Egg Nog Cornbread from the Kitchen of Deborah Raney

Author Deborah Raney has written books I've been reading for years because her characters are real and she pulls you into the story until you're sure you know them.

She is down-to-earth, warm and I can't ever imagine her angry. As a mom to four kids, now grown (and now a grandmother!) I'm sure her brow furrowed a time or two, but here's what I know about the moms with that many kids--their kitchens are always open. (I have 4 boys...)




First, a little about Deb
After spending two happy decades as an at-home mom to two sons and two daughters, Deb finally began work on her first novel––a contemporary story––after an intriguing discussion about Alzheimer's disease with her husband, Ken, and their young teenagers. Drawing on her experiences working in a New York nursing home early in her marriage, she crafted a fictional account of one family's struggle with Alzheimer's disease. A VOW TO CHERISH was published by Bethany House Publishers in 1996 and won an Angel Award from Excellence in Media. It has been translated into the Swedish, Danish and Norwegian languages, and is also available in a hardcover large-print edition from Thorndike Press. Steeple Hill Books recently released an update and expanded version of the book.

(Do check out her interview on When I Was Just a Kid, too!)


Her latest book is Almost Forever set in Hanover Falls, part of a series:
"Unearthing a lost memory may cause her to lose everything she holds dear. but could it also set her free?

Volunteer Bryn Hennesey was there at the Grove Street Homeless Shelter the night five heroic firefighters died at the scene. Among them was her husband, Adam.

Now a terrifying absence of memory has her wondering if she might, in some way, be responsible. Garrett Edmonds' wife, Molly, was the only female firefighter to perish in the blaze. He was supposed to protect the woman he loved.Now she's the one who's died a hero. How can he go on in the face of such unbearable loss? And what started the fire that destroyed the dreams and futures of so many? Investigators are stumped. But someone knows the answer..."

Author Deborah Raney

 So, now you know a little about Deb. Here's her recipe for Egg Nog Cornbread, which I'm sure you want to try. If you have an iron skillet, try making it in that to pop into your oven.

Deb's actual cornbread in her actual kitchen

From her Facebook page:

Except for the eggnog and adding a little more sugar, I used the recipe from the back of the Quaker Cornmeal box: 

1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsps. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix till blended. Add: 1 cup dairy eggnog, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1 beaten egg. Mix just till dry ingredients are moistened. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

As you see from the photo, she used a French Corning Ware dish. 


And because Deb is in the Big Honkin' Chicken Club (I think she may be president--this is a club Brandilyn Collins started because there were people who were too scared to read her books,) I am changing my list of recipes from RECIPES TO DIE FOR (this is a title of one of my unpublished stories...) to RECIPES FOR GOOD EATIN' . Who knows? I may change that title again. 

Enjoy! 

Crystal, writin' it all down

When I Was Just a Kid...Tobi Layton

When I Was Just a Kid....

Tobi Layton

Tobi Raney Layton remembers an incident where she got into trouble by her mom, Deb, and dad, Ken Raney (but note that they took a photo of her committing the crime.) This was her crime--eating butter from the tub--but she also counted it as her childhood indulgence. (Her mom, Deb Raney, supplied this photo.)

Tobi is the daughter of author Deborah, and illustrator/artist/children's book author, Ken Raney. Growing up with three siblings, Tobi has plenty of stories. Her mom just grinned when I asked if Tobi would allow me to interview her for this column the day after Deb's own interview in the Chat 'n' Chew Cafe', since the two of them co-author a column over at http://www.crosswalk.com.

Tobi consented, and here are some of her childhood memories:
Childhood Ambition:

Like many kids, I had pretty flighty ambitions. My earliest dream was to be an Olympic Gymnast. Once I hit 5'2" (8 inches ago), I gave up on that one.

In high school, I job shadowed an architect, but decided duct work and plumbing wasn't my speed, so I decided to focus on interior decorating. I soon figured out from countless decorating magazines that there are more ugly styles of decorating than ones that I find aesthetically pleasing. Since I'm pretty stubborn and opinionated, I figured that I probably wouldn't be very successful at trying to decorate other people's homes to their weird tastes.


