~ FRIDAY FICTION FEATURE ~
~ BLOG TOUR STOP ~
-- 'REASON TO BREATHE' --
AUTHOR DEBORAH RANEY
~Post Includes: Book Spotlight,
Author Bio, Author Interview & Giveaway~
We are excited to introduce Deborah Raney's new 'Chandler Sisters' series with a blog tour and giveaway for book #1 - Reason to Breathe - hosted by JustRead Tours.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Title: Reason to Breathe
Series: Chandler Sisters #1
Author: Deborah Raney
Publisher: Gilead Publishing
Release Date: October 23, 2018
Genre: Contemporary Women's Fiction/Romance
Phylicia thought life was passing her by, but maybe this was love’s plan all along. . .
At twenty-nine, Phylicia Chandler put her life on hold to care for her dying mother with her sisters, Joanna and Britt. Now Mom is gone and their father stuns them all by running off with a woman young enough to be their sister. Life is moving forward all around her, but Phylicia feels stuck—until her father’s protégé, Quinn Mitchell, presents the sisters with an intriguing business opportunity to purchase a trio of cottages just outside of Langhorne, Missouri. Joanna and Britt are convinced the three of them should launch a vacation rental venture, but Phylicia remains skeptical.
To complicate matters, Quinn soon finds himself falling hard for Phylicia. But how can he pursue this beautiful, talented woman twelve years his junior when she’s still reeling over her father’s hasty engagement to a younger woman? Quinn is determined to give Phylicia her happily-ever-after. But first, he must help her come to terms with her discovery of long-held family secrets and persuade her that true love can transcend their differences.
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | CBD | Book Depository
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
DEBORAH RANEY dreamed of writing a book since the summer she read Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books and discovered that a Kansas farm girl could, indeed, grow up to be a writer. Her 30-plus books have garnered multiple industry awards including the RITA® Award, HOLT Medallion, National Readers' Choice Award, Carol Award, and have three times been Christy Award finalists. Her first novel, A Vow to Cherish, shed light on the ravages of Alzheimer's disease and inspired the highly acclaimed World Wide Pictures film of the same title. A Vow to Cherish continues to be a tool for Alzheimer's families and caregivers. Deborah is on faculty for several national writers' conferences and serves on the executive board of the 2600-member American Christian Fiction Writers organization. She and her husband, Ken Raney, traded small-town life in Kansas—the setting of many of Deb's novels—for life in the city of Wichita. They often travel to teach at writers conferences across the country and to visit their four children and a growing brood of grandchildren who all live much too far away.
CONNECT WITH DEB: website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
DEBORAH: Thanks so much! It’s great to be here.
JUNE: Please tell us how you created your setting and developed the characters for 'Reason to Breathe'. Are any of the characters or their personality traits or physical descriptions based on people you've come across in your own life? If yes, what prompted you to include them in the story?
DEBORAH: I chose to set my novel near Cape Girardeau, Missouri because our two daughters live in the area and besides being a beautiful part of the state of Missouri, I liked the fact that research would require me to go visit our kids and grandkids. Haha! My characters are never based closely on real people, but of course, the sisters in my story have traits of my own sisters, and all my heroes share qualities of my own hero husband, Ken.
JUNE: Who is your favorite
character in this story? Why is this person your favorite? Without spoiling the
story, is there anyone in the story who you do not like? Why not?
DEBORAH:
Quinn is my favorite character in this story. I love the way he takes
all the sisters under his care and, in a sense, stands in as a father figure
when their own father has failed them. There really isn’t a villain in this
series, but certainly there are characters who aren’t people of integrity. Some
of those people are “offstage” characters who we only know because of the havoc
they have wreaked that carries through the years. I hope that carries a message
that our actions can hurt others with long-ranging repercussions.
JUNE: Your first novel, 'A
Vow to Cherish', was made into a movie by World Wide Pictures. Please tell us
how this collaboration came about and share with us how you were involved in
the making of the film.
DEBORAH:
I can brag on the film because really, my only involvement was to have
written the novel that inspired it. At that time, Bethany House had never had a
novel turned into a movie, but after my novel was published, I asked my
publisher's permission to send the manuscript to several film companies.
