Guest blogger - Robyn Carr

The invitation to blog here today came at a perfect time – the third installment in the Virgin River series – Whispering Rock – will be released in a few days. And I’ve just experienced the most amazing couple of months.

When I started Virgin River, beginning like I always do – on page one, flying by the seat of my pants – I was writing one story, one romance. I became acquainted with Mel Monroe, a nurse midwife in search of peace and meaning in her troubled life. Enter Jack Sheridan, a retired marine who built a small country bar and grill in a town of six hundred because it was the perfect place for him to hunt and fish and wind down from a life far too adventurous. I was getting acquainted with a couple of remarkable people. By the time I was a hundred pages in, I knew there was more than one book in this town. When I met the marines who still hung tight after serving in combat together, frequently gathering in the pristine beauty of the redwoods to hunt, fish, play poker and rally around their leader, Jack, I knew they would be the spinal column for a series. When I met the women, I met the heart.

I wrote like a fiend, like a driven lunatic, the pages stacking up faster than I could count them. Then it got interesting. I had a few people in my life I could pass research questions through, but I had to get serious about this project. I went to Humboldt County, California, the actual setting for the series, and found it to be much more rural and rugged in the mountains than I’d imagined, not to mention more beautiful than I thought myself capable of describing. I went in search of and found law enforcement professionals, hunters, fishermen, business owners, locals. I visited towns, large and small, and went in search of towns that made the map, but were so buried in the mountains, I couldn’t find them! I engaged the expertise of a nurse practitioner and a midwife who had experienced both big city medicine and rural medicine, two incredible professionals dedicated to serving their women. I spent time with marines and heard their stories.

And revised, revised, revised. I passed the manuscripts for the first three books through so many hands and took note of so many professional opinions, I had to create a notebook to follow the books! At final draft, I had a series filled with passion and adventure, with heart and humor, anchored by Mel and Jack – the nurse midwife and the marine-owner of the local watering hole, two people whose driving purpose is to serve the town and their friends.

I thought the payoff was going to come with the release of the books – three in three months – Virgin River, Shelter Mountain, Whispering Rock. But I was wrong – the payoff came in the form of emails – dozens and dozens of them, more than I’ve ever received in my career. Not only did people write me that they loved the series and couldn’t wait for the next book – they wasted no time in telling me who they wanted to read more about. I had countless requests to deliver Jack Sheridan to the homes swooning women! (Get in line, ladies!) I was given running commentary as to when readers laughed out loud, when they cried.

The most illuminating communication came from the families of military men and women. Now, Jack and his boys are not active duty marines, and the stories are not about military conflict. But these men are shaped by their life experiences and there was something about their commitment, their strength of character and loyalty, that brought the wives, mothers, grandmothers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters to me through notes and letters. I answer every email personally and will until I am completely overwhelmed (please God!) and I wrote back to every one of them. I offered far too many condolences. It is not an easy life for the supporters of our military; it’s harrowing and emotional, and they hold up like finely tempered steel – with astonishing courage and incredible love. They aren’t just patriots – they take it to the next level, it’s personal, it’s part of their existence. And I was reminded that it’s not temporary – it’s a way of life. These emails, these people, validated Jack, Preacher and the guys.

So here it is – my experience in creating this series was quadrupled by my experience in hearing how it’s been received. I am humbled. I am honored. And I’m darn lucky and awful proud. Who knew? We work, we write, we plunder along trying to make that connection. When you get the message through readers that you’ve touched them in a personal and vital place, it’s simply amazing. Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone of you who has written to me. I welcome your thoughts, and I listen.

Robyn Carr
Whispering Rock, June 2007
Shelter Mountain, May 2007
Virgin River, April 2007
http://www.robyncarr.com/

on a lighter note

OK, there is NO WAY that I can possibly top the previous blog about Sara and Gwen going to the Lee & Bob Woodruff book signing for In An Instant. Speaking as a news junkie and the daughter of a nurse & doctor, Bob Woodruff's story and recovery are remarkable.

...and now on to my usual fluff...

I have been busy reading again. It's so nice being able to do that. Now if only I could have a nice peaceful weekend at home. My neighborhood association is having a Mayfest celebration at the neighborhood park tomorrow. I also have a dog days of summer celebration going on tomorrow. Bella (my four legged child) is especially looking forward to the dog days of summer celebration! I mean come on, free dog treats and possibly toys. She'll be exhausted by the time we get back home. That said, so will I! And then next weekend we have Memorial Day.