So, I turned my interests toward a passion I had really been nursing all along - children. I have always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom for at least part of my life, but I also dreamed of being a child psychologist or teacher. The summer before my senior year, God started hinting at my true calling. I taught swimming lessons and received several comments from parents about how good I was with their little water babies. At the same time, I realized that psychology would take years of schooling, and then involve being somewhat detached from my charges - something I don't think I'm emotionally capable of.

[Finally....]

My senior year, I enrolled as a student aide for my old kindergarten teacher. When I walked into her classroom that first day of school, I knew instantly that I wanted to teach. Nine years later, I'm doing just that and loving it.

So, what was her first job ? (industrious, ambitious kid!)

My First Job: Babysitting; teaching 3-5 yr olds to swim (or, rather, blow bubbles and splash without crying.)

Childhood indulgence: I remember getting in trouble as a toddler for eating from the butter tub! (See photo above.)



Favorite Outfit as a child:
Definitely NOT the "perfectly good" red corduroy hand-me-down pants that went with NOTHING. My mom made me wear them at least once a week!

I did love my button shirt that Grammy made for me. (See photo below.)



[Crystal editor's note: Tobi claims she looks "dorky" here. But aren't all fifth graders a bit self-conscious about their looks? Now she teaches this age level of students. And obviously the creativity gene that we thought came from both of her parents, was also passed on to her by "Grammy" who made this really cool shirt! ]


Fondest Memory (then): The one afternoon that my brothers and I played "horse" for the entire afternoon without once arguing (and I was just as bossy as usual!). I remember being so happy that Tarl didn't think the game was babyish, even though the horse was a piano bench with paper smiley face and rope tail taped to the ends.

Biggest Challenge as a child or teen: Talking to boys.
[Crystal editor note: I think she got over that one!]

Proudest Moment (then):
I was pretty proud of my stellar Tae-Kwon-Do moves as a 6th grader, even though my whole family joked that for me to survive an assault, my attacker would have to attack from the proper side of my body and at an appropriate speed. But one day I was sparring a male classmate, who happened to be a big jock. I pulled a sweeping spin kick and dropped him flat on his back. I can still remember the look on his face!

Proudest Moment (now ): Giving birth to my son.

(Layton Family Mistletoe Christmas Kiss below)

Favorite Childhood Holiday: Christmas
My favorite Christmas traditions included our annual Christmas light tour in Wichita and our snowflake cutting party. My dad, an artist, could cut a mean snowflake, and I tried to recreate a few of his designs in college. I laminated my "baby Jesus in a manger" and "old fashioned candlestick" masterpieces and put them up in my classroom every December. My mom ended up writing an article about these snowflake parties, and then in college I came up with an extended version of this tradition.

Childhood Hero:
Though I would never dream of admitting it to her,[Crystal editor's note: Shhhh! Don't breathe a word to Deb!] my mom was always my hero. Her very presence annoyed me to death as a teenager, but I subconsciously wanted to be just like her. I respected her decision to stay at home and raise my siblings, and I always compared other mothers to her. Of course, my friends' moms were all MUCH cooler than her at the time, but I knew she made the best decisions for her family and had a strong devotion to God.


Favorite Childhood Book: Miss Suzy - about a squirrel who keeps a tidy home in an oak tree and then is forced to relocate to a dilapidated doll house with a bunch of toy soldier slobs. She performs a total makeover and straightens that place - and those boys - right up! I have always loved makeovers of any type.

Your favorite list of Children's Books: Miss Suzy (of course), Little House on the Prairie series, Nancy Drew mysteries

Favorite Childhood Pastime: I know I'm a total dork, but I went through a phase where I spent hours at a time decorating a little tree root home for imaginary creatures. I strung leaf curtains on dental floss and collected acorn cap dishes. What can I say? I had a Miss Suzy complex!

