Which character in Reason to Breathe surprised you the most? (And why?)
I think the sisters’ father, Turner Chandler, may be the one who surprised me most. Not only for the secrets he’s been keeping since the day Phylicia was born, but also for the way he reacted to the death of his wife. I felt deeply for Turner—and sometimes wanted to wring his neck too! I’ve toyed with the idea of writing his story once the sisters’ stories have been told.
What do you hope readers take away after reading Reason to Breathe?
I always write first to entertain. I hope readers fall in love with my characters and enjoy traveling along with them on their journey.
But after that, my hope is that readers will be reminded of the times when God held them in their most difficult moments and guided them to a life they never dreamed possible—because of His glorious grace. That’s been true in my own life, but sometimes it’s not until we look back on a trial that we see how incredibly close God was, and how He made all things work together for our good and His glory.
No spoilers, but what can we expect from subsequent books in the series?
As a seat-of-the-pants writer, I don’t know a lot of the spoilers yet myself! LOL! But I’m about halfway through writing the second book, Chasing Dreams, and it’s shaping up to be my favorite story of the bunch!
Chasing Dreams will be the story of middle sister, Joanna, who meets the man of her dreams, only to discover that he comes with too many strings attached. Jo, with her analytical, lawyerly mind, has to decide whether she loves Lukas enough to commit to him, strings and all. And she just might discover that those strings are exactly what she’s needed in her life.
And of course, Book 3 will be youngest sister, Britt’s, story.
Click through to find out how Deborah’s faith impacts her as a storyteller…