John and Jenny Fulton

Welcome Wednesday: Faith, Suspense, and Lessons with Laura Ranger

Author: Laura Ranger

Genres: Clean Christian Fiction: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller

Books: Rogue, Deception, Royalty, Taken: The Complete Carl Higdon Story, Made for Me

Latest Book: Made for Me

Publication Date of Latest Book: October 14, 2025

Faith, Suspense, and Lessons

Interview by Jenny Fulton

Laura Ranger is a passionate, multi-genre author who has lived in the storytelling world for over sixty years. She’s also the owner of Foundations Book Publishing Company, a traditional publishing company whose mission “is to exceed the expectations of our authors and the reading community with an uncompromising commitment to quality, individualism and personal pride.”

Favorite Books to Read: An avid reader, Ranger’s favorite genre to read is Romantic Suspense. “I’m a hopeless romantic at heart,” she admitted.

As much as she enjoys reading romance, Laura isn’t as enthusiastic about writing it. “I will, if the story requires it, but it’s not my happy place,” she shared. She does, however, very much enjoy writing suspense.

Favorite Books to Write: As an author, Laura’s favorite type of story to write is Christian Fiction because, “I can pull in my faith and love for God with elements of suspense and danger. For me, it’s the perfect storm.”

Whether she’s writing a suspense/thriller novel, Christian Fiction, a Young Adult book, or Narrative Non-Fiction, Ranger strives to immerse readers into her worlds with details that draw them in and make them feel like they’re part of the action.

“My love for storytelling drives me to write the stories I do,” she said. “If I can incorporate excitement and twists, all the better.”

One genre she hasn’t yet written in, but would like to someday, is Children’s because, “I love encouraging young readers and teaching is one of my gifts. I just haven’t done that yet. I have too many other projects to complete before I venture into that genre.”

Writing and Publishing Adventures

Laura has always enjoyed “spinning life into stories,” but it wasn’t until she began writing her book Lessons that she realized she was made for this.

In 2013, Laura wrote and submitted a short story that was included in an anthology titled, Eight Til’ Christmas. All proceeds from that book went to the organization Feed the Children.

“When I saw my name in print in Eight Til’ Christmas, that was it and my authorship really began,” she shared.

Ranger’s first three full-length novels were filled with suspense and thrills. After seeing her short story published, Laura participated in a writing game where she was introduced to Steve Sodequist who would become her co-author for Rogue. “We started building the story in the same manner as the game where we passed it back and forth writing into it,” she explained.

Laura’s first published solo novel, Deception, deals with dangerous relationships and the result of lies. She told me this book, “came out of being betrayed and lied to. I found it very cathartic and healing.”

Her third book, Royalty, is the first in a four-book series that features battles between angels and demons.

“My Royalty series is what I’m most excited to keep writing,” she said. “I wrote the first book and believed it was to be a standalone. However, after its release, I had a lot of feedback asking for more – more stories and more of the characters. I’m almost through the second book, Heirs. I have finished book three, entitled Chosen. I will write book four in the month of November, entitled United. I plan to relaunch book one, then follow up in quick succession with the other three in the beginning of 2026.”

After publishing Royalty in 2017, Ranger took a break from fictional adventures to research and write a real-life mystery. Her book, Taken: The Complete Carl Higdon Story, was written as a gift for Margery Higdon, Carl’s widow, after his passing in January 2022.

“I was fascinated with his story and wanted to know more about the man,” Laura said.  

Laura’s latest book, Made for Me, is about what happens when we try to become God and create humans.

“It was also written at the suggestion of a friend who is an illustrator and said he wasn’t a writer, but felt it was a story to be told. I met with him, heard his idea and ran with it.”

Impact of Faith: No matter what genre or subject she’s writing about, Laura’s Christian faith impacts and plays a big role in the process and result.

