DEBORAH RANEY's first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title and launched Deb’s writing career. She has now written more than forty books, including novels for imprints of Random House, Simon & Schuster, and HarperCollins. Deb served on the board of the 2500-member American Christian Fiction Writers for 18 years and teaches at writers conferences around the country. Her novels have won RWA's RITA Award, the ACFW Carol Award, the National Readers Choice Award, and the HOLT Medallion. She is also a three-time Christy Award finalist. Deb is a recent Missouri transplant, having moved with her husband, Ken Raney, from their native Kansas to be closer to kids and grandkids. They love road trips, Friday garage sale dates, and breakfast on the screened porch overlooking their wooded backyard. Visit Deb on the Web at www.deborahraney.com.

FROM THE AUTHOR: I went from full-time stay-at-home mom for 20-plus years to full-time author. My passion is my family—my husband and I have four kids and an even dozen grandkids. But since, if a mom does her job right, she eventually puts herself OUT of a job, I'm delighted to have discovered a "next" career that I love.

My first literary love is fiction and I have written more than forty books and contributed to several anthologies. The third and final book of my Camfield Legacy series, Breath of Heaven, released in 2022, and my new Christmas novella, "The Wondrous Gift," is part of O Little Town from Kregel. I have also just released my first book on the craft of writing, Writing Cinematically: 12 Movie Techniques to Bring Your Novel to Life. This is based on a workshop I've been teaching at writers conferences over the past decade.

A typical writing day for me begins early—usually before 5 a.m.—with the business side of things: answering e-mail and reader mail, writing blog posts, reading for research. Our routine is much quieter now than when we had four kids at home! I have a routine that sets the stage: lighting scented candles, choosing music to write by, and brewing a perfect cup of coffee. I have a cozy office that looks out over our front yard, but I much prefer to take my laptop out to the back screened porch overlooking our woods where the deer, birds, squirrels, groundhogs, raccoons, foxes, and bunnies provide inspiration and entertainment.

As much as I enjoy the actual process of writing, I am an extrovert by nature, and doubt I'd have lasted long in this business were it not for the company of several wonderful online writers' groups, connecting with other authors at retreats and conventions, and meeting aspiring writers whenever my husband and I teach at conferences around the country.

Ken and I started road-tripping in 2018 and in 2021 we bought a 1998 Chinook camper and have taken several weeks-long trips since then—the southeastern coastal states, the northern states, northwest through Montana and Utah, and most recently a month-long tour of Texas. If the price of gas doesn't keep us home, we hope to add more destinations to our list. We love that we can work from the road while researching, taking photos, and exploring new story ideas!

Probably the most exciting event in my writing life so far was having my first novel made into a movie by World Wide Pictures. Certainly a dream come true for any author, and I feel blessed beyond words to still get to be doing what I love as my day job.