BECAUSE OF THE RAIN - Deborah Raney - One Free Ebook

Dear Readers, I recently finished reading Because of the Rain on my Kindle. It’s a book that deals with an unthinkable event that changes the lives of a whole family. Deborah has written a number of books that when I first read the premise, I can’t imagine how the story can end in a way that I will find satisfying. This was one of those books. One thing about Deborah’s stories is that she finds the fine line to the end that can satisfy the reader. Her characters leap off the pages and the reader feels all their pain and journeys with them to the end. You won’t want to miss this powerful story.

Welcome back, Deborah. You have a lot of books out now. What is your favorite setting to use in your books?

I’ve written quite a few books set in southeast Missouri, including my new Chicory Inn Novels series. I first got to know this beautiful area of the state when our daughter both attended Southeast Missouri State. They ended up both marrying area men and are now both elementary teachers in southeast Missouri. And thus, I have three grandsons there, and a new grandbaby on the way. It’s fun to get to see my grandkids when I go on research trips. :)

What do you look for when you’re shopping for a book to buy for yourself?

I want something that will be entertaining—even page-turning—while also being thought-provoking. I prefer contemporary books that explore issues I might find myself dealing with in life. (Which is also why I love to write contemporary women’s fiction.)

There are only a few authors of contemporary women’s fiction that I read, because I often prefer reading historicals. Of course, you were the first person on that list. Give us a little tour of the setting for this book.

Because of the Rain is set in a fictional suburb of Illinois, Chicago area. I chose this area for my first two novels because I thought it would be boring to write about my home state of Kansas, but I wanted some place in the midwest that would be fairly similar culturally and dialect-wise as well. I soon learned that it was a blast to write stories set in Kansas, and who knew the setting better than someone who lives there?

What other books do you have coming out soon?

My Chicory Inn Novels series, beginning with Home to Chicory Lane, is going strong. The first book in the series was a Christy Award finalist, won the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, a Silver Scroll award from AWSA, a bronze award in Foreword Magazine’s INDIEFAB Award, and was a finalist for Christian Retailing’s Best Award. The second book in the series, Two Roads Home, just released in June, and book 3, Another Way Home will be out in October. There are two more books to complete the series.

Please give us a glimpse inside your home.

These photos of my office show how my office is located where the builders of our home intended the formal dining room to be. But we are not formal people and so I nabbed this space at the front of the house for my office. It’s a bright, cheery place to be and I love having the coffee bar in my office—especially so I can smell that wonderful aroma all morning long!

Is this novel part of a series or a stand-alone book?

Because of the Rain is a stand-alone novel. It was first published by Bethany House in 1997 under the title In the Still of Night. When I got the rights back to the book and re-issued it through Greenbrier Press, we learned that in the ensuing years, more than a dozen books with that same title, and many others with similar titles, had been published. So to avoid confusion we chose a new title, which I think is appropriate since my update of the novel (mostly to bring the story into the 21st Century and give my characters cell phones and computers!) has made it almost a whole new—and much better, I think!—story. My favorite thing about this new version is the gorgeous cover, which was designed by my husband, Ken Raney!

It is a lovely cover. Tell us about the story.

Anna Marquette has everything to live for. Her daughters are in college and, with the support of Paul, her loving husband, she is pursuing her dream of a career in counseling. Then one night, while on a trip to Orlando, the unimaginable happens. She takes a “short cut” to an evening out with Paul and is brutally assaulted.

When Anna suspects the attack has left her pregnant, her faith is put to the test. As Anna and her family confront the heart-wrenching decisions that lie ahead, Anna gradually comes to realize that God has a plan for her and that she must trust Him. But will her family accept the choice she makes? Will her husband’s love for her prevail? And will her marriage survive this ultimate test?

Please give us the first page of the book for my blog readers.

Anna Marquette stepped into the quiet of the carpeted hallway and closed the door to the hotel room behind her. Checking the lock, she tucked the key card into her large leather handbag and headed across the hall toward the bank of elevators. The doors at the far end of the row slid open silently, and she entered the empty car. The air inside smelled of stale cigarette smoke and air conditioning. Anna pressed the button for the lobby and leaned back against the handrail as the elevator began its descent. The elevator shaft was encased in glass, affording Anna a sweeping view of Orlando’s skyline as the cage crept slowly down the sleek face of the towering building and ground to a halt on the lobby level.

It was March, and they’d flown out of Chicago’s O’Hare yesterday morning in below freezing temperatures. But March in Orlando meant ninety degrees. The late afternoon sun beat down on the glass, warming Anna’s bare arms. It always amazed her that the weather could be so drastically different just a few hours’ flight away.

Paul had laughed at Anna as she packed sweaters and wool jackets alongside her summer dresses.

“Anna, we’re going to Florida, not the Yukon.”

“I know, but I’m not taking any chances. You know I can’t stand to be cold.”

“Suit yourself. But I’m only carrying one suitcase.” He gave her the grin that had won her heart twenty-three years ago and continued folding golf shirts and summer dress shirts, adeptly packing them into one half of the large suitcase that lay open on their bed.

An executive with a large advertising agency in Chicago, Paul Marquette was a seasoned traveler. His business trips were usually overnight—two or three days at the most—but he traveled several times a month. Whenever he had to be gone longer than that, he liked Anna to come with him.

When their daughters were younger, Anna had relished the chance to get away with Paul and take a break from being a full-time mom. Her parents lived an hour west of Chicago and were always anxious for a chance to spoil their granddaughters. But now that the girls were grown and on their own, and Anna’s days were more her own to orchestrate, the days spent lounging in a hotel room or shopping the malls of whatever city they happened to be in had lost some of their appeal. Yet the evenings with Paul, exploring the city together and sampling the local cuisine, made the days of solitude worthwhile.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

I love meeting my readers on social media! I don’t know how I’d survive the life of solitude an author leads without my breaks for Facebook and e-mail interaction! Here are just a few places you can find me online:

http://www.deborahraney.com 

https://www.facebook.com/deborah.raney

https://twitter.com/authordebraney

http://novelgarden.blogspot.com

http://amazon.com/author/deborahraney

http://instagram.com/deborahraney

http://www.pinterest.com/deborahraney/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/59414.Deborah_Raney

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/deborah-raney/5/a32/698

Thank you, Deborah, for sharing this book with us. I know my readers will like reading it as much as I did.

Readers, here’s a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.

Because of the Rain

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