I am looking forward to going back home for memorial day weekend. I cannot say the same for the five and half hour drive and gas prices. I'm trying not to think about it. Anyone else out there tackling the highways for Memorial Day?

But between now and Memorial Day, I also have the monthly bookclub dinner on Wednesday with this month's author, Shanna Swendson. For anyone in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, you can find out more about joining the monthly bookclub dinners and the monthly teas at: http://myspace.com/dfwtea

I read the first book in the Magic, Spells, and Illusions, Inc. series, Enchanted, Inc. I'm hooked. I have to read the other two. I went out shopping after I logged off work today. I found the newest book, Damsel Under Stress, which is book number three. I guess I'll be reading them out of order, but I really don't care. Enchanted, Inc. really captivated me. I have to know what develops between Katie and Owen.

What I have been reading:
The Perfect Stranger by Jenna Mills
Trouble in High Heels by Christina Dodd
3 Guys You'll Never Date by Stephanie Bond, Jennifer LaBrecque and Rhonda Nelson
Enchanted, Inc. by Shanna Swendson (** I highly recommend this book to anyone. **)

Lee & Bob Woodruff Sign in Dallas

Lee Woodruff, Chris Heinbaugh, Bob Woodruff,
originally uploaded by freshfiction.

Borders, North Dallas, Preston @ Royal

We arrived early -- around 4 -- to pick up our book and, get ready for this, WRIST BAND! Finally, we hit the big time. Even the HUGE Giada de Laurentis signing didn't involve wristbands, but it should have, I digress. The wide-eyed star glitter in Gwen's eye started to glimmer. Most disconcerting. Her favorite news person, okay the only one she really knows beside Gideon Yago, and sorry, but he doesn't count, was SO BIG, he needed a wrist band. This was almost as good as a film premier! (Pardon the exclamations, but seriously, she was very very excited.) Before we left the Borders, we made sure we had the RIGHT color arm band (being first in line) and when they were scheduled to start and what time the line began. You know, important details! So, we had two hours to go until the discussion/signing which was plenty of time for dinner.

The best thing about the Preston / Royal area of North Dallas is the little eateries popping up in odd corners. The last signing -- Shanna Swendson -- we found Natalie's (5944 Royal Lane, Dallas, TX 75230) with eclectic home cooking. Yummy. But we noticed a small Tex-Mex place across the parking lot, named, appropriately, "Hole In the Wall." And since we were in the mood for Tex-Mex, we thought we may as well try it. Had to be better than Cantina Laredo. Oh. My. Absolutely fabulous! Can only say I'm glad a) it is 10 miles away, in bad traffic; b) we got there before the dinner crush; and c) good prices for EXCELLENT food! The coconut flan is worth driving down for...repeatedly. I agreed with the lady at the next table who was saving herself for a big 'ol piece of flane.' (Put in a Texan accent and you'll get the picture.) Gwen had the tilapia and I had some type of beef cube stew. Even the salsa and tortilla chips were good. The salsa stuck to the chips, not watery or runny, the chips were lightly fried, not too much grease. As I said, we finished off a delicious meal with a coconut flan, sopippilas and some great coffee -- strong but flavorful.

Bob Woodruff interviewed on KLIF,
originally uploaded by freshfiction.

By the time we got back to the Borders, a KLIF truck was in front of the store and the parking lot was filling up. I felt the need to find a seat and get ready. The KLIF team was broadcasting from the coffee bar area and only a few chairs were empty in the signing area. I snagged an end chair and left Gwen to her own devices. She likes to shop anyway and needed a hot tea. Soon we heard applause in the background for Bob and Lee Woodruff being introduced and interviewed on the evening KLIF talk show. There was a small but growing crowd of people in the coffee bar backing unto the autograph area -- so we soon had a merge of people and chair shuffling as it got closer to 7pm. Around me, people were reading IN AN INSTANT, checking out the photos and discussing the war, the military, and traumatic injuries. It was a wee bit gruesome! Finally, Bob and Lee arrived at the back of the store and were introduced. It was a standing only room crowd of over 150 people and more arriving and jousting for places. I was no longer on the end of a row and Gwen was wedged in the end of a bookshelf with her tea cup strategically placed above an end cap.

