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Debbie Macomber

I cannot believe I have not yet written about Debbie Macomber, until now.  She writes romance novels and contemporary women's fiction.  Macomber’s books are sensual and sensitive with wholesome qualities. She avoids all the details and descriptions of a book like 50 Shades of Grey.  If you check out her bibliography you will find more than 170 titles to her name.  Plus she has been #1 on the New York Times Bestsellers’ list several times and recently was awarded the Romance Writers of America lifetime achievement award as well.  Additionally four of her stories have been made into Hallmark Channel TV productions, most shot right here in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Debbie and a few of her books

I most like the Blossom Street series because of the focus on knitting and a particular yarn shop.  The name of the shop is A Good Yarn and it’s owned by Lydia Hoffman, a young woman who has survived cancer.  Her dream upon recovery was to open a yarn shop in Seattle, Washington.  The shop represents  independence and freedom to start life anew since most of her teens and early adulthood were filled with battling cancer.

Lydia teaches knitting to beginners as a way to start attracting customers to her shop.  The first class is called "How to Make a Baby Blanket."  Since the store has barely opened only three women join the class.  Jacqueline Donovan, a woman of some means, wants to knit something for her first grandchild as a gesture of reconciliation with her daughter-in-law.  Carol Girard feels that by knitting the baby blanket she’s sending and receiving a message of hope as she makes a final attempt to conceive.   And Alix Townsend, a young woman who appears tough on the outside, but has a heart of gold, is knitting her blanket for a court-ordered community service project.  These four very different women, brought together by knitting, make unexpected discoveries--about themselves and each other, discoveries that lead to friendship.  The rest of the books in the series look into the individual lives of each of these characters after this first fateful class.
   
Even the toughest of critics for this type of traditional romantic novel find themselves riveted because Macomber has a very pleasant way of telling a story.  Most traditional romantic novels follow a rather formulaic outline: there is an attraction between people, followed by times of misunderstanding and rough patches, but finally all ends well.  If you want a truly mindless and yet intriguing read, pick up one of these books.  You'll feel good after reading it.  My Mom was the one who got me hooked on Debbie Macomber books, so you know they are pretty safe reading.

Macomber states she started writing in order to support her yarn habit.  (She had a rocky start in writing, click here, if you are interested in that part of her story.)  And since she's so fond of yarn she decided to open her own yarn shop in Port Orchard, Washington, her home town.  Of course the shop is called A Good Yarn.  And since she now lives six months each year in Florida and the remaining in Port Orchard, her involvement in the shop is limited.
Port Orchard, Washington, the red splotch on the left 

Paul and I are planning a short trip to the Olympic Peninsula of Washington this fall, and Port Orchard will be one of the small towns we’ll be travelling through as we make our way to the Olympic National Park.

Since Port Orchard and Port Townsend are two places we fully intend to investigate, I think I'll be able to stop by A Good Yarn and Thomson Art Forms. I haven't exactly mentioned this to Paul, but it shouldn't be a problem.  What I like about most yarn shops is they take you to the heart of a small town where the rent is reasonable.  I hope that is the case for both of these locations as well.

A Good Yarn is located in this building
I love it when I can, not only vacation, but also add yarn to the mix.  It is the perfect combination.  Who knows, maybe Debbie Macomber will be in town and at the shop when I visit.  Or at least I can hope for that to be true.

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