Spring 2017

Dear Friends,

On a recent Facebook post, I read a New Year’s resolution that said: “I will lose ten pounds this year. I only have fifteen to go.” I laughed because that is generally the way my resolutions go. The point being that we all need second chances, a fresh beginning, and that is what inspired this New Beginnings series. If Not for You is the third book.

People often ask where I get my ideas for stories. Most often they come from real life. A couple of years ago I met a couple with an amazing story of how they met and fell in love. Vic and Mary Jury inspired me to come up with my own version for Sam and Beth. This is a story of healing, both emotional and physical.

Finishing a book is a bittersweet moment for me. On one hand I’m ecstatic to be finished so I can move these characters out of my brain. I can almost feel the next set clamoring to get inside my head, if they aren’t already there. And at the same time it’s hard to say goodbye, which might explain why so many of my stories and characters are connected to previous books.

The dedication for this book goes to a high-school friend, Cherie Carlton Thalheimer, and her husband, Robert. Cherie and I have a high-school reunion this year, and it’s a biggie—one with a zero in it. We didn’t know each other well as teenagers, which I find amusing now because she has become one of my best friends. I finally found someone (outside of my immediate family) who is as nuts about football as I am. The story of our friendship, rediscovering people we knew from the past, is worthy of a book in its own right. Hey, that’s not a bad plot idea. I think I’ll write that down so I remember…

One last note. The poem The Warning Label No One Reads was written by my granddaughter Bailey after she broke up with her boyfriend. I found it poignant and bittersweet and with her permission decided to include it in the book. It looks like I might not be the only writer in the family. And the song Sam wrote for Beth was composed by Pete Evick, who is the lead guitarist for Bret Michaels.

If you’re familiar with any of my reader letters you know how much I treasure hearing from you. You can reach me any number of ways. The best place to learn about me is from my website at debbiemacomber.com or read my Facebook posts or Twitter. Or you can write me at P.O. Box 1458, Port Orchard, WA 98366.

Now it’s time to turn the page and meet up with Sam and Beth and hopefully find a bit of healing in your own life.

Warmest regards,