Lee started the discussion -- tonight was their last stop on the book tour and we almost didn't happen! Imagine that! They were going to skip on Texas. The problem was getting the time off for Bob from ABC News. But apparently they persisted and did a whirlwind tour with stops in Houston, Fort Hood and Dallas. The spend the day in Killeen talking to the men and women who saved his life -- getting him from the tank to the helicopter to Baghdad for the emergency surgery on his brain/skull. He doesn't remember any of it, thinking he'd passed out, but the reports from military personnel were his anger and shouting, wanting to get revenge. Bob related his enjoyment of the stories they told him about those missing hours -- soon to be missing days as he was in a coma for 36 days. Both Lee and Bob concentrated on the stories the soldiers told them about the rescue in Iraq, filling in blanks and being with soldiers he met in Iraq during his previous seven trips. Lee did say he's not allowed to go back to Iraq and Bob said he thought she also ruled out his going to Afghanistan anytime soon.

The Woodruffs talked about how they wrote IN AN INSTANT, the difficulty for not just the TBI (traumatic brain injury) victim but also the care taker. The recover period is not just years but decades. Something our government does not consider as we all know from the stories about the VA Hospitals and Walter Reed recently. Their book is not just about the injury and his recovery but also flips back to different parts of their married life before -- giving a background on the obvious relationship they have with each other. Of course, Bob did joke Lee was mad at him because he forgot her birthday and Mother's Day (May 13th) -- he does use the excuse "oops, I've got a brain injury and I forgot." She smiled and gave him a little pat on the arm. They also talked about humor and how it helped during the recovery and the bad times for both of them -- as victim and as caretaker. They quoted the statistic that 89% of the marriages with one spouse with a TBI end in divorce. Mostly because there is little support for the spouse caretaker. Another scary statistic was -- it is believed that over 10% of the current military serving in Iraq have suffered a TBI because of the better armor and helmets it's hard to tell physically. Lee was also thankful for the support she got from her friends including Melanie Blum (NBC Correspondent David Blum's widow) and our local investigative reporter -- Chris Heinbaugh -- who was in the audience. Again, both Woodruffs stated their appreciation of the prayers and thoughts of the people, some they didn't even know. On the other hand, Lee also talked about being pushed into the glare of celebrity, the bounty on getting a picture of Bob's head with his "brains exploded." (Didn't go over well with this audience either.)

The Q&A period showed a bit about the people at the signing -- two men had suffered TBI: one in Iraq and one in Phoenix. Both expressed their thanks to Lee and Bob for writing a book about TBI. Several doctors, physical therapists and nurses were also in the audience, asking questions about where he recovered, what types of therapies he's still undergoing and agreed with the proposal of letting state-of-the-art private facilities handle the after care of the injured instead of leaving it with the VA who is unequipped and not trained to handle it. There was general disbelief (and angry murmurings) in the audience about the lack of interest and support military personnel receive following their discharge. The Woodruffs have also started a foundation to provide support to TBI soldiers and their families to "bridge the gap," helping them to return to "normal" lives. Their long term goal is to provide templates to communities to adopt injured solders and their families to help them adjust. It was an excellent plan and something every community could adopt easily. It runs from providing free physical therapies to making a dinner for the caretaker, to caretaker training for support.



See all the pictures from the Woodruff signing.

Then we waited for our books to be signed. Both the Woodruffs were extremely gracious and personable with the readers -- listening patiently, posing for photos and generally making people feel at ease.

Taking the time to read again

Its never a good thing if I don't have time to read. The last two weeks have been crazy with family and work that I have not had time to read or blog which I normally do after work and on the weekends.

I finally decided to get a queen sized bed for my spare room, but first I had to empty out the spare room (if you had ever seen my house you would understand what a true feat that was) to move furniture and make room for the new bed. Then my family invaded my nice and quiet house for several days around my sister's graduation with her MBA. I never get much rest when family is in town. The days were jammed packed. I even took my father to work with me one day. (Hey, if people can take their kids to work, I can take my father to work.)

Two days after they go back home I get a phone call from my other sister saying that while my father was fine he had fallen off his bicycle at was at the hospital. My father is an experienced cyclist, but it had been raining back home. Broken clavicle, broken rib and broken thumb. The man is nuts! He had his cell phone with him, but does he call his wife for help. No. He pedals the almost 2 miles back home with broken bones....but apparently he took it slowly - like that makes a difference?!

Anyways, life is finally getting back to normal now that I'm not stressing over my father's health or work. I'm so ready to start reading again. I picked up a bunch of books yesterday at the DFWTea to try....I really don't think readers like myself should be held responsible for their actions when they haven't been able to read a book in over a week.

What I am starting to read:
Enchanted, Inc. by Shanna Swendson