Debbie Macomber (born 22 October 1948 in Yakima, Washington) is a best-selling American author of ower 150 romance novels an contemporary weemen's fiction. Ower 170 million copies of her beuks are in prent throughout the warld,[1] an some hae acome made-for-TV-movies.[2] Macomber wis the inaugural winner o the fan-vote Quill Award for romance in 2005[3] an haes been awairdit baith a Romance Writers of America RITA an a lifetime achievement awaird bi the Romance Writers of America.[4]
Awtho Debbie Macomber is dyslexic an haes anerly a heich schuil eddication, she wis determined tae be a writer.[5] A stay-at-hame mither raisin fower smaw childer, Macomber nanetheless foond the time tae sit in her kitchen in front o a rentit teepewriter an wirk on developin her first few manuscripts.[6] For five years she continued tae write despite mony rejections frae publishers, feenally turnin tae freelance magazine wirk tae help her faimily mak ends meet.[5]
Wi money that she savit frae her freelance airticles, Macomber attendit a romance writer's conference, whaur ane o her manuscripts wis selectit tae be publicly critiqued bi an editor frae Harlequin Enterprises Ltd. The editor tore apairt her novel an recommendit that she throw it awa. Undaunted, Macomber scrapit thegither $10 tae mail the same novel, Heartsong, tae Harlequin's rival, Silhouette Beuks. Silhouette bocht the beuk, which became the first romance novel tae be reviewed bi Publishers Weekly.[5]
Awtho Heartsong wis the first o her manuscripts tae sell, Starlight wis the first o her novels tae be publisht. It became #128 o the Silhouette Special Edition category romance line (which is nou awned bi Harlequin).[7] Macomber continued tae write category romances for Silhouette, an later Harlequin. In 1988, Harlequin askit Macomber tae write a series o interconnectit stories, which became kent as the Navy series. Afore lang, she wis sellin "huge" nummers o beuks, uisually 150,000 copies o each o her novels, an she wis releasin twa or three titles per year. Bi 1994, Harlequin launched the Mira Beuks imprint tae help thair category romance authors transition tae the single title mercat, an Macomber began releasin single-title novels. Her first hardcover wis released in 2001.[7]
In 2002, Macomber realisit that she wes haein mair difficulty identifeein wi a 25-year-auld heroine, an that she wantit tae write beuks focusing mair on weemen an thair friendships. Thursdays at Eight wis her first depairtur frae the traditional romance novel an intae contemporar weemen's fiction.[5]
Syne 1986, in maist years Macomber haes released a Christenmas-themit beuk or novella. For several years, thir novels wur pairt o the Angel series, follaein the antics of angels Shirley, Goodness, an Mercy. Macomber, who loves Christenmas, says that she writes Christenmas beuks as well acause "Ivery wumman I ken haes a pictur o the perfect Christenmas in her mind, the same wey we dae romance. Reality rarely lives up tae oor expectations, so the best we can dae is delve intae a fantasy."[8]
In general, Macomber's novels focus on deliverin the message o the story an dae no include detailed descriptive passages. Her heroines tend tae be optimists, an the "stories are resolved in a manner that leaves the reader wi a feelin o howp an happy expectation."[8] Mony o the novels tak place in smaw, landwart toun, wi her Cedar Cove series loosely based on her awn hametoun.[9] Acause o her Christian beliefs, Macomber daes no include owerly explicit sexual details in her beuks, awtho thay dae contain some sensuality.[10]
Ower 170 million copies o her beuks are in prent throuoot the warld.[1]This Matter of Marriage, became a made-for-tv-movie in 1998.[2] In 2009, Hallmark Channel broadcast "Debbie Macomber's Mrs. Miracle," thair tap-watched movie o the year. The next year Hallmark Channel aired "Call Me Mrs. Miracle," based on Debbie's novel o the same name, an it wis the channel's heichest ratit movie o 2010. In 2011, Hallmark Channel premiered "Trading Christmas," based on Debbie's novel "When Christmas Comes" (released in 2004).
Debbie nou writes inspirational nan-fiction an aw. Her seicont ceukbeuk, "Debbie Macomber's Christmas Cookbook," an her seicont childer's beuk, "The Yippy, Yappy Yorkie in the Green Doggy Sweater" (written wi Mary Lou Carney), wis released at the end o 2011. Thare is a Debbie Macomber line o knittin pattern beuks frae Leisure Arts an aw an she awns her awn yarn store, A Good Yarn, in Port Orchard, Washington.
In Julie 2013, the Hallmark Channel began airin its first-iver oreeginal, scriptit series based on her Cedar Cove beuk series. She is the series developer an executive producer an aw.[11]
Macomber is a three-time winner o the B. Dalton Award,[4] an the inaugural winner o the fan-voted Quill Award for romance (2005, for 44 Cranberry Point).[3] She haes been awairdit the Romantic Times Magazine Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award an haes wan a Romance Writers of America RITA Award, the romance novelist's equivalent o a Academy Award, for The Christmas Basket. Her novels hae regularly appeared on the Waldenbooks an USAToday bestseller leets an hae earned spots on the New York Times Bestseller List an aw. On 6 September 2007 she made Harlequin Enterprises history, bi pullin aff the rarest o triple plays—haein her new novel, 74 Seaside Avenue, appear at the #1 poseetion for paperback feection on the New York Times, USAToday an Publishers Weekly bestseller leets. Thir three heichly respectit bestseller leets are considered the bellwethers for a beuk's performance in the United States.[4]
Macomber is a volunteer mentor for young fowk, an is active in fundraisin for battered weemen's shelters an for leeteracy an medical research. She is a naitional buird member for Warm-Up America an aw,[7] an wis appointit an ambassador for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America naitional office in 1997.[4]
Debbie an her husband, Wayne, raised fower childer an hae numerous guidchilder. Thay live in Port Orchard, Washington an winter in Florida. When no writin, she enjoys knittin, travelin wi Wayne an puttin on Grandma Camps for her guidchilder, for whom she haes biggit a fower-starn tree hoose ahint her hame in Port Orchard.
On 11 August 2011, her youngest son, Dale Wayne Macomber, (age 36) wis foond deid near his hoose in Washington State bi his brither Ted an local polis. Haein suffered frae depression for years, Dale Macomber haed threatened suicide an wis declared missin 9 August 2011.
↑ abCockburn, Catherine (2006). "Debbie Macomber: the interview". The Romance Writers of Australia. Archived frae the original on 30 August 2007. Retrieved 16 Apryle 2007. Cite has empty unkent parameter: |coauthors= (help)
↑Green, Tara (22 October 2003). "Interview with Debbie Macomber". Contemporary Romance Writers. Archived frae the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 16 Apryle 2007. Cite has empty unkent parameter: |coauthors= (help)