“I’ve always drawn a hard line in the sand where The Lord’s name is concerned in my work. Unless it’s being used for prayer or talking about Him, I feel it has NO business in any of my work. When I was working on Rogue, my co-author passed me his chapter, and it was riddled with taking The Lord’s name in vain. I said, ‘I want you to change all of this.’ It became a pretty big fight. I refused to back down. So, I told him I was out, and he could have all the parts I had written but my name wasn’t going to be associated with something I felt so strongly about. He removed them all. Because of my faith and love of God, I have enjoyed crafting my Royalty series. I’ve drawn from personal experiences to weave the stories.”

Impactful People: When it comes to naming those who have encouraged her and impacted her writing, Laura first gives credit to God. “First and foremost, all glory goes to God for the gift of storytelling,” she declared.

Next is her grandmother. “She died before I became a published author, but she taught me the art with the fun and exciting way she unfolded a story. She wasn’t a writer but was an avid reader. When I would tell her anything, she’d question me to draw out more details. She in essence was training me.”

English classes with great teachers who inspired her to learn also played a role in helping Ranger grow in this craft.

But her biggest encourager has always been her daughter. “She was the catalyst to me finally putting pen to paper, so to speak. She’s always been the first one to read my work once completed, which is a big deal since the only thing she usually reads cover to cover are cookbooks.”

Favorite Authored Book: Lessons

Although Laura loves reading and writing suspense novels, her favorite book to write is actually a Young Adult Fantasy one that she’s been working on for the past 30 years.

About Lessons: “I grew up in the same small town in New York as L. Frank Baum, the author of The Wizard of Oz. I always envisioned Lessons being a book parents could read to their children until the children were old enough to read it for themselves, much like Baum’s book. Lessons is about a mother and son who find an enchanted castle and get trapped in it. They get locked in each room of the castle and must learn the lesson of the room before the door will open and they can be released. They will have to learn all the lessons in the castle before they can get out. This book is unlike anything else I’ve written, although it does have suspense.”

How the Idea Started: “When my daughter was young, we had many visits to the doctor. With nothing else to do, I engaged her in storytelling. I would start a story, stop at a random point to allow her to pick up and continue the telling. She would stop somewhere, and I would pick back up. In the telling of Lessons, she didn’t want to participate, she just wanted to hear more. Then it carried on to bedtime. She always asked me to tell her the story again. About 30 years ago, she asked me to write it down. It’s evolved over time, but I have yet to complete it. I intend to do that next year.”

Personal Experiences: Authors usually pull from their own life experiences in one way or another as they’re writing books. With Lessons, Laura did this to an even greater degree.

“That book is entirely life experiences,” she said. “It’s all about the lessons we learn. If we don’t learn them, they have a way of repeating themselves until we do. When I began, I saw it as truths a mother teaches her child. However, with the evolution of time, I see so many of the lessons are relevant to adults as much as they are to children.”

Key Lessons in the Book: “We are never too young or too old to learn. There are consequences to our actions. What we believe and how we treat people is of the utmost importance. A parent’s love for their child is crucial. I hope it parallels the Father’s love for all of us in the end.”

Writing Lessons has impacted Laura in many ways. “It’s what began my journey as an author,” she shared. “I will forever be grateful for the gifts I’ve been given, the blessings I try to never take for granted. This book has shown me there are lessons in all things, even those that seem like they’re bad. The joy of The Lord really is our strength, and we will do so much better when we learn to praise Him even in the storms, not just the good days.”

When people read this book, Laura hopes they will learn to, “embrace the lessons life gives us and see them with the value they possess.  And for heaven’s sake, learn them the first time.”

Author/Publisher Life

Life Beyond Writing: Besides writing, Laura also enjoys many other creative outlets.

“I like scrapbooking and painting. I’ve always worked with oils, but I’m currently dabbling in acrylics. I’m a huge art collector. My home has essentially turned into an art gallery. However, I use them to get lost in and let my imagination run wild, which gives me inspiration and sometimes helps me through any storyline blocks I may encounter. I also love doing genealogy which gives me stories from the past. Something else I enjoy is going to a busy area and just sitting and people watching. I study the interactions between people who know each other and those who are strangers, then incorporate what I witness into my stories.”

