Macomber's novels focus on delivering the message of the story and do not include detailed descriptive passages. In most years since 1986, Macomber has released a Christmas-themed book or novella. Thursdays at Eight was her first departure from the traditional romance novel into contemporary women's fiction. In 2002, Macomber realized that she wanted to write books focusing more on women and their friendships. Her first hardcover was released in 2001. By 1994, Macomber began releasing single-title novels. Before long, she was releasing two or three titles per year. In 1988, Harlequin asked Macomber to write a series of interconnected stories, which became known as the Navy series. Macomber continued to write romances for Silhouette, and later Harlequin. Starlight was the first of her novels to be published, as part of the Silhouette Special Edition romance line. Silhouette bought the book, which became the first romance novel to be reviewed by Publishers Weekly. Undaunted, Macomber spent $10 to mail the same novel, Heartsong, to Harlequin's rival, Silhouette Books.

The editor tore apart her novel and recommended that she throw it away. Macomber attended a romance writer's conference, where one of her manuscripts was selected to be publicly critiqued by an editor from Harlequin. After five years and many rejections from publishers, she turned to freelance magazine work. Determined to be a writer, she sat in her kitchen in front of a rented typewriter to develop her first few manuscripts, while raising four children.

Macomber is dyslexic and has only a high school education. She also works as executive producer on the television adaptations of her books. Macomber was the inaugural winner of the fan-voted Quill Award for romance in 2005 and has been awarded both a RITA Award and a lifetime achievement award by the Romance Writers of America. Six of her novels have become made-for-TV movies and her Cedar Cove series of novels was adapted into a television series of the same name. Debbie Macomber (born October 22, 1948) is an American author of romance novels and contemporary women's fiction.

A Good Yarn by Debbie Macomber