Favorite Childhood Movie: Princess Bride

Tavia, Tobi and Deb Raney

Childhood Prince Charming: Kris White was my childhood crush - but I threw up all over him during 3rd grade story time, which sort of ruined my chances. I DID get to play his fiance' in the musical my senior year, but by then I was inches taller than him (especially in dance heels!) and holding out for next year's college guys.

As a Child I Never Expected that as an Adult I Would: Be almost exactly like my mother! Mom wrote an article on me as a kid drawing her face on a pillow for a personal punching bag. Who knew I'd grow up to admire her and be proud to be like her.

...And that mother is so proud of Tobi, too. This is from Deb Raney's blog on Tobi when they launched their co-authored articles on marriage at http://www.crosswalk.com :

Deb Raney: My daughter, Tobi Layton, and I write a column each month on crosswalk.com, a great Web magazine devoted to faith, family and community. My husband and I share an August anniversary with Tobi and her husband, Ryan.

Each month, Tobi and I explore various aspects of marriage as viewed from the perspectives of a young married woman (Tobi) and an old...er, I mean long married woman (me). We've had such fun writing together, though I'm not sure our husbands are quite so thrilled, since they are featured prominently every month. ;) Each column contains several discussion questions that would be great conversation starters for your next date with your spouse.


Then, Tobi kicks in again with a bit of humble pie:
Apparently, I was a total brat as a child. None of my coaches or teachers ever realized it, since I saved it for family, but I had a major sass-mouth. My parents blame it on my stubbornness and independence. I think I was just too intelligent for my own (and their own) good. (Big smile!)

Fortunately, my 16-month-old seems to get his temperament from my husband, Ryan, not me. However, my mother has prayed that I will pay for my raising, which has me very scared of the baby I'm due to have in October!

[Crystal editor's note: Ah, the curse of the mother on the child who gave her white hair and knuckles...(it's all goooooood, don't worry.) I pray many blessings on you all, and for a safe and healthy delivery of another cutie Layton baby. God bless! See all of the Raneys and Laytons above.]

Tobi Layton grew up to be a fifth grade teacher and freelance writer in southeast Missouri. Married for five years to Ryan Layton, a high school biology teacher, they are involved with the high school and junior high youth groups at their church in Missouri.

Things are never dull, and Tobi has plenty of stories piling up to use in her column with mom, Deb Raney. Here are their http://www.Crosswalk.com marriage links to their column.

"Should In-laws Be Outlawed?"--Deborah Raney and Tobi Layton
Why the Struggle with Body Image?
Pursuing True Fulfillment in Marriage
Learn to Fight Right in Your Marriage
Money Matters in Marriage - Sometimes Too Much
God's Plan for Romance Looks Different from the Movies
Submitting Your Married Life to the Lord's Timetable
Compromise, Humor are Vital Ingredients for Loving Marriages
Opposites Attract - and Drive Each Other Nuts!
"I Can Do it Better": When Competition Creeps into Marriage
Children Change Everything - Especially Your Marriage

Mom, Deb Raney's blog site
Dad, Ken Raney's web site/blogspot

For more Raney Family Photos go here

If you'd like to read about her mom as a child, go here for Deb Raney's interview in the Chat 'n' Chew Cafe'.

When I Was Just a Kid...Deborah Raney

When I Was Just a Kid...

Deb Raney

First grade was where Deb Raney learned to read, and "Tip and Mitten" stands out in her mind as the book that launched, well, quite a few books! As a farm girl in Kansas, she got inspiration from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie series and at 12 decided to try this writing thing for herself. At that point all history seemed to be the same, and she had accidently put an airplane in a story set in the 1700s. It was then that Deb vowed never to write historical fiction again. Thank goodness for us she broke that vow.

[Crystal Editor's note: Do you suppose she missed her calling as a fantasy/sci fi author? Naah. She writes contemporary women's fiction very well!]

Let's take a look at Deb's past and see how that influences the writer that she is today:


Childhood Ambition: I read Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books when I was 11 or 12 and from that point on, I dreamed of someday writing a book. But my love for kids kicked in before my writing took off and I also dreamed of raising 12 children. The Lord blessed us with four (which most days seemed like 12) and I’d be hard-pressed to say which “career” I’ve enjoyed the most.




