Make time for friends. Make time forDebbie Macomber.
CEDAR COVE
16 Lighthouse Road
204 Rosewood Lane 311 Pelican Court 44 Cranberry Point 50 Harbor Street 6 Rainier Drive 74 Seaside Avenue 8 Sandpiper Way 92 Pacific Boulevard
BLOSSOM STREET
The Shop on Blossom Street A Good Yarn Susannahâs Garden (previously published as Old Boyfriends) Back on Blossom Street (previously published as Wednesdays at Four) Twenty Wishes Summer on Blossom Street Hannahâs List
Thursdays at Eight
Christmas in Seattle Falling for Christmas A Motherâs Gift
With heartfelt appreciation to Nancy Berland
who has helped me navigate every turn in the road in my publishing career
Dear Friends,
My husband, Wayne, and I love road trips. Because we have two homes, one in Washington State and the other in Florida, we drive back and forth twice a year. In case youâre interested, thatâs 3,323 miles, door to door. Wayne plans the route and weâve visited nearly every state between Washington and Florida. Perhaps because of that, Iâve always wanted to write a book that involved a cross-country drive.
Since I first wrote A Good Yarn, which introduced the character Bethanne Hamlin, sheâs been on my mind. When her husband left her and their family for a younger woman, Bethanne was devastated and eventually joined a knitting class as a kind of therapy. The friends she made in Lydiaâs yarn store helped her deal with the abrupt change in her life.
The idea for Bethanneâs party business actually came from my daughter, Jenny Adele, who held a wonderfully creative party for our oldest grandson when he turned eight. They were living on a one-family income, so money was tight. Using her imagination and playing on Cameronâs interest in the army, she mailed out draft notices as party invitations. Then my son-in-law designed an obstacle course on their property. Adding to the fun, my oldest son, Ted, a former Army Ranger, provided camouflage makeup and MREs. The boys had the time of their lives and the entire party cost little more than a cake mix and a few stamps.
I was proud of Bethanne and the success of her business and I wanted to do more with this character. I didnât like Grant, her ex-husband, the first time around, but when he reappeared in A Turn in the Road he was much more sympathetic. Heâs recognised his mistake and wants his family back. This is a difficult decision for Bethanne. As it happens, she has an opportunity to travel across the country with her daughter and her ex-mother-in-law. Three generations of women each facing ⦠a turn in the road. By the way, if youâre a committed film buff, you may notice that Iâve moved the release date of Breakfast at Tiffanyâs forward by a few months. I took this liberty becauseâwell, frankly, it worked for the story.
As always, Iâm eager to hear from my readers. You can reach me in two ways: either by logging on to my website at www.DebbieMacomber.com and signing the guestbook, or by contacting me at PO Box 1458, Port Orchard, WA 98366, USA.
Warmly,
âI think Dad wants to get back together.â Bethanneâs daughter, Annie, spoke with studied nonchalance. âHe still loves you, Mom.â
Bethanneâs spoon hovered over her bowl of soup as they sat at a window table in theirfavorite café. This wasnât actually news and shouldnât have come as any surprise. Didnât come as any surprise. Sheâd seen the signs, as recently as this morning. These days Grant was inventing excuses to call her.
Six years ago her world had imploded when her husband confessed that heâd fallen in love with another woman. With barely a backward glance, Grant had walked outâout of their home, their marriage, their lives. And now he wanted back in.
âDonât you have anything to say?â Annie asked, toying with her fork. She watched her mother intently.
âNot really.â She swallowed the soup and lowered her spoon for another taste.
Annie, it seemed, had forgotten. But not Bethanne.
The morning Grant told her he wanted a divorce would stay in her mind forever. He couldnât seem to get away from her fast enough. Heâd retained a lawyer and advised her to do the same, then coldly informed her that all future communication would be through their lawyers. The less contact with her and their children, the better, heâd said. A clean break was best.
Grantâs decision had struck Bethanne with the force and unpredictability of a hurricane. Sheâd stumbled blindly through the next few months, trying to hold her family together, clinging to the semblance of normality while her world disintegrated around her. âYou really donât have anything to say?â Annie prodded.
âNo,â Bethanne said shortly. She swallowed another spoonful of soup and reached for the herb scone. âWhat disturbs me is that your father would let you do his talking for him.â
Annie had the grace to look chastened, but she pushed her food away as if sheâd suddenly lost her appetite.