The author you’re about to meet had her first book made into a motion picture and has since gone on to win nearly 30 awards for subsequent books. She will tell you that she is a wife and mother first, and that her desire to stay at home to raise her youngest daughter is what sparked that initial interest in a writing career. And God has rewarded her efforts.

Her name is Deborah Raney, wife of artist Ken Raney, and mother to four children, three grown. Deb has written ten novels, contributed to ten anthologies, and with her sister, wrote two books of children’s sermons. In the next few years Deb will be busy writing about seven more books, all of which promise to be more of Deb’s wonderful heart-stirring fiction.

Her newest book on shelves right now is Over the Waters, published by Steeple Hill Books. I just finished reading this story, and I would encourage you to put it on your Christmas list or hop on over to Amazon or CBD (Christian Book Distributors) and

buy this book!

And of course, it may also be available at your local Christian retailer.

Over the Waters is set in Haiti where Deb’s parents helped found Haiti Love & Faith Ministries, Inc. Ken and Deb have sponsored a young girl at the Love of Jesus Children’s Home there for the past five or six years. For more information on the home that inspired Deb’s story, write to:

Haiti Love & Faith Ministries, Inc.
P.O. Box 5
Lyons, KS 67554

I asked Deb to give us some insight into the calling behind her writing ~

Jill: When did you realize this was a calling, not just a childhood dream?

Deb: My dream to write a book has metamorphosed over the years from being a simple, far-fetched childhood fantasy, to being a way for a happy wife and mother to make enough money to remain at home with our youngest daughter, to truly feeling a spiritual giftedness and call to write for the Lord.

Jill: What means did God use to confirm in your heart that this is exactly what He has prepared for you to do for Him?

Deb: As a newly-published writer, I began being invited to speak about my journey, and as I told my story again and again, I started to realize that there were too many “coincidences” in my life for the events that brought about my first book to be anything other than God’s divine direction. From my struggles as a six-year-old with asthma being forced to stay inside with my mother reading to me-book after book. She taught me to love literature and storytelling, and the intricate beauty of words. To the man God put in my life to be my husband-someone who had an amazing gift for storytelling himself-mostly through his artistic talents. To the life experiences God allowed that enabled me to “research” the stories I would set to paper years later. It became obvious that God has had his hand on me all along.

Jill: When and how did you come to realize that writing meant more to you than a means to meet physical monetary needs or fulfill your dreams?

Deb: I think I first began to understand the ways God intended to use my gift of writing when I started receiving letters from readers who had been touched by reading my books. There was something about that connection that was so affirming and that confirmed that I was doing exactly what I was created to do. I get a little chill just thinking about that sometimes!

Jill: Deb, how would you say that God has used writing to change you – to strengthen your faith and to make you more like Christ?

Deb: It’s amazing how many times I learn right along with the characters I happen to be writing about. Many times, the process of writing is almost a Bible study, as the Lord takes me through the Word and shows me things that answer the questions my story characters are grappling with, but that also answer the questions I’ve been asking. Because my stories often deal with dilemmas, and I want my characters to grow as Christians in their decision making process, I learn right along with them. The author almost always benefits from the thought processes of the characters she’s created.

As one of Deb’s readers, I see the way God is using her work in each and every one of her books. Her award-winning Beneath a Southern Sky had a profound effect on me.

For a list of Deb’s books you can visit her website here. You can also keep up with Deb’s frequent happenings on her blog.

The Over the Waters teaser reads: Known as “Dr. Botox” to the bored, rich women of Chicago, plastic surgeon Max Jordan has it made . . . or so he thinks. Is he really experiencing life to the fullest? When he visits his son, Joshua, who’s using his medical gifts to work with Haitian orphans, Max begins to wonder. Also available from Steeple Hill here.

And to tease us even more, here is a list of Deb’s upcoming books.

June 2006 A Vow to Cherish (updated reissue from Steeple Hill)
When his precious wife of 30 years receives a devastating diagnosis, John Brighton discovers that the heart can’t be trusted where true love is concerned.

January 2007 Remember to Forget (Howard Publishers)
What if you could start all over again, walk away from past mistakes and reinvent yourself?

June 2007 Within This Circle (sequel to Vow from Steeple Hill)
John and Julia Brighton’s new marriage is sorely tested when they must take over the care of John’s three-year-old granddaughter after the girl’s mother suffers a breakdown.

June 2008 Insight (Steeple Hill)
Olivia Cline feels like she has lost everything when her husband dies. But she never imagines that his organ donation will change her future forever.

June 2009 Above All Things (Steeple Hill)
Judd and Evette Monroe’s marriage faces the ultimate test when Judd discovers that he has a seven-year-old daughter, Jolie, with no place to call home.

If you haven’t read any of Deb’s books yet, don’t wait! This author uses a gentle touch to tackle some difficult questions and impossible situations. Just when you think there is no way for the characters to resolve their problems, Deb shows us a surprising, yet plausible solution. This is heart-stirring fiction at its best!