Bio: Deborah
Raney accomplished something very few authors are able to do with their first
book. Her debut novel, A Vow to Cherish (originally
published in 1996), inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title and
launched her writing career after 20 happy years as a stay-at-home mom. Since
then, her books have won numerous awards including the RITA, National Readers
Choice Award, HOLT Medallion and the Carol Award, and have twice been Christy
Award finalists.
Raney’s newest novel, Home to Chicory Lane, released this month as the first book
in the Chicory Inn Novels series for Abingdon Press Fiction.
Welcome, Deb. Do you
have a favorite genre to write? If so, what is it?
Women’s fiction has always been my favorite genre. It not
only allows me to explore social issues, or even add a bit of suspense, but a
story is made all the better (I think!) if there’s also a thread of romance.
Women’s fiction is a wonderful blend of all those, and more.
If you didn’t live in
the part of the country where you do, where would you live?
I’d live in Missouri
where both our daughter and three of our five grandkids live. I love my native Kansas , and my parents
and siblings and dear friends are, but it’s hard to be so far from all four of
our kids.
What foreign country
would you like to visit and why?
Describe what you
think would be the most romantic vacation you could take.
I think a New England
bed-and-breakfast tour in the fall—both my husband and my favorite season—would
be just lovely!
Where would you like
to set a story that you haven’t done yet?
In Italy !
After reading Susan Meissner’s The Girl
in the Glass, I fell in love with the setting and thought it would a treat
to travel to Venice and while there, write a
novel about an American woman in Venice .
What is the main
theme of Home to Chicory Lane?
All five of the Chicory Inn Novels series will have themes
of home ... how home defines who we are, how home launches us into the world,
how home calls us back, how home makes us who we are.
Tell us about the
story.
In Home to Chicory Lane, Landyn, the
youngest daughter of the Whitman family, has married and moved to New York with her new
husband to seek their dreams. When those dreams divide the young couple, Landyn
comes running home. But her home seems to be no longer there, as her parents
have turned the house into a bed and breakfast—her mother’s dream—and Landyn’s
bedroom is now a fancy guest room. She must learn that home is not made of
bricks and stone, but home truly is where your heart is.
Please give us the
first page of the book.
“So, Mrs. Whitman,
is everything ready?” Grant stood under the archway dividing the formal dining
room from the parlor, smiling that cat-that-swallowed-the-canary grin Audrey
adored. And had for nearly thirty-five years.
She went to lean on the column opposite him. She loved this
view of the house––no, the inn. She
must remember to refer to it as such. This wonderful house where they’d raised
their five kids and where she’d played as a little girl had finally become The Chicory Inn. The stately home just a
mile outside of Langhorne , Missouri ,
had been built by her maternal grandparents on a wooded fifty acres with a clearwater creek running
through it. Now it was her fifty-five hundred square-foot dream fulfilled. Or
at least that was the plan.
Audrey gave her husband a tight smile. “I’m as ready as I’ll
ever be. I just know I’m forgetting something.”
“Come here.” He opened his arms to her.
She stepped into his embrace, desperately needing the
strength of him.
“Everything looks wonderful, and anything you forgot can’t
be too important. Just look at the weather God supplied––sunshine, cool October
breeze, and the trees are at their autumn peak. Even the chicory is still in
bloom in the ditches. Made to order, I’d say.”
How can readers find
you on the Internet?
Website: http://www.deborahraney.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deborah.raney
Twitter: https://twitter.com/authordebraney
Blog:
http://novelgarden.blogspot.comThe first book in Deborah Raney's new Chicory Inn series, Home to Chicory Lane, introduces us to Audrey Whitman, a mother who has launched all her children into life and now looks forward to fulfilling some of her own dreams during her empty-nest years. However, not all of her children are ready to stay out of the nest quite yet.
Deborah is celebrating the release of her new series with a $200 B and B Weekend Getaway and a Facebook author chat party.
One winner will receive:
- A B and B Weekend Getaway (via a $200 Visa cash card)
- Home to Chicory Lane by Deborah Raney
So grab your copy of Home to Chicory Lane and join Deborah on the evening of September 9th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)
Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 9th!
Thank you, Deb, for sharing this new book with us. It's always a pleasure to host you.Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Home to Chicory Lane - Christianbook.com
Home to Chicory Lane: A Chicory Inn Novel | Book 1
- AmazonHome to Chicory Lane: A Chicory Inn Novel | Book 1
- KindleLeave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