I got a few very nice rejections. Hallmark Hall of Fame wrote that they’d seriously considered the story before deciding that it was too similar to another project they were working on. And World Wide Pictures also rejected the story. But a year later, they came back to Bethany House saying that they were looking to make a film on the topic of commitment in marriage and the administrative assistant to the head honcho at WWP just happened to remember that A Vow to Cherish had come across her desk and she’d read and enjoyed it.
My novel was one of 10 books or scripts they were considering. A few days later, they let Bethany House know that they had narrowed it down to seven and A Vow to Cherish was still in the running. The following day, they made their decision and it was my novel they chose! That was a day for dancing at our house!
I got a few very nice rejections. Hallmark Hall of Fame wrote that they’d seriously considered the story before deciding that it was too similar to another project they were working on. And World Wide Pictures also rejected the story. But a year later, they came back to Bethany House saying that they were looking to make a film on the topic of commitment in marriage and the administrative assistant to the head honcho at WWP just happened to remember that A Vow to Cherish had come across her desk and she’d read and enjoyed it.
My novel was one of 10 books or scripts they were considering. A few days later, they let Bethany House know that they had narrowed it down to seven and A Vow to Cherish was still in the running. The following day, they made their decision and it was my novel they chose! That was a day for dancing at our house!
JUNE: Your long and growing list of
published books and other works stretch across several genres--an historical
holiday prairie romance novella, contemporary romance, your autobiography, and
two books of children's sermons, just to mention a few. If you were not writing
in those genres, what other fictional genres might you try? Would you ever
consider writing more non-fiction? If so, what subject(s) would you like to
write about? Does writing children's literature (picture books, middle grade,
or young adult) interest you?
DEBORAH:
I’ve written a humorous essay about why Circle of Blessings was the
first—and last—historical piece I will ever write! The research for that little
novella about killed me! I’d much rather be playing with words than trying to
find out what they called a purse in 1864 in the Dakota Territory! Haha! That
said, I can see stretching myself and writing something different than I have
before. I always think of great ideas for romantic suspense, but I’m not sure I
could carry the plot through believably. I wouldn’t mind writing non-fiction,
especially on the topic of the craft of writing. Children’s literature isn’t
something I really feel drawn to, but I have worked with my husband to write
some middle-grade books. He’s the creative one when it comes to kids!
JUNE: When you write a book, do
you outline the entire story, or do you have a different way of organizing your
plot, characters, etc.? Do you always know the ending of your story before you
begin putting things down on paper, or into your computer?
DEBORAH:
I’m a seat-of-the-pants writer…or as some prefer to call it, an
intuitive writer. I like discovering my story as I write. I usually start with
a cast of characters, a compelling setting, and a general idea of the dilemma
of my story. From there, I just start writing and see what happens! I figure if
I’m surprised by what happens, my reader will be too. I don’t always know the
exact ending, but I usually know what the basic ending will be…and that it will
be, if not completely happy, at least satisfying and hopeful.
JUNE: On your website you
share that you and your husband have four adult children and eight (and
counting!) grandchildren. With the hope that all of you (or at least some of
you) will be able to gather together to celebrate this holiday season, please
share some of your family's favorite Christmas and/or New Year's traditions,
recipes, church activities, decorations, etc., with us.
DEBORAH:
We almost always have all the kids and grandkids home and under our roof
for about a week during the holidays. Since our kids are scattered all over the
U.S., we look forward to all being together with great joy! Our house is filled
to overflowing with sixteen people under one roof! It’s especially fun to see
the cousins get to know each other.
Our kids are so great about helping out
with the cooking and cleanup. We each have recipes we like to make…our youngest
daughter makes her amazing cinnamon rolls for one breakfast, our
daughter-in-law makes great Chicago style pizza with homemade crust, the kids
all request my lasagna and homemade French bread, and we usually have a Mexican
food night. When our oldest son lived in Berlin, he came home with the supplies
to make us German Kaesespaetzle.
