| The Cedar Cove Association of Port Orchard recently announced that Harlequin Enterprises LTD of Toronto, Canada, has agreed to be a sponsor of Cedar Cove Days. The event was inspired by nationally known romance novelist Debbie Macomber, who is a native of Port Orchard. The festival is planned for August 26-30, 2009.
Macomber is a New York Times bestselling author from Port Orchard, whose writings are published by Harlequin under its MIRA imprint. Her award-winning Cedar Cove series portrays a fictional northwest town that just happens to be based on her hometown of Port Orchard. Macomber’s latest book in the series, 74 Seaside Avenue, rocketed to number one on the USA Today, New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists.
The Cedar Cove Days idea was brought to Macomber by a group of local citizens this past September. The author enthusiastically embraced the concept of bringing her fans to Port Orchard. The organizing group created Cedar Cove Association, a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation. Recently, two members of the group, Jerry Childs, a Port Orchard City Councilman, and Cindy Lucarelli, the Executive Director of Cedar Cove Association, flew to Toronto to pitch the event to Harlequin Enterprises.
“We still have money to raise locally,” said Lucarelli, “But the much-appreciated backing of Harlequin sets us on a course that assures success for our August 2009 event.” Macomber’s fan base is considerable, and she maintains an email list of more than 100,000 readers with whom she corresponds monthly. Event organizers hope to have its Cedar Cove Days website up and running by August, with event sales to follow soon thereafter.
“I am so pleased that my hometown, represented by my friends and neighbors, is providing this great opportunity for my readers to come here and see our wonderful northwest sights,” Macomber said. The festival will feature many events that will bring the popular author and her fans together. These range from speaking engagements, cruises and dinners, to a downtown ’50s style parade and sock hop at Waterfront Park. “As each event sells out, others will be added and so on,” said Lucarelli. “We hope to give everyone their money’s worth and send them home with a good feeling about Debbie and this beautiful area we all call home.”
Fans can monitor the progress of the event at www.debbiemacomber.com and through a link to the upcoming Cedar Cove Association website. There are more than 100 million copies of Macomber’s books in print, with more than 130 novels published. Her next book in her ongoing Cedar Cove series, 8 Sandpiper Way, is due out in September.
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