Peek into Deborah Raney's New Office Space

Deborah Raney is celebrating the release of her latest contemporary romance, "Face of the Earth." Come back Friday for the chance to win a copy of Deb's latest. Until then, enjoy a peek into her new writing space:






We recently moved from small-town life to life in the city! My new office is in the space where the formal dining room would be. Since we're not formal people, the space is put to much better use this way.

I love having my office just off the foyer and just off the kitchen. I've always liked writing in the hub of things where I can watch for the mail and UPS deliveries, and where I can fix a quick snack to eat while I work.

My Keurig coffee shop is still one of my favorite things about my office, and I found a new use for the mailbox cubbies (originally used in a small-town bank) that I discovered in an antique store years ago. It held office supplies in my last office, but now it houses several dozen mugs. Most of my mugs were gifts from friends or publishers, or they are souvenirs of favorite places, so I'm delighted to have a place I can store and enjoy them all.

So many of my favorite things in my office were created by talented friends and family: pillows and matching bag by Sara, a mug tree my dad crafted, the turquoise "shabby chic" table legs that were a gift from our oldest son, a burlap birdie my sister gave as a house-warming gift, the colorful stripey pitcher from long-time friend Terry, trinkets from my Club Deb friends, a footstool my husband built in high school, and so much more. I'm surrounded by reminders of all the people I love. 

 

My dad welded this "menu wheel" where I display all those papers and cards that are too pretty to relegate to the trash can. He built the reference bookcase the coffee shop rests on, too. Below is the view from the kitchen into my office...so welcoming with the sun shining in.

We live just a few minutes from several Starbucks shops now, and less than a mile from libraries and bookstores and art galleries and shops of every sort. I think we're really going to enjoy this next chapter in our lives, but you know, I'll always be a small-town girl – a farmer's daughter – at heart. 

[Click here, if you'd like to see how my office was set up in our small-town house.]

Deborah Raney is the award-winning author of several novels,

including A Nest of Sparrows and the RITA award winning Beneath a Southern Sky and its sequel, After the Rains. Deborah's first novel, A Vow to Cherish, was the inspiration for World Wide Pictures' highly acclaimed film of the same title, which in December 2004 aired on prime time network TV for the second time. Deb's novella, Playing by Heart, was a National Readers Choice Award winner and a 2004 Christy Award finalist. Her novel for Howard/Simon & Schuster, Yesterday's Embers, appeared on the ECPA Christian fiction bestseller list. Known for her sensitive portrayal of family struggles and relationships, Deb has also written nonfiction books and articles and often speaks at women's retreats and writers' conferences around the country. She and her husband, illustrator/author Ken Raney, have four children and make their home in Kansas. Learn more about Deborah at http://debiraney.blogspot.com.