Deb's Family today





Fondest Memory (then): My grandparents were all very special to me and lived nearby for many of my growing up years. I have lots of happy memories involving them. Also, I grew up on a farm and that is a rich resource for great memories, too. The first one that comes to mind is having my Dad storm into the house one day acting like me and my younger siblings were in BIG trouble. In a crabby voice that held the hint of a smile, he demanded, “You kids get out here with a box right now and...take care of the new baby kittens I just found.” We were thrilled! Baby kittens were a highlight of many summers! (I’m sure that memory is close to the surface because our sweet kitty, Biscuit, who wandered onto our property several months ago and never left, just gave birth to four adorable kittens! My sixteen-year-old daughter and I are already sad for the day we’ll have to find them new homes.)

Biscuit and babies (Want a kitten??)

Proudest Moment ( then): I was a terrible klutz—not an athletic bone in my body! But one spring at the country school I attended, I was the hero of the co-ed baseball game. They had me out in right field where I could do the least damage, but a pop fly came staight at me. I put my glove over my head (mostly for protection) and the ball plopped right smack into it to win the game! I was carried away on the shoulders of the older boys, smiling so hard it’s a wonder I didn’t turn inside out. : )

Biggest Challenge as a child or teen:My biggest challenge was asthma. Wheat and hay seemed to be the triggers for my asthma attacks—NOT good things to have to avoid when you’re a little Kansas farm girl! But as I look back on all the things I missed out on because I was stuck in the house trying to breathe, I realize that my mom was always there—reading to me. I think it’s fair to say that I probably wouldn’t have discovered this wonderful career were it not for having asthma, and a mom who shared her love of reading with me.

My First Job:De-tasseling corn! Oh, did I ever hate it! Hot, windy, sweaty, bugs everywhere, scratchy corn leaves. I’m breaking out in hives just thinking about it! But I worked with a fun group of girls, and we each made $100 for a few days of work.

Childhood indulgence:Dairy Queen! One of our favorite things was when Daddy would come in from the field and tell us all to load up in the car because we were going for a drive. We all knew—even though he’d drive for miles in the wrong direction first, just to keep us guessing––that we’d wind up at the local Dairy Queen. We had a 10-cent limit, which would buy a nice-sized cone. Once in a while he’d let us spend 15-cents each and get a malt or a chocolate dipped cone. It was such a secure feeling being locked in the station wagon with my whole family.

Favorite Outfit as a child:Oh, man! Talk about memory lane! I saved my allowance for weeks for a pair of white go-go boots. I wore them with a blue double-knit mini-skirted shift and boy did I think I was hot stuff. LOL!

Favorite Childhood Movie:We didn’t go to the movies very often, and at home we only watched TV on occasional winter Sunday nights. I remember Ed Sullivan and Bonanza in particular. And the smell of fresh-popped popcorn my mom always made for us on those special TV nights.

Favorite Childhood Book:Well, it’s not politically correct to say so now, but my great grandmother used to sit us on her lap and read Little Black Sambo to us over and over again. I’m certain she had NO idea that this fanciful, delightful tale would one day be judged to have racial overtones. We just loved the story of a little boy and his family and some scary tigers who turned into butter for the 169 pancakes Sambo would eat at the end of the book.

Childhood hero:I think my parents have always been my heroes. My mother made being a wife and mom look like the most joyful job in the universe and my dad has always been a man of integrity—someone I could always trust and look up to. They are still my heroes.

From Deb's biography:
After spending two happy decades as an at-home mom to two sons and two daughters, Deborah finally began work on her first novel––a contemporary story––after an intriguing discussion about Alzheimer's disease with her husband, Ken, and their young teenagers. Drawing on her experiences working in a New York nursing home early in her marriage, she crafted a fictional account of one family's struggle with Alzheimer's disease. A VOW TO CHERISH was published by Bethany House Publishers in 1996 and won an Angel Award from Excellence in Media. It has been translated into the Swedish, Danish and Norwegian languages, and is also available in a hardcover large-print edition from Thorndike Press. Steeple Hill Books recently released an update and expanded version of the book.