Best Part of Writing: “Getting lost in the worlds I create. My joy, my passion is creating, and what better way to do this than creating the worlds I build, then weave the space they occupy? I love it when I give my characters the reins and they surprise me. In Made for Me, I thought I knew the ending until my character took over and threw me for a loop! She opened it up for a sequel that I’ve been contemplating. It was meant to be a standalone, but I don’t think so anymore.”

Most Heartwarming Moment as an Author: “That’s easy – seeing the impact for the Kingdom through my book Royalty. I wrote it from the heart and felt it necessary to add the sinner’s prayer at the end for those who may be in the same place my protagonist was. She was a young girl who grew up in the south going to church all the time with her family. However, just because you go to church, doesn’t mean you’re saved. She was not. I heard multiple stories of people who read my book and gave their life to Christ. One woman said she was a Christian, and had been for many years, but she realized she was not doing all she could and began volunteering in her community.”

Most Challenging Aspect of Writing/Publishing: “My biggest challenge with writing is finding time. I like it best when I am able to sit down with nothing else to do and just get lost in my story. Unfortunately, with all my other responsibilities, I don’t often have that luxury. I’m too often pressed for time. My mind isn’t fully focused on the story but thinking of the other things I think I should be doing. The good part is, I can publish anything I write. I often work on Foundations duties until midnight, leaving little time for sleep.”

Roles and Experiences in the publishing world: “My first three works were traditionally published with Melange Books.

“My Rogue co-author said he felt I should start a publishing company. I said he was crazy because I knew nothing about publishing and was very happy with my publisher. He continued to push. It took a good deal of money and a whole lot of mistakes to start, but more than nine years later, my publishing company, Foundations, is still going strong. Most small press publishing companies are forced to close their doors in the first six months. Foundations Book Publishing Company was built on God, hence the name and the direction He gives me. I’ve had so many loyal, faithful people who stood by me through the rocky start and were instrumental in its flourishing to the point of its current status. I’m sure one day I could come out with a book on all the miraculous ways Foundations is still standing against all odds, but that’s not today.

“I’ve just opened a second publishing company, Vitality House. It’s a hybrid. I saw a huge need for an alternative to high priced self-publishing and conceived of Vitality House. People who want to simply self-publish their work are generally required to pay high prices for a set number of books with other self-publishing companies out there. Although the books are usually edited, covered, and formatted by those companies (for a significant fee), the quality is often lacking. I see no good reason for that and decided to give authors an affordable, quality option. With Vitality House, we offer authors quality freelancers in editing, covers, and formatting that they will pay for. They are then able to order as many or as few books as they would like. We simply charge them production cost plus a 5% processing fee along with their shipping and handling. We also offer them marketing guidance.”

Biggest Challenge in Balancing Writing Time with Publisher Tasks and Personal/Family Life: “Not enough hours in a day. I’ve had to be very creative with my time. Since I work a full-time day job currently, I have to maximize the time I have. I’ve been very blessed in my day job. If I prioritize my responsibilities there, I’m allowed to work on Foundations, editing and writing. As long as I can remember, I’ve multitasked. I also have the blessing of predominantly working alone. I have a lot of responsibilities with three bosses and 50+ agents but have it down to a science after all these years. I will be retiring in two years at 65 and will be able to put all my focus on my businesses and writing. I have a wonderfully supportive family – one daughter who has blessed me with four fabulous granddaughters. They all encourage me and help in any way they can. My whole purpose is to one day leave them a legacy.”

Greatest Moment of Writing/Publishing Career (so far): “I know how difficult it is to get a traditional publisher. I had really wanted to work with Melange Books and went after them for all I was worth to publish Rogue. My proudest moment was when I was accepted by them.

“In my publishing business, I had been grossly over-paying royalties, but no one taught me and I did it the way I believed it was done. Big mistake. It was only by God’s grace that Foundations is still up and running.”

What’s Next: “I will complete the last books of my Royalty series to prepare for them all to be released in the beginning of 2026. Then I will be focusing on finally completing Lessons with the intent on releasing that in 2027. After that, I believe I’m going to give Made for Me a follow-up story. I do have many other stories bumbling around in my mind that I’d love to get out of there and onto paper.”

