Debbie Macomber facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Debbie Macomber
|
|
|---|---|
Macomber at a 2016 book signing
|
|
| Born | October 22, 1948 Yakima, Washington, U.S. |
| Occupation | Author |
| Period | 1983–present |
| Genre |
|
|
|
|
| Signature |  |
Debbie Macomber (born October 22, 1948) is a popular American author. She writes many books, mostly romance novels and stories about women's lives. You might know her books because six of them have been made into TV movies! Her famous Cedar Cove book series also became a TV show. Debbie Macomber has won several big awards, like the first-ever fan-voted Quill Award and a RITA Award. She even helps make her books into TV shows as an executive producer.
Contents
Debbie Macomber's Writing Journey
Starting as a Writer
Debbie Macomber has dyslexia, which can make reading and writing tricky. She only finished high school. But she really wanted to be a writer! She started writing her first stories in her kitchen. She used a rented typewriter while also raising her four children. For five years, many publishers said no to her books. So, she started writing for magazines instead.
Debbie went to a conference for romance writers. An editor from Harlequin, a big book publisher, looked at one of her stories. The editor didn't like it and told her to throw it away. But Debbie didn't give up! She spent $10 to mail the same story, Heartsong, to another publisher called Silhouette Books. Silhouette bought her book! It was a big deal because it was the first romance novel ever reviewed by Publishers Weekly magazine.
Becoming a Bestselling Author
Her first published novel was Starlight. It came out as part of the Silhouette Special Edition romance line. Debbie kept writing romance books for Silhouette and later for Harlequin. In 1988, Harlequin asked her to write a series of connected stories. These became known as the Navy series. Soon, she was publishing two or three books every year.
By 1994, Debbie started releasing books that weren't part of a series. Her first book in a hardcover format came out in 2001. In 2002, she decided she wanted to write books more about women and their friendships. Thursdays at Eight was her first book that moved away from traditional romance.
Debbie often writes books with a Christmas theme. She has released a Christmas book almost every year since 1986.
What Her Books Are Like
Debbie Macomber's novels focus on the main message of the story. They don't have super long descriptions. Her main characters, often women, are usually positive and hopeful. Her stories often end in a way that makes readers feel happy and optimistic. Many of her novels take place in small, quiet towns. Her popular Cedar Cove series is even based on her own hometown, Port Orchard, Washington.
More than 170 million copies of her books have been sold around the world! Many of her books have also become TV movies. For example, This Matter of Marriage became a TV movie in 1998. Six of her novels have been made into movies for the Hallmark Channel. These include Debbie Macomber's Mrs. Miracle and Trading Christmas.
Debbie also writes books that are not fiction. These include cookbooks and books for children. She used to own a yarn store in Port Orchard, Washington. There was even a special line of knitting pattern books with her name on them.
In 2013, the Hallmark Channel started its first-ever TV show based on her Cedar Cove book series. Debbie Macomber helped create the show and was an executive producer. The Cedar Cove TV series ran for three seasons and ended in 2015.
Awards and Recognition
Debbie Macomber has won many awards for her writing. She won the B. Dalton Award three times. She was also the first person to win the fan-voted Quill Award for romance in 2005. This award was for her book 44 Cranberry Point. She has also received a special Lifetime Achievement Award from Romantic Times magazine. And she won a Romance Writers of America RITA Award for her book The Christmas Basket.
In 2007, she even got to throw out the first pitch at a Seattle Mariners baseball game!
Debbie's Personal Life
Debbie Macomber cares about helping others. She volunteers to mentor young people. She also helps raise money for shelters for women and for groups that support reading and medical research. She is a national board member for Warm-Up America. In 1997, she became an ambassador for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America organization.
Debbie and her husband, Wayne, have four children and several grandchildren. They live in Port Orchard, Washington.
See also
- List of romantic novelists
