Deborah Raney's Almost Forever = Riviting Reading

Whenever Deborah Raney has a new release it is an auto-buy for me. Early this morning I finished her latest book, Almost Forever, which is part of her new series called Hanover Falls.

Bryn Hennesey, a volunteer at a homeless shelter, watched the building burn to the ground and collapse, taking five firefighters' lives, one of whom was her husband. Like all the surviving spouses, she had to cope with the sudden loss of her spouse, and also a nagging, terrible, horrific secret.

Garrett Edmonds's wife, Molly, was one of the firefighters who died. As a grade school teacher he had his fifth grade students to fill his days, but the loss of his young wife was difficult to take.

Not only were the men staying in the shelter suddenly without a home, but a pair of dogs belonging to two of the men were suddenly homeless too. Bryn came to take in Sparky, a lab mix, while Garrett ended up with Boss, a bulldog mix. Through these dogs Bryn and Garrett find a commonality beyond sharing the experience of losing their spouses that soon deepens their friendship.

But questions remain as to what caused the fire, and someone knows the answer ....

I thoroughly enjoyed this read. In true Raney style, the reader is taken deep into the characters until you feel every tug of grief, every fear, every joy that surprises. In spite of a storyline that could take the reader into deep pits of dispair along with the characters, Raney manages to create a story laced with hope and assurance. Last night just as I was about to turn off the light, the tension amped up and there I sat reading until my eyelids refused to stay open. I finished the book over breakfast this morning. The story had a very satisfying ending with a strong spiritual arc in both the hero and heroine.

I highly recommend this book because Deb Raney continues to be an auto-buy for me. Hands down.

AUTHOR INFORMATION
Deborah Raney's 's first novel, A Vow to Cherish, was awarded a Silver Angel from Excellence in Media and inspired the acclaimed World Wide Pictures film of the same title. Since then her books have won the RITA Award, the HOLT Medallion, and the National Readers' Choice Award; Raney was also a finalist for the Christy Award. She and her husband, artist Ken Raney, make
their home in their native Kansas.

Win A Copy of Deb Raney's "Leaving November!"

Hey, we're having a bit of deja vu here at Writer's Journey, but in a good way. The other day I received a copy of Leaving November in the mail as an endorser copy. A while back I featured Deb's fabulous novel with a drawing for an autographed copy of the book.

I absolutely loved the book and I'm thrilled to promote it here again with another drawing. So if you left your name the first time and didn't win or missed the drawing altogether, leave your comment here now along with contact information. If you don't leave the information, I can't include you in the drawing.

Below is the interview I did with Deb back when I had the first drawing. Enjoy and don't forget to leave a comment and contact info so that your name can be thrown in the hat! Last day for leaving your name is Friday, May 16th. Drawing will take place on the 17th.

About Leaving November

Daughter of the town drunk, Vienne Kenney has escaped Clayburn for law school in California. But after failing the bar exam—twice—she’s back home with her tail between her legs, managing Latte-dah, the Clayburn café turned upscale coffee shop. Jackson Linder runs the art gallery across the street and Vienne has had her eye on him since she was a skinny seventh grader and he was the hunky high school lifeguard who didn’t know she existed.

Now it's his turn to fall for her and suddenly Clayburn seems like a pretty nice place to be . . .until Vienne discovers that Jack is fresh out of rehab and still struggling with the same addiction that ultimately killed her father.

DEBORAH RANEY is at work on her seventeenth novel. Her books have won the RITA Award, the HOLT Medallion, National Reader's Choice Award and Silver Angel from Excellence in Media.

Deborah's first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title. Deb serves on the advisory board of American Christian Fiction Writers. She and her husband, Ken Raney, have four children and enjoy small-town life in Kansas. Visit Deb on the web athttp://www.deborahraney.com/.

I figured y'all might enjoy a few questions and answers with Deb regarding this book, so here ya go. And when you are done keep reading to learn how you can win a signed copy of Leaving November for yourself!

Q&A with Deb:
Q. What was your inspiration for Leaving November?
A. When I was writing the first book in the series, Remember to Forget, Jackson Linder, a secondary character in the book, really intrigued me. Jack has struggled with something that is my greatest fear: being responsible for the death of another person. I wanted to explore how someone in his shoes could find forgiveness, redemption, and even happiness.

Q. What are you working on now?
A. I've just finished the first draft for the third book in the Clayburn series, Yesterday’s Embers. I have a new contract for another three-book series, and a couple of stand-alone novels to write, but there are other characters from the Clayburn novels begging to have their stories told! I don’t know if I’ll get to write any more Clayburn books, but I’ve loved my time in this little fictional Kansas town!

Q. What do you enjoy most about writing? Least?
A. Most: Having written! Because that means I’m getting reader feedback on my novel—the reward for all the hours of solitude! I also love that I get to be at home and make my own hours.
Least: First-drafting! I love rewriting—taking my editors’ comments and applying them to make my book the best it can be. But the blank page terrifies me! For me, it’s far easier to fix a horrible manuscript than to try to come up with something out of thin air.

Q. What do you do when you're not reading or writing?
A. I love working in the beautiful garden my husband, Ken, designed in our back yard (for a peek, go to our website about it!) and I love decorating our home. It’s such fun to comb antique shops and flea markets for a great object from the past that I can use on my desk or in my kitchen, or a great piece of furniture to paint or refinish. I’m not much for pretty stuff just for the sake of having it on display, but I love “repurposing” antiques—like the old chamber pot I use for deadheading in the garden, or the antique bank mail sorter that serves as my filing “cabinet.”

As much as I enjoy my career, I’ve always believed that my most precious calling is wife to Ken, my husband of 33 years; mom to four great kids; and now mom-in-law, and “Mimi” to two darling little grandsons. In addition, I have some of the most amazing friends in the world, including a group of women who share my name. We affectionately call ourselves Club Deb. I think being in the solitary profession of writing helps you really appreciate the people you have eye-to-eye contact with!

I can't wait to see who wins this time. This is fun!