Encouragement for Others: “I want to encourage everyone with a dream to pursue it. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know how to accomplish it. Whatever it is, someone else has already done it. Surround yourself with those smarter than you in whatever it is, question, learn, then execute. Don’t worry about falling, the important thing is to get back up and keep moving forward. There really isn’t anything new under the sun out there. If you want to write and feel you have a book inside you, take classes, but then do the follow-through and make it happen.”

Book Blurbs

Rogue

Chris and Lexi Denton led what they considered a normal life. Lexi worked as a dance instructor at a local studio, and Chris was a successful broker at a firm in downtown Miami, Florida. When Chris gets entangled with a crime boss who utilizes his talent for numbers to cover up deadly secrets, the pair soon discover much more than just Carlos Mandini’s dark secrets, they discover their own. Chris and Lexi Denton are not who they believed themselves to be.

Deception

Izzy has had a long line of liars make up her past. It’s her history that makes her in high demand as an Art Authenticator. She can spot a fraud, as well as a forgery with little effort. Izzy no longer makes room in her life for men since she knows all men lie. She would rather have a dog. That is until Caleb Matthews sweeps her off her feet with his genuine, sincere, no-nonsense way. Over time, she allows him to break down her walls of mistrust. She learns how to make allowances for people that may be flawed, and not always entirely honest. But is that wise? After 25 years of marriage she begins to suspect there’s more to her husband then what she’s known. No matter how she tries, she can’t find anything amiss. Is her paranoia from being deceived in her past sabotaging her future or is there something more she’s missing? Whatever you imagine the end will be may have a bit of truth, but you won’t see the twist until it’s too late.

Royalty (A new cover is coming in 2026)

Rayne Martin is a typical teen excited to go off to college. However, the school she chooses at random is anything but typical and she begins to doubt she will ever fit in at Brighton College. Rayne grew up in the Bible belt and attended church whenever her parents wanted her to. She considered herself to be a good Christian. When she truly commits to being a believer, she embraces the fact that she is a daughter of the King and therefore, Royalty. Now God is calling on her to wage war against the demons and Satanists threatening to overrun Brighton. Rayne is sure He is mistaken. How can someone who has never even been in a fight lead in battle? Where will she find others willing to risk their lives to stand with her against such evil?

Taken: The Complete Carl Higdon Story

A government that knew. A man who remembered. A story that won’t go away. On an ordinary October afternoon in 1974, oilfield foreman Carl Higdon vanished while elk hunting in Wyoming’s Medicine Bow National Forest. When search crews found him hours later—dazed, incoherent, and miles from where he should’ve been—his story would defy logic, ignite international interest, and challenge everything we think we know about alien encounters.

Taken: The Complete Carl Higdon Story is the definitive account of one of America’s most compelling and credible alien abduction cases. With insights from alien abduction expert, Dr. R. Leo Sprinkle, never-before-shared hypnosis transcripts, and Margery Higdon’s emotional retelling of the search and aftermath, this is more than a UFO story. It’s a testimony. A challenge to skeptics. A call to reexamine what might be watching us from the stars.

Made for Me

Be careful what you wish for. Sandi Powell is tormented by her classmates and teachers. She can’t help she was born into a prominent, highly intelligent family. She has a high IQ and little tolerance for ignorance. She’s an only child, her mother died in childbirth, and her father seems committed only to his work. She longs for a friend. She would love to have a boyfriend and be in love like those she sees around her at school. Out of desperation, she decides to use her intelligence to create her own boyfriend and stop being the butt of jokes and the school punching bag. Sandi created Max, but she had no idea what the ramifications of that would be. He is everything she dreamed he would be. Not everyone supports her decision. Not everyone is understanding. Max may not be what Sandi was really longing for. She’s not the only one interested in her creation.

Find the Books

Check out the links below or anywhere else books are sold.

Rogue
Deception
Royalty
Taken: The Complete Carl Higdon Story
Made for Me

Connect with Laura

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