Debbie Macomber was born on October 22, 1948 in Yakima, Washington. Her first novel, Heartsong, was published in 1984 and became the first romance novel ever to be reviewed in Publishers Weekly. She has written more than 150 novels including Between Friends, Family Affair, Starry Night, Last One Home, Mr. Miracle, Merry and Bright, the Blossom Street series, the Cedar Cove series, and the Rose Harbor series. She received Romantic Times Magazine's Lifetime Achievement Award.