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Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

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Road trippin’ (and a book deal)

September 28, 2020 By Deborah Raney

As I type this, Ken and I are cozied up in a charming little Airbnb in Hermann, Missouri, a German town built alongside the Missouri River. We’re here on a two-day road trip to bike the Katy Trail, a Rails to Trails biking/hiking path built along a former railroad.

This view from Stone Hill Winery overlooks the picturesque town of Hermann.

We’ve had SUCH a great time and I wanted to share just a few photos from our first day. (Be sure to scroll to the end of this post to find out how you can get a free copy of my ebook, Remember to Forget!)

Much of the trail is canopied by trees (and we were surprised how much further along the fall colors are this much farther north).
This pretty church came into view and I spotted a cemetery on the hill behind it. It seemed like a good idea to ride up there, but even with our ebikes on their highest pedal-assist setting, we couldn’t make it. We had to walk our bikes to the top.
But oh, the views from the top! So worth it!
My partner in crime. After all these years, we still have SO much fun together!
Just look at the stairway leading up to our Airbnb suite for the night!
And this is where I’m curled up working on this post! Just look at all those books!

And speaking of books, I wanted to let you know that Remember to Forget, the first in my Clayburn Novels series (and a Christy Award finalist the year it was published) is free in ebook format today only via BookBub! I hope you’ll CLICK HERE AND GRAB A COPY if you don’t already have one. And of course, whenever an author gives a book away for FREE, we’re hoping you’ll like it so much that you’ll buy the other books in the series! To do that, simply click on this image of the series below.

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Deborah Raney

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. Forty books later, she's still creating stories that touch hearts and lives. 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 on faculty for several national writers’ conferences and served on the executive board of the 2,500-member American Christian Fiction Writers organization for 18 years before retiring in 2022. She is a recent transplant to Missouri, having moved with her husband, Ken Raney, from their native Kansas to be closer to kids and grandkids. They love road trips, e-biking, Friday garage sale dates, and breakfast on the screened porch overlooking their wooded backyard.
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Comments

  1. Lynn Austin says

    September 28, 2020 at 5:52 am

    We’ve always wanted to bike the Katy Trail. Thanks for showing me what it’s like. Fun!

    • Deborah Raney says

      September 28, 2020 at 10:06 am

      You would LOVE it, Lynn! It was just stunningly beautiful today!

  2. Betty/ Strohecker says

    September 28, 2020 at 7:14 am

    Great pictures! Glad you were able to get away.

    • Deborah Raney says

      September 28, 2020 at 10:06 am

      Thanks, Betty. It was a nice break!

  3. Anna says

    September 28, 2020 at 7:32 am

    The scenery is gorgeous!I like the 4th one most.

    Where did all those books come from? Don’t tell me you brought all of them from home on a road trip. Ok, I am pretty sure they came from you Airbnb host. What a great flat!

    • Deborah Raney says

      September 28, 2020 at 10:08 am

      Haha! Yes, the Airbnb “library.” We had read a lot of the titles on their shelves so felt right at home! 🙂

  4. Angie Quantrell says

    September 28, 2020 at 8:08 am

    What a fun ride! Love the B&B as well. Thanks for taking me on a virtual trip! And thanks for the tip about your book. 🙂

    • Deborah Raney says

      September 28, 2020 at 10:09 am

      My pleasure, Angie! 🙂

  5. Becky Wade says

    September 28, 2020 at 8:32 am

    What a delightful getaway. The church and cemetery are picturesque!

    • Deborah Raney says

      September 28, 2020 at 10:10 am

      It was SO pretty up there! I took a short video but I’m so out of breath that it sounds like Darth Vader breathing in the background. LOL!

  6. Melissa Henderson says

    September 28, 2020 at 10:55 am

    What beautiful photographs! Thank you for sharing with us.

    • Deborah Raney says

      September 28, 2020 at 10:56 am

      We sometimes have trouble making progress on our trips because we keep having to stop to capture a beautiful scene. Glad you enjoy them, Melissa!

  7. Deborah Gibson Lee says

    September 28, 2020 at 11:00 am

    My way of any kind of “tripping,” is to see your blogs! They look like such fun, so I thoroughly enjoy the trip vicariously. Thank you for sharing!

    • Deborah Raney says

      September 28, 2020 at 11:47 am

      Glad you can come along for the ride, Deborah!

  8. Peggy Clayton says

    September 28, 2020 at 11:07 am

    I love the pics they are so good and those stairs i would of taken them home with me even though I can’t go up and down the stairs such a cool idea. I can’t download books only can do print but I do review so I have put one on my tbr list! I am battling a disease called RSd have had it a long time but now it has taken the hearing in my right ear and can’t travel any higher up I hope and the drs have no idea here in Iowa so I guess it’s a wait and see as we have done with this disease.

    • Deborah Raney says

      September 28, 2020 at 11:48 am

      I’m so sorry, Peggy. And so glad that you seem to be makimg the very best of it. Praying for strength and healing.

  9. MS Barb says

    September 28, 2020 at 11:50 am

    Loved your photos!

    • Deborah Raney says

      September 28, 2020 at 7:57 pm

      Thank you! I had fun taking them!

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