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In Debbie Macomber's latest Christmas novel, Shirley, Goodness and Mercy are angels on a mission. Angel-in-training Will has brought together chef Lucie Farrara and food critic Aren Fairchild, but after fate tears them apart, our heavenly love hosts decide to reunite the romantic pair with a most welcome holiday miracle. One of the most joyous series entries of the year.
The years went on and the rejection letters piled up. Her family was living on a shoestring budget, and Debbie was beginning to think that her dreams of being a novelist might never be fulfilled. She began writing for magazines to earn some extra money, and she eventually saved up enough to attend a romance writer's conference with three hundred other aspiring novelists. The organizers of the conference picked ten manuscripts to review in a group critique session. Debbie was thrilled to learn that her manuscript would be one of the novels discussed.
Her excitement quickly faded when an editor from Harlequin tore her manuscript to pieces in front of the crowded room, evoking peals of laughter from the assembled writers. Afterwards, Macomber approached the editor and asked her what she could do to improve her novel. "Throw it away," the editor suggested.
Many writers would have given up right then and there, but not Macomber. The deeply religious Macomber took a lesson from Job and gathered strength from adversity. She returned home and mailed one last manuscript to Silhouette, a publisher of romance novels. "It cost $10 to mail it off," Macomber told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in 2000. "My husband was out of work at this time, in Alaska, trying to find a job. The children and I were living on his $250-a-week unemployment, and I can't tell you what $10 was to us at that time."
It turned out to be the best $10 Macomber ever spent. In 1984, Silhouette published her novel, Heartsong. (Incidentally, although Heartsong was Macomber's first sale, she actually published another book, Starlight, before Heartsong went to print.) Heartsong went on to become the first romance novel to ever be reviewed in Publishers Weekly, and Macomber was finally on her way.
Today, Macomber is one of the most widely read authors in America. A regular on the New York Times bestseller charts, she is best known for her Cedar Cove novels, a heartwarming story sequence set in a small town in Washington state, and for her Knitting Books series, featuring a group of women who patronize a Seattle yarn store. In addition, her backlist of early romances, including several contemporary Westerns, has been reissued with great success.
Macomber has made a successful transition from conventional romance to the somewhat more flexible genre known as "women's fiction." "I was at a point in my life where I found it difficult to identify with a 25-year-old heroine," Macomber said in an interview with ContemporaryRomanceWriters.com. "I found that I wanted to write more about the friendships women share with each other." To judge from her avid, ever-increasing fan base, Debbie's readers heartily approve.
"I'm dyslexic, although they didn't have a word for it when I was in grade school. The teachers said I had 'word blindness.' I've always been a creative speller and never achieved good grades in school. I graduated from high school but didn't have the opportunity to attend college, so I did what young women my age did at the time -- I married. I was a teenager, and Wayne and I (now married nearly 37 years) had four children in five years."
"I'm a yarnaholic. That means I have more yarn stashed away than any one person could possibly use in three or four lifetimes. There's something inspiring about yarn that makes me feel I could never have enough. Often I'll go into my yarn room (yes, room!) and just hold skeins of yarn and dream about projects. It's a comforting thing to do."
"My office walls are covered with autographs of famous writers -- it's what my children call my ‘dead author wall.' I have signatures from Mark Twain, Earnest Hemingway, Jack London, Harriett Beecher Stowe, Pearl Buck, Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, to name a few."
"I'm morning person, and rip into the day with a half-mile swim (FYI: a half mile is a whole lot farther in the water than it is on land) at the local pool before I head into the office, arriving before eight. It takes me until nine or ten to read through all of the guest book entries from my web site and the mail before I go upstairs to the turret where I do my writing. Yes, I write in a turret -- is that romantic, or what? I started blogging last September and really enjoy sharing bits and pieces of my life with my readers. Once I'm home for the day, I cook dinner, trying out new recipes. Along with cooking, I also enjoy eating, especially when the meal is accompanied by a glass of good wine. Wayne and I take particular pleasure in sampling eastern Washington State wines (since we were both born and raised in that part of the state).
Chapter One
“This is really Earth?” Will, the apprentice angel, asked, lying on his stomach on a low-flying cloud with his three mentors. His eyes widened as he gazed down on the crazed activity below.
“This is Earth,” Mercy informed their young charge with a tinge of pride. For all its problems, Earth was a fascinating place to visit with the tall buildings that butted up against the sky and people milling about with such purpose, most of them unaware of the spiritual world that surrounded them. More times than she could remember Mercy had lost patience with humans. Those who were considered the apex of God’s creations appeared to be slow-witted and spiritually dull. Yet she loved them and treasured her Earthly assignments.
“It’s New York,” Shirley added, resting her chin in her hands as she gazed longingly below. “Oh, I do so love this city.”
“Manhattan, to be more precise,” Goodness clarified and ended with a little sigh, indicating that she, too, had missed visiting Earth.
The four hovered near Times Square, watching the clamoring crowds jockeying for space on New Year’s Eve.
Will’s eyes widened as he intently studied the scene taking place in the streets below. “Is it always like this—so busy and crowded, I mean?”