Here is a list of fiction books Deb has written:

• Remember to Forget-February 2007
  • A Nest of Sparrows - June 2004
  • A Scarlet Cord - June 2003
  • Playing by Heart - August 2003
  
  • After the Rains - September 2002
  • Currier and Ives Christmas - Christmas 2002
  • Beneath a Southern Sky - June 2001
  • A Vow to Cherish:
  August 1999 2nd Release
  January 1996 1st Release (Out of Print)
  • Kindred Bond - May 1998
  • In the Still of Night - February 1997
  
  Storytellers Series
  •The Storytellers Collection - September 2000
  •The Storytellers Collection: Tales From Home - Summer 2001
  
  
  Teatime Stories Series
  • Teatime Stories for Women - Honor Books 2000
  • Teatime Stories for Mothers - River Oak 2001
  But Deb doesn't just write fiction. Here are some of the books she wrote in the nonfiction realm:
  

MORE CHILDREN'S SERMONS TO GO (Abingdon Press 2001)
CHILDREN'S SERMONS TO GO (Abingdon Press 1998)
both written with Deb's sister, Vicky Miller

Contributor to:
INTIMATE ENCOUNTERS WITH GOD (Honor Books 2003)
THE STORYTELLERS' COLLECTION-Tales from Home (Multnomah 2001)
THE STORYTELLERS' COLLECTION-Tales of Faraway Places (Multnomah 2000)
TEATIME STORIES FOR MOTHERS (Honor/River Oak 2001)
TEATIME STORIES FOR WOMEN (Honor Books 2000)

Featured in:
LET GOD SURPRISE YOU by Heather Whitestone McCallum (Zondervan 2003)
BEHIND THE STORIES by Diane Eble (Bethany House 2002)


Also, she blogs regularly with about two dozen other multi-published authors on The Charis Connection as well as at her own blogspot.

She is now at work on her seventeenth novel. Her books have won the RITA Award, the HOLT Medallion, the National Readers' Choice Award and the Silver Angel from Excellence in Media. Deborah's first novel, A VOW TO CHERISH, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title.

A Vow to Cherish will be released again as a new Steeple Hill version in mass market in October, with a sequel to follow in November, also in mass market. Upcoming books include aforementioned sequel, Within This Circle, Steeple Hill, November 2007 (mass market) and a novella, “Finally Home” in the anthology, Missouri Memories, from Barbour to release in December 2007. The next Clayburn novel, Leaving November, (Howard) will come out early in 2008.

In Deb's own words:

My married daughter ––the one who made me a “Mimi” a year ago!––writes a monthly column with me for Crosswalk.com., a great Web magazine devoted to faith, family and community. My husband and I share an August anniversary with Tobi and her husband, Ryan Layton. Each month, Marriage Perspectives explores various aspects of marriage as viewed from the perspectives of a young married woman (Tobi) and an old...er, I mean long married woman (me). We've had such fun writing together, though I'm not sure our husbands are quite so thrilled, since they are featured prominently every month. : )

[Crystal Editor's note: I will be featuring Deb's daughter, Tobi, in this same column, so look for that soon! One of those article titles is Should In-laws be outlawed? ]


Remember to Forget (just released Feb. with Howard Publishing) Deb at ICRS Advance in Indianapolis

[Crystal editor's note: I just reviewed this book for Church Libraries magazine (not yet published.) All I can say at this point is that I give it "two thumbs up!" And I've gotten a little picky after over 500 published book reviews here and there.

Some of Deb's many awards:
• 2003 American Christian Romance Writers Book of the Year
• First Place Blue Boa Award Inspirational Fiction
• A Book of the Year for American Christian Romance Writers
• 2002 Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice nominee
• Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence finalist
• Also named one of the Top 20 Fiction books of 2002
in christianbook.com's Fiction Newsletter, Dec. 27, 2002

Go here to see the When I Was Just a Kid interview with her daughter, Tobi Layton.

Deb also serves on the advisory board of American Christian Fiction Writers.