Image from Deposit Photos. Arlington Cemetery, Spring 2015
Since I’m the Monday Fox, it’s my honor to wish you all a peaceful Memorial Day, compliments of those who served and died in service to our country. It’s because of their sacrifices that we’re able to say and write our opinions. We take for granted freedoms that people in other nations only dream about. On this day, we remember them and hopefully pause for a moment to thank them.
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Now, let’s address the topic of the week. One of our foxes asked, “What would be the first three questions you’d ask a famous author?”
When I first started reading romance, I devoured them. No matter how busy I was, I found time to read, often going through a book a day. The library was my favorite place to get paperbacks, but each week when I went to buy groceries, I’d spend a few minutes in the paperback book section perusing the new titles. There were about a half dozen authors whose books I’d purchase without even reading the title or blurb, and one of them was Debbie Macomber.
If you’re not familiar with Debbie Macomber’s stories, then you’re probably not much of a romance reader. She is quite prolific, and I’m amazed at the variety of settings and themes in her books. Yet all her stories have something in common – they emphasize the importance of family. I think this is what attracted me to her romances. The main characters were people I would want to know.
Debbie actually came to Grand Rapids about five years ago, but I was unable to attend her book signing because I had an important orchestra rehearsal. I did manage to get a signed book because a high school friend of mine went and got one for me! I suppose if I had attended the event, I wouldn’t have been able to strike up a conversation. For one thing, the people that arrange these things are very good at keeping the line moving, so there’s no chance to ask questions. Also, I would’ve been far too star-struck to think of anything other than a simple “I love your books.”
So assuming I had the opportunity as well as the presence of mind to speak coherently, these are the questions I’d like to ask:
- You have a number of romance series, and they’re set in so many different locations. I’ve read the Midnight Sons series set in Alaska, the Heart of Texas books, the Dakota series, and of course the Cedar Cove and Blossom Street books. I know you live in Washington State, so you’d be familiar with settings there. Do you have a connection with the other areas?
- Your Cedar Cove series became a popular television series. When I read these books I fell in love with Olivia, Grace, and the rest of the residents of the town. What was it like to see these characters come alive on the small screen? How close did the show come to what you had in mind?
- Many of your stories have several threads with things happening concurrently. How do you manage that? Do you use a timeline or other tool to keep them straight?
I’m sure if I were to stew about this for another week I could come up with more, but fortunately we were asked for only the first three. What questions would you ask if and when you come face-to-face with your favorite author?
Angela Schroeder
Patricia Kiyono
Elaine Cantrell
Jeff Salter
Joselyn
Tonette Joyce
Four Foxes, One Hound 
Though I have met several famous authors, it has rarely been for more than a brief exchange. But, if / when I have opportunities to actually have a “conversation” with a famous author… like you, I tend to either be tongue-tied or to gush a bit too much.
I think your three questions for Debbie are good ones.
I especially like this one: “What was it like to see these characters come alive on the small screen? How close did the show come to what you had in mind?”
That one sticks out to me because as I’ve drafted SOME — not all — of my stories, I’ve thought to myself, “gosh this would make a great movie.”
But would it? or would the scrip adapter shift the focus, drop plot lines, add unwanted or unnecessary elements.? Would the entire production be so altered that I might not even recognize it?
Oops, I almost started writing my hound day column…
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I suppose some changes are necessary because of time constraints. And I had my own ideas about what some of the characters looked like, which were totally different from the casting director’s ideas. Still, I thought the series was wonderful.
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It has crossed my mind to ask Debbie to come in as a guest; I think that you should.
I haven’t had my thinking cap on yet, and there are so many authors!
Decisions,decisions!
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Maybe someday I’ll drum up the courage!
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Good questions! I think it would be difficult to see your characters interpreted by someone else in another medium, especially television. Cover art is hard enough.
It would be really cool if you could interview Debbie Macomber for the blog.
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I agree, cover art is enough of a trial. Letting go of my story enough to see how someone else interprets it would be REALLY tough!
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I like your third question – how do you keep all the elements straight? I have created timelines, and that helps so much. I’d like to know her system. I’d also like to know if she concentrates on one story at a time or works on multiple books at once.
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With her incredible output, it seems like she must work on multiple projects at once, but who knows? She probably has assistants helping with some of the research. Guess I’ll have to work on drumming up the courage to ask her to join us! Thanks for stopping in, Elizabeth.
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