We are a game-playing family, so the afternoons and evenings are filled with board games like Mexican Train, Sequence, Qwixx, and other favorites, along with card games and jigsaw puzzles. Sometimes we decorate Christmas cookies, but a new tradition that the kids young and old enjoy is decorating gingerbread houses. We seem to make everything a contest in this family, so prizes are awarded in all kinds of categories, and the grandkids take turns serving as MC to announce the winners. It makes for such a fun evening with lots of laughter!
JUNE:
Thank you so much for sharing with us today, Deborah. I truly appreciate
your taking time out of your busy schedule to chat with us with us about your
writing career. Best wishes for your continued success in your writing and
public speaking endeavors. Happy Holidays!
TOUR GIVEAWAY
(1) winner will receive (US only):
- a print copy of Reason to Breathe
- $15 Amazon gift card
Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
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YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO A '12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS' EVENT PRESENTED BY THE READERS & WRITERS OF CLEAN FICTION FACEBOOK GROUP.
YOU'LL NEED TO PLAN AHEAD TO ATTEND BECAUSE YOU MUST BE A MEMBER OF THE CLOSED GROUP TO PARTICIPATE. HERE'S THE LINK TO THE PAGE SO YOU CAN SUBMIT YOUR ANSWERS TO THE MODERATOR'S THREE QUESTIONS AND BE APPROVED AHEAD OF TIME. LINK TO READER & WRITERS OF CLEAN YOUTH FICTION FACEBOOK GROUP
🌲🌲🌲🌲📕📗📘📙📚 ~ I WILL BE THE FEATURED AUTHOR ON THE FINAL DAY OF THE EVENT, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13TH! PLEASE JOIN ME FOR SOME FUN ACTIVITIES AND SEVERAL AWESOME MIDDLE-GRADE & YOUNG ADULT FICTION BOOK PRIZES! I HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE. BEST WISHES, JUNE ~🌲🌲🌲🌲📕📗📘📙📚
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SPECIAL NOTE TO ALL BLOG READERS: I HAVE SEVERAL GREAT GIVEAWAYS LISTED ON MY CURRENT GIVEAWAYS PAGE HERE ON 'READING, WRITING & STITCH-METIC' WHICH WILL BE ENDING SOON. TAKE A MOMENT RIGHT NOW TO CLICK OVER THERE TO POSSIBLY DISCOVER A PRIZE THERE THAT INTERESTS YOU. HERE'S THE LINK: CURRENT GIVEAWAYS
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The book Reason to Breathe sounds very good. I’d love to read it. Anything by Deborah Raney writes is good.
ReplyDeleteWelcome, Linda ~ I'm glad you're looking forward to reading Deborah's newest release. Thanks for stopping by my blog today.
DeleteThank you for being part of the blog tour for Deborah Raney's book "Reason to Breathe" hosted by JustRead Tours. Sounds like this new series'Chandler Sisters' is starting off with a great book and one that I would love the opportunity to read. Enjoyed reading the interview with Deborah learning more about both author and book.
ReplyDelete2clowns at arkansas dot net
Hello, Kay ~ I'm happy you enjoyed my interview with Deborah. She is one amazing lady. Hope you get to read this new release soon. Thanks for visiting my blog tour stop.
DeleteI love the way you are creating wonderful memories.
ReplyDeleteWelcome, Jan ~ I agree with you. Deborah and her family have many fun traditions, and they are creating treasured memories for the entire family with their customs and activities. Thank you for stopping by my blog for the interview.
DeleteThank you so much for taking time to bring to our attention another great read. I enjoy these tours and finding out about many terrific books.
ReplyDeleteHello, James ~ You're welcome for the post! I'm so glad you're enjoying the book tours and are finding lots of good books to add to your TBR list. Thank you for visiting my blog to share your positive remarks with us.
DeleteThis book sounds like a really interesting read and has a very pretty cover.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to my blog, Debbie ~ I loved the cover on this book the first time I saw it! Blue is my favorite color and I love seaside scenery, so it really appealed to me. I hope you get a chance to read this book soon. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog for the tour stop.
DeleteDeb Raney is one of my favorite authors!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by for the post, Caryl. Hope you get to read this new one soon. It sounds like a gem.
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