“No, no, this is a special night. The people are gathering together to usher in the New Year.” Time was a concept reserved for Earth. In heaven it was much different. Consequently, the time restriction placed on the three Prayer Ambassadors when given Earthly assignments had caused more than one problem.
“Did Gabriel want us—”
“Gabriel,” Shirley gasped, and quickly cut him off. “He doesn’t exactly know that we’ve brought you here. It would probably be best if you didn’t mention this short visit to him, okay?”
“Yes, please, it would be best not to let anyone know we’ve shown you Earth.” It went without saying they’d be in all kinds of trouble if Gabriel learned what they’d been up to.
“Gabriel means well but he tends to get a little prickly about these things,” Goodness explained to their young charge.
“Why is that?” Will stared at all three of them.
“Well, you see, we . . . the three of us . . . thought we should give you a bird’s-eye view of Earth and these people God loves so much—strictly for training purposes.” Mercy looked to her friends to expound upon their intentions, which were honorable if not a tad bit sneaky.
This Earthly visitation had been a spur-of-the-moment decision. Mercy had been the one to suggest it. Naturally, Goodness was quick to agree, and after some discussion Shirley had seen the light as well.
Will, an apprentice angel, had been placed under their charge, and given this honor, it was only right that he get a glimpse of the trials and tribulations that awaited him once he started working as a Prayer Ambassador. The job could be a bit tricky, and the more Will understood the idiosyncrasies of humans, the better he would do once given an assignment from Gabriel.
Mercy was certain that under their tutorship, Will would make a fine Prayer Ambassador one day. He was young and enthusiastic, eager to learn about Earth and the role he would play.
As Mercy, who had falsely been labeled a troublemaker, had pointed out, theirs was a duty that required serious dedication. She wasn’t alone in believing this. Goodness—oh, poor Goodness—had gotten something of a reputation, too, and Mercy felt partially to blame, but that was another story entirely. Shirley tended to be a bit more on the straight-and-narrow path and had worked hard to reform her friends. In fact, Shirley, a former Guardian Angel, had done such a marvelous job, Gabriel had offered to let them train the promising young angel who was with them now.
Naturally, it was understood that if the three of them accepted this assignment training Will, then of course there would be no hanky-panky, no tricks, no nothing. All three had agreed. This was a high honor indeed and their intentions were good.
Now here they were, New Year’s Eve in Times Square, in one of the most amazing cities on Earth. Mercy breathed in deeply, savoring the moment. Bringing Will had been a good excuse, but the fact of the matter was that she had missed visiting Earth. It’d been a good long while since their last assignment, and she missed the razzle-dazzle of the big city.
“Isn’t Earth just marvelous?” Goodness said, her huge wings fluttering with delight. “Just look at all those neon lights. I’ve always been especially fond of light.”
“As we all are,” Shirley reminded them.
“Can we go down there with the people?” Will asked.
“Absolutely not.” Shirley’s loud protest was instantaneous.
“I don’t think it would hurt anything,” Goodness countered, her gaze still fixed on the bright lights of the city below.
Will glanced from one to the other.
“How will he ever learn about humans if he doesn’t have the opportunity to mingle with them?” Mercy asked, siding with her dearest friend. Shirley could be such a stickler for rules. Okay, so they’d originally promised not to get anywhere close to humans, but this would be a good teaching moment for Will.
“How will he ever learn how to work as a Prayer Ambassador if he doesn’t become familiar with humans?” Goodness protested.
Shirley wavered. While she might be opinionated on a number of topics, she could be easily swayed, which was the best part of working with her, Mercy felt.
“Well . . .”
“Do we hear the humans’ prayers?” Will asked.
“Oh, no,” Shirley explained. “Only God hears their prayers, and then He talks matters over with Gabriel and then . . .”
“Then Gabriel passes along those requests to us.”
“And we assist in answering them.”
“One of our roles is to help humans realize how much they can do for themselves with God’s help,” Goodness clarified.
“We try as best we can without interfering in their lives,” Shirley added quickly, glaring at Goodness and Mercy.
This was a warning and Mercy recognized it the instant her friend spoke.
“But first, and this is the most important part,” Goodness emphasized, “it’s our duty to teach these humans a lesson. Then and only then are we able to help them with their troubles.
“The real difficulty comes when they don’t want to learn.” Goodness shook her head because this aspect of the job was often a challenge. “Some people seem to want God to step in and do as they ask without making a single contribution to the effort.”
“It doesn’t work like that,” Mercy said, although she’d done a fair bit of finagling to help these poor witless souls. In theory, answering prayers didn’t sound the least bit difficult. Unfortunately, humans were sometimes completely dense.
“They can be so stubborn,” Goodness said, shaking her head again.
“Strong willed,” Shirley agreed.
“Oh, yes, and once—” Mercy snapped her mouth closed. It was best not to reveal their past antics for fear it would mislead their young charge into thinking that perhaps he should follow in their footsteps. Gabriel would take exception to that.
“Once?” Will pressed. “What happened?”
