New novel highlights Habitat's mission
Debbie Macomber's latest novel weaves a story of love, loss and the power of family — with a Habitat plot line.
The latest novel from New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber is set in the Seattle area and weaves a story of love, loss and the power of family — with a Habitat for Humanity plot line.
We spoke with Macomber about Last One Home.
Q: How did you come to include Habitat for Humanity in your fiction?
A: Habitat has a fundraising event called the Hoedown, and I was invited, so my husband and I put on our cowboy boots and our hats and we went. There were all kinds of booths, games, food; there must have been 500 people there. And the woman who escorted us to our table had a shirt on that said “Future Homeowner.” I asked her what that meant, and you should have seen the pride in her eyes when she said, “I’m building a home for my family.”
I said, “You’re doing this?” and she said, “Yes, I’m working my sweat equity hours.” And that was the first time I’d heard that term. She told me she was a widow and had two small children, and I just couldn’t imagine her working, building, doing all that on her own. But she did it with such dignity and pride — I was so struck by that. And I thought, “I’m going to write a book about this.”
Q: Cassie Carter is a wonderful character. She has a job (sometimes more than one), but she’s also living “hand to mouth,” as someone says in the book: the faucets leak, the car needs work. She doesn’t fit the stereotype of someone wanting anything for free, she just needs a little extra help. Was it important to you to show her that way, very independent?
A: Yes, and it made it easier in drawing the character that she wasn’t getting help from family. Because I think a lot of people working with Habitat don’t have a large support system so they have to do it on their own. And that just builds stronger character.
What impressed me most in all of the research I did was the fact that it really isn’t a hand-out but a hand up. People have to help themselves. And in doing that they gain so much. Just look at Cassie. She got self-esteem from this, like the woman I met. She has that sense of dignity and pride and accomplishment in building a home with her own two hands and helping others to build their homes. It has a powerful effect on the psyche.
Q: What would you say Cassie is looking for most in a home? What does it mean to her?
A: I think she’s thinking about the home she grew up in, the parents who loved her, and she wants her daughter, Amiee, to have that security. She goes back to her childhood and thinks about the park where she played and the porch light that would come on. She’s trying to give that to her own child, who’s never had it. They’ve been constantly moving around. And she wants her child to have some of the options she didn’t. We all do.