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TALKING TO DEBBIE MACOMBER

Debbie’s readers ask her many questions through her website, www.debbiemacomber.com. Here are some of the questions she’s answered recently. Some of these have appeared frequently.

IN 6 RAINIER DRIVE, CECILIA AND IAN RANDALL MOVED TO SAN DIEGO. DO YOU PLAN TO BRING THEM BACK TO CEDAR COVE?

At this point I don’t have any plans to bring Cecilia, Ian and their son back to the Pacific Northwest. However, I’ve learned never to say never. These stories can take twists and turns that even I don’t anticipate.

Don’t forget that Allison Cox—currently at college—does keep in touch with Cecilia, and we might therefore get the occasional update. By the way, Cecilia and Ian are doing well, and their marriage is stronger than ever. I wouldn’t be surprised if they had a second baby—and if they do, Allison, or maybe Rachel, will let us know.

WHICH CHARACTER’S STORY HAS BEEN THE MOST FUN TO TELL SO FAR? WHICH CHARACTER’S STORY HAS SURPRISED YOU THE MOST?

That’s an interesting question. I’d say I’ve had the most fun writing about Grace, particularly when Dan went missing, and describing how her life has gone since. The mystery and drama inherent in that situation appealed to me. But Teri and Bobby Polgar come a close second. I fell in love with Bobby and the way he cares about Teri; I also like the fact that both of them amuse me—and, I hope, you!—in different ways. I think the storyline that surprised me most (so far!) is the one involving Bob Beldon. I didn’t set out to write about Vietnam vets, but that’s what ended up happening.

YOUR CHARACTERS ARE SO REAL, LIKE THEY’RE A PART OF YOUR LIFE. HAVE YOU EVER BASED ANY OF THEM ON PEOPLE THAT YOU KNOW?

First of all, thank you for the compliment. I appreciate knowing that you’re enjoying the Cedar Cove characters. My characters are fictional, born in my imagination. But, like all believable fictional characters, they’re grounded in real life.

I’m fascinated by people—what they do and why they do it—and by relationships of all kinds (friendships, romances, families, workplace relationships—everything). I’m always observing people around me wherever I am, listening to their stories. I guess I’m a natural observer—at least that’s what my editor says!—and I’m naturally curious. (In another life, I might have been a reporter. Or a detective. Or … Who knows?) All of that translates into storytelling, and storytelling, of course, is about people.

In the course of creating a character, I might combine one trait I’ve observed in a certain person with a mannerism I’ve noticed in another, perhaps adding some little snippet of yet another person’s family history. For example, the character of Charlotte is loosely based on my own mother and on a good knitting friend. Also, two of the hairstylists in town prompted me to create Rachel Pendergast and Teri Polgar, although their personalities are distinctly different from those of my characters.

THE INTIMACY BETWEEN THE CEDAR COVE CHARACTERS IS SO GREAT. HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH THEIR DAILY-LIFE SCENARIOS? THEY ARE VERY DETAILED, AND I WONDERED IF YOU USED YOUR OWN LIFE EXPERIENCES.

The short answer to that is yes. As you might have guessed, everything that happens in my life eventually finds its way into a book. As well, any anecdote, any scrap of conversation, any newspaper article, can provide the basis for a character’s situation.

Again, interest in others and curiosity about them is key. I also do research where necessary—by talking to people, reading, searching the internet and so on. For instance, when I wrote the Dakota series, I travelled to both North and South Dakota, talked with farmers (some of whom happened to be related to me!) drove from one small town to another and soaked up the atmosphere. I bought a copious number of books on the area, too, but the richest background information I got came from the wonderful people of the Dakotas themselves. I did similar research for the Heart of Texas series and Midnight Sons, a series set in Alaska.

IF YOU’RE A NEW READER TO THE CEDAR COVE SERIES, DO YOU NEED TO READ THEM IN ORDER, OR ARE THEY ALSO STAND-ALONE BOOKS WITH A CONTINUED THEME? WHOSE STORIES WILL BE TOLD IN FUTURE BOOKS?

Each of the Cedar Cove books can be read alone. This has probably been one of my biggest challenges as a writer. Each book must provide some of the backstory detailed in the previous books—just enough to fill in a new reader but not so much as to bore readers who’ve followed the books in sequence. It’s a tricky balance. As for the question about whose stories are going to appear next—look for updates on the three McAfee children, along with Bobby’s driver, James Wilbur, and Teri’s sister, Christie Levitt. Will Jefferson will be playing more of a role, and so will several newer characters. And Olivia and Grace are, of course, important members of the Cedar Cove community.

WILL READERS EVER MEET THE OWNERS OF THE TACO SHACK?

Sorry, probably not. But look for an update on the Taco Shack, Rachel and Bruce’s favourite restaurant (which, as you now know, will become a barbecue place in the near future).

WHAT IS THE CORRECT ORDER OF THE CEDAR COVE BOOKS?

I wish I could tell you that I’m brilliant and came up with this plan at the beginning of the series, but the truth is, it was a fluke. We titled the first book 16 Lighthouse Road (16 was my dad’s birth date) and the second book, 204 Rosewood Lane, which seemed to follow naturally, since I grew up at 204 South 8th Avenue. Then readers started asking me how to tell which book came next. I had 1 and then 2 in the house numbers already and simply went from there to 311, then on to 44, etc.

The full listing of the books so far, in order, is: 16 Lighthouse Road, 204 Rosewood Lane, 311 Pelican Court, 44 Cranberry Point, 50 Harbor Street, 6 Rainier Drive and 74 Seaside Avenue. With more to come!

IS IT TRUE THAT THE TOWN OF CEDAR COVE IS BASED ON YOUR HOME TOWN OF PORT ORCHARD?

Cedar Cove is loosely based on Port Orchard, Washington, where my husband, Wayne, and I have lived for over twenty years. I’d written series set in Alaska, Texas and North Dakota and, while I loved visiting those areas, there really is no place like home.

I didn’t expect the interest in Port Orchard that’s come about as a result of the Cedar Cove books—and the number of people who’ve decided to visit. Because certain landmarks described in the books actually exist (or at least their prototypes do!), we’ve created a Cedar Cove map that’s available to anyone who requests it with an SAE. (Check my website for information.) And in 2009 we hosted the inaugural Cedar Cove Days, which was a huge success. We’d love to have you stop by our friendly little town!