responsible for the brave firefighters who lost their lives that awful November night. Can he ever shake the feeling that he could have somehow prevented the tragedy? And now it seems he might find comfort in the arms of the woman he least expected. 

Please share the first page with us. 

Chapter One 

Tuesday, November 6

Susan Marlowe’s three-inch heels sank into the thawing sod. The mournful keen of bagpipes wrapped around her, threatening to drag her under.

She shook the haunting notes from her head. The music wasn’t real, but a memory left over from yesterday when a parade of fire trucks had borne the bodies of her husband and four other fallen firefighters down the streets of Hanover Falls, Missouri.

But David had not been buried in the Hanover Falls Cemetery with the others. Instead, as his will had long specified, they’d brought his body here, to Springfield, where he could be lain to rest in the city of his birth, beside his parents’ graves.

With each step, a new layer of mud collected on her spikes. Stupid choice…to wear these shoes. She could barely walk, and the shoes would be ruined. But David had always loved her in heels. Said they made her legs look sexy.

She bit back a sad smile at the thought. It wouldn’t do for the crowd who’d gathered to misunderstand. Or for David Jr. and Daniel, the two strong sons who walked beside her, both called home from college for this somber occasion.––. Sometimes when she looked at her boys––men now––she had trouble believing she was the mother of grown sons. Most times she didn’t feel much older than they were now––though today she felt every one of her forty-two years.         

Where can my readers find you on the Internet?

www.deborahraney.com

www.facebook.com/deborah.raney

twitter.com/authordebraney

novelgarden.blogspot.com

Since you’re being published regularly, what new avenues will your future books take?

The publishers I've written for have always been very quick to use the latest technology, so my books are all available for the Kindle and other e-readers, as well as being available in several languages, including Dutch, German, Turkish, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian. Of course, I'd love it if my books all followed in the footsteps of my first novel and became movies, too!                

What conferences will you be attending this year? Will you be a speaker at any of them?

I love conferences and can't say enough about how crucial they are for anyone wanting a career in publishing. I just returned from Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference in San Jose, California last month and as always, it was amazing. I usually teach at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference each May, but our daughter's wedding falls on that weekend this year, and she kind of wanted me to be there. ; ) September is a very busy conference month starting with the Kansas Book Festival in Topeka. Then I'll be teaching at ACFW in Dallas, along with doing critiques and mentoring appointments. The following weekend I'm teaching at a small writers retreat for teachers near Springfield, MO. October will find me teaching at Autumn in the Mountains Novelists Retreat, and in November I will do a library talk and co-host a small private writers retreat, both here in Kansas.

If you were in charge of planning the panel discussion at a writing conference, what topic would the panel cover, and who would you ask to be on the panel, and why?

I would love to hear a panel of writers talk about the challenges they've faced to fulfill their dream of becoming a writer. And especially about the sacrifices they've made. Because anyone who's successfully written knows that you simply can't have/do it all! Something must take a backseat if a writer is going to succeed. Just a few of those I'd invite to share their experiences include: Jill Eileen Smith, who wrote for twenty years before landing a contract; Stephanie Grace Whitson, who wrote while homeschooling four children; Terri Blackstock, whose recent series was informed by her own difficult experiences; Deborah Vogts, who has written through severe physical pains; and any number of my writing friend heroes who wrote while holding down full-time jobs and raising children!

How important is it to you to be active in writing organizations?

Very! I am active in ACFW, including our local chapter that meets in Wichita, and over the 18 years of my career have held memberships in several writers organizations including ACFW, The Authors Guild, Romance Writers of America and other smaller groups. The information I have gained just from the publications of those groups has been well worth the member fees! But when you factor in the connection to other writers and the support and guidance I've gotten from leaders and fellow members, as well as the continuing education from these groups' conferences, I can't afford not to be active in writing organizations! I highly recommend them to any writer, no matter how long they've been at it.       

Where in the community or your church do you volunteer?

I began volunteering at our local homeless shelter three-and-a-half years ago when I started researching the Hanover Falls novels.    I still volunteer there several times a year, and also co-lead the Novel Chicks book club, an outreach ministry in our church. My husband and I host a small group from our church in our home twice a month, and really enjoy that.

Who are the five people who have made the most impact on your life, and how?

My parents, because of their work ethic, their unconditional love for me, and their strong faith in God.

My husband, because he has been so supportive of my dream of being a writer, and because he makes me laugh like no one else can.

Each of my four children, because they fulfilled my strongest and longest-held dream, to be a stay-at-home mom, and because they continue to bless and amaze and inspire me every day.

Add them all together and that's 7, but I couldn't leave any of them out! : )           

If you could write the inscription on your tombstone, what would it be?

It would be the same inscription that is on my sister's gravestone: Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. Psalm 116:15 Not that I've done anything to deserve sainthood (LOL!) but when you belong to the Lord, His grace automatically qualifies you! And there's great comfort knowing that our deaths come as no surprise to Him, and in fact are precious to Him.

Tell us about the featured book.

Eighteen months after the tragic Grove Street Fire took the life of her husband and four other heroic firefighters, Susan Marlowe thinks she’s finally beginning to heal. But then she discovers that David carried a secret to his grave—a secret that changes everything she thought about their marriage. For the sake of their sons, can Susan forgive the unforgivable?

Andrea Morley lost her closest friend in the fire. But she has no right to mourn him. Instead, she must forever grieve in silence—for someone else’s husband. Peter Brennan carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. As Hanover Falls fire chief, he was responsible for the brave firefighters who lost their lives that awful November night. Can he ever shake the feeling that he could have somehow prevented the tragedy? And now it seems he might find comfort in the arms of the woman he least expected. 

Please share the first page with us.

Chapter One

Tuesday, November 6

Susan Marlowe’s three-inch heels sank into the thawing sod. The mournful keen of bagpipes wrapped around her, threatening to drag her under.

She shook the haunting notes from her head. The music wasn’t real, but a memory left over from yesterday when a parade of fire trucks had borne the bodies of her husband and four other fallen firefighters down the streets of Hanover Falls, Missouri.

But David had not been buried in the Hanover Falls Cemetery with the others. Instead, as his will had long specified, they’d brought his body here, to Springfield, where he could be lain to rest in the city of his birth, beside his parents’ graves.

With each step, a new layer of mud collected on her spikes. Stupid choice…to wear these shoes. She could barely walk, and the shoes would be ruined. But David had always loved her in heels. Said they made her legs look sexy.

She bit back a sad smile at the thought. It wouldn’t do for the crowd who’d gathered to misunderstand. Or for David Jr. and Daniel, the two strong sons who walked beside her, both called home from college for this somber occasion.––. Sometimes when she looked at her boys––men now––she had trouble believing she was the mother of grown sons. Most times she didn’t feel much older than they were now––though today she felt every one of her forty-two years.         

Where can my readers find you on the Internet?

www.deborahraney.com

www.facebook.com/deborah.raney

twitter.com/authordebraney

novelgarden.blogspot.com


Thank you, Deb, for visiting with us today.


Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
After All: A Hanover Falls Novel (Hanover Falls Novels) - paperback
After All (Hanover Falls) - Kindle


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