“Never mind,” Shirley said, reading the situation perfectly. “Some things are best laid to rest and not discussed.”
“Can I go down and be with the crowd?” Will asked again. “I won’t say anything to Gabriel.”
“He isn’t the only one,” Shirley blurted out. “I mean, we shouldn’t mutter a word of this to anyone in heaven.”
Anonymous
Posted October 26, 2012
I'm so glad to have my favorite Christmas angels back!!!! It was nice to have a new angel introduced as well. I am just sorry that i read it so fast!
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 13, 2012
The 3 angels are back causing a few minor ruckuses on earth .. Debbie sure knows how to make you laugh this is a fantastic christmas story
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 25, 2012
This book is so amazing! Well done Debbie! I love it!
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 13, 2012
When the holidays overwhelm me I turn to Shirley, Goodness and Mercy and now Will. They remind me what Christmas is about and that prayers do get answered. God, Angels and true fun, it's what to look forward to. A must read for the holiday horrors
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy take apprentice angel Will to Time’s Square New York City for the New Year’s celebration. While there Will sees two lonely people standing in the middle of a crowd full of people kissing. Deciding to spread a little Holiday Cheer Will uses his wings to have them bump into each other. For Lucie and Aren it was love at first sight standing in the middle of Times Square they have their first kiss, deciding to meet up a week later at the top of the Empire State Building. Fully intending to go Lucie must soon rush to the hospital instead of meeting Aren. One year later Shirley, Goodness, Mercy, and Will must right the wrong that took place and help these two people find the way to their happily ever after.
Debbie Macomber is a wonderful author, the romance she has created her is so beautiful even though the story is complete with an amazing epilogue you still crave more. I have never read an Angels Everywhere novel before, now however I wish I had found them sooner The four angels are so much fun to read about as every time they make an appearance something goes completely hay wire adding a levity to the novel that is absolutely fantastic. I mean how can you go wrong with an invisible angel leading a camel down Broadway? This is only one tiny example of the hilarious antics that the angels find themselves in. Though the novel is highly funny Debbie Macomber manages to keep the humor and the deep emotional bond separate and intertwining at the same time with neither one taking away from the other yet each adding a new dimension to the story. I definitely had fun reading this book, though I feel cheated that I hadn’t known about the series previously, now is definitely the time to remedy that!
I was sent a free copy of this book for an honest review.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.RonnaL
Posted December 16, 2012
This is the latest, and best installment, in the Debbie Macomber 'angles' series. It seems like an updated, Christian fun redo of the movie, An Affair To Remember.
The angles--Shirley, Goodness, Mercy, and the newest addition, Will are 'prayer ambassadors' from heaven who push the boundaries of their assignments. This time they cause two lonely people to meet in Times Square on New Years Eve. They have an instant attraction, but problems arise and the angels 'help' causes problems for the new couple.
This story has a fun interest because the two people are a chef, opening a new restaurant, and a food critique for the newspaper. Since I enjoy shows on the cooking channel, this book ties in the food interest, romance, and fun with a Christian message. Good read for this Christmas season!!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 14, 2012
Sweet story. Loved the concept of mischevious angels. Good, quick, light read and a good excuse to get away from holiday stress for a bit.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 12, 2012
Fun, witty, and sweet love story.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 31, 2012
I love Debbie Macomber! This was a cute story and introduces a new angel. I was a bit disappointed that it was so short and just a tad bit too pat, but it was still a fun read.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 18, 2012
very good
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 11, 2012
The added angle is a great new addition to her books.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 10, 2012
Very sweet love story perfect for the holiday season. A feel good book!!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 9, 2012
I may be a romantic, but I love it! This book gives me an alternative to the " nasty stuff" that is out there. I think if we look hard (maybe not so hard) there is a Shirley, Goodness, Mercy and Will in all of our daily activities Jyst prsy and watch things happen! THANKS Debbie!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 9, 2013
Wonderfully, entertaining book.
I have read some of the other books about Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy that Debbie Macomber has written. This one is just as enjoyable as the others. The apprentice angel, Will, is a nice addition. It gives a chance for the rules that they are supposed to live, and work, by to be explained.
Anonymous
Posted April 26, 2013
i'm a big fan of the Angels but did not feel this was up to the standards of the other Macomber Angel stories.
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Posted February 26, 2013
!!!!!!!
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Posted February 22, 2013
This was a very enjoyable book. I loved the humor and the message. Well written
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Posted January 30, 2013
Iread this book in one day!!!!could not put it down debbie really can comfort you when you feeling down keep them coming .regina montclair n j
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Posted January 30, 2013
Thank you, Debbie Macomber for another "angel" book! Three years has been a long wait to read another adventure of your beloved angels! The added male angel, Will, is perfect! I do hope there is another story with him by Christmas 2013 (hint, hint).
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Posted January 28, 2013
Thank God for those angels! Easy read to take you away for a while! Loved It
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Overview
Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy know that an angel’s work is never done, especially not during such a wondrous time as New Year’s Eve. With an apprentice angel, Will, under their wings, they descend upon Times Square in New York City eager to join in the ...