My Dear Friends,
This has been an exciting month around here. First, anyone who was able to attend Cedar Cove Days will attest to what a great time we had. The organizers couldn't be more pleased, and our small town is abuzz with good feelings and wonderful memories.
Early in the planning for the festival, I attempted to convey to the dedicated local organizers how truly wonderful my readers are. Not that anyone was really skeptical, but they didn't have a clue how fabulous you are until the event brought enthusiastic readers from 42 states and seven foreign countries to "Cedar Cove" for five days of fun. We're still posting pictures, so be sure to check out my website.
As if Cedar Cove Days wasn't enough to leave me on an emotional high, news arrived that 92 Pacific Boulevard shot to number 1 on the New York Times, USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists just days after it went on sale. And Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Cookbook placed at number 8 on the New York Times list! Thank you, one and all, for spending your hard-earned dollars on these two books that are so near and dear to my heart!
Autumn has always been my favorite season, and this year I'm going to be lounging around the house instead of making my annual trek to Leavenworth, WA, and then on to New York. The reason, you ask? Surgery. I'm going to join Charlotte Rhodes from the Cedar Cove series as an official member of the New Knee Club. It's just gotten so painful I can't ignore it any longer, so—as Wayne delicately puts it—I'm going under the knife. In truth I'm looking forward to all the glorious time I'll have to knit. Currently I have three projects on the needles, and I actually might find a way to start a fourth. In between my knitting projects and the hard work of physical therapy, I'll be writing 1022 Evergreen Place, my September 2010 Cedar Cove book.
My first post-surgical outing will be to Dayton, OH, for the November 4-5 Junior League events. Then on November 16 my tour to support my new non-fiction book, One Simple Act, begins, with stops in Connecticut; New Jersey; Grand Rapids, MI; Nashville; Atlanta; Tempe, AZ, and Plano, Texas, over a two-week period. You'll find info on all these appearances on the "Meet Debbie" page of my website, as they become available.
Don't groan when I mention Christmas this early, but I really must. I have two—count them: TWO—Christmas books debuting tomorrow, September 29. The first is my annual Christmas gift-size hardcover, The Perfect Christmas, a romantic comedy I promise will leave your sides aching from laughter. It's the story of Cassie Beaumont, who has given up on meeting the man of her dreams by traditional methods. She's decided she'll pay big bucks to a matchmaker to do the job for her. Only there's a little twist: The matchmaker insists that she fulfill three difficult, Christmas-themed tasks before he introduces her to her perfect mate.
The second Christmas book, That Holiday Feeling, is an anthology written with two of my favorite writers: Sherryl Woods and Robyn Carr. If you haven't discovered these two authors then you're in for a rare treat. My story in the anthology is an oldie favorite of mine, "Silver Bells", in which I reunite those Manning men and Manning sisters for a mistletoe marriage, as a single dad finally musters the courage to say, "I do."
But wait . . . there's more! (I always get excited when I have a chance to write that.) My very first children's book, written with my good Guideposts friend, Mary Lou Carney, titled The Truly Terribly Horrible Sweater . . . That Grandma Knit goes on sale tomorrow, too! (You'll find a video interview with Mary Lou and me on my website.) This story was inspired by my grandson, Cameron, and a sweater I knit him a few years back. The pattern is included in the book (and on my website), so if any of you feel inspired to knit a truly terribly horrible sweater (just kidding; it's a beautiful sweater, designed by Susan DeRosa), you can knit one, too. This story is sure to touch every grandmother (and mother's) heart.
But wait again! This is a children's book—I want to do something special for children. So, I'm launching The Truly Terribly Horrible Sweater . . . That Grandma Knit Coloring Contest, with fun prizes in two age categories for the children, and prizes for the sponsoring adults. You'll find the image of Cameron, from the book, to color; the rules and the entry form on my website. The deadline for receipt of entries is Monday, November 2, 2009 at 11:59 p.m., so round up the coloring kids and enter this fun contest ASAP!
And speaking of Christmas, remember to mark your calendars for Saturday, December 5, 2009 at 8 p.m. EST, when the Hallmark Channel will debut Debbie Macomber's Mrs. Miracle, the movie version of a favorite book of mine. The movie stars five-time Emmy® winner, Doris Roberts, and James Van Der Beek, who starred in "Dawson's Creek." More about that next month!
I hope you have a wonderful month. I'll be doing physical therapy from home and endeavoring to get back to my regular schedule as quickly as possible. With all this talk of Christmas I wonder what it would take to convince Wayne to set up the tree early this year . . .
Have a great month, and I'll check in with you in October—me with the shiny new knee!
Debbie Macomber
P.S. Earlier this year, when we put together the print newsletter and calendar stickers containing the on-sale dates of my 2009 books, Avon Books had planned to reissue two of my earlier titles in one paperback, Be My Angel, on September 15. However, with the Mrs. Miracle movie debuting in December, Avon decided not to publish Be My Angel this year and scheduled instead a reissue of Mrs. Miracle in December. I'm sorry for the confusion this created!
