Best-selling novelist will visit Peterson as part of Year of the Air Force Family program

Published Jan. 5, 2010
By Monica Mendoza
21st Space Wing Public Affairs staff writer

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- New York Times best-selling author Robyn Carr could blame the Air Force for her career.

Moving with her husband, an active duty Airman, from base to base in the 1970s made it tough for her to advance her career in nursing, she said. So, she stayed home, raised her children, volunteered and ran the home. Every week she hunkered down with a good book. Historical romance is what caught her interest. One day, she started secretly writing, thinking that if anyone found out, they would surely laugh.

"Then, I had to buy a typewriter," she said. "I had to come out of the closet."

In January, Ms. Carr will publish her 29th book, Forbidden Falls, the newest novel in her popular Virgin River romance series. She's been on New York Times Best Sellers list and the American Library Association's Booklist magazine named her book, Virgin River, one of 2007's Top Ten Romances.

Yes, she laughs, "I could blame the Air Force for this career."

In celebration of the Year of the Air Force Family, Ms. Carr will give a presentation at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 7, at the Peterson AFB library, Building 1171. Ms. Carr is the first guest author to visit the library in 10 years. Some of her books will be available for check-out.

"She is a military spouse who started her career as a dependent moving around," said Karen Kucharski, library director. "Her story can be a heads-up that anything is possible. Being a military spouse is not a dead end for your career."

Starting Out

Ms. Carr married her high-school sweetheart, Jim. He joined the Air Force, went to Officer Training School and Vietnam, and then they were on the move. They arrived at their first base, MacDill AFB, Fla., with everything they owned in the backseat of their Volkswagen.

"The first night we were there, the phone rang and it was a major inviting us to dinner," Ms. Carr said. "I couldn't believe it was possible that a major would be asking us to dinner. I made my husband pack everything back up into the Volkswagen because I thought it was a set-up and we were going to be robbed."

But, they really were invited to dinner by a major on their first night in town, she said. And, it kept happening at every new base.

"One of the things I loved about military life was the sense of family," she said. "That is the thing I missed most when we left."

Throughout the moves, and the school functions and the community volunteering, she wrote.

"I typed at the dining room table, I typed between car pools and house work," she said. "I will not kid you; women who are working wives and mothers - that is the hardest time you will encounter."

At first, she was turned down by every paperback publishing company. She kept writing.

In a small writer's group, she learned that a person wasn't a real writer until they could paper a wall with rejection letters.

"I accepted that," she said. "It's impossible not to be a little discouraged. But, you cannot indulge in self-pity in this business."

In 1978, Little, Brown and Co., published her first book, Chelynne.

Still Writing

Aspects of her military life have made it onto the pages of her contemporary romance novels. Marines, Soldiers and Airmen have often been central characters in her books. In February, she will publish Angel's Peak, and Air Force sweethearts are the main characters. Military life and people are still part of her life.

"I wanted a deep hero," she said. "I chose military men who have served with honor and loyalty - I tell about the guts of their lives."

But, women are her focus. In her books, Ms. Carr taps into women's feelings, hopes and dreams. And, her characters are strong, smart and beautiful.

"When you write about women trying to resolve issues and they find positive solutions, that empowers women," she said. "When women fall in love with good men, that empowers women. It's very healthy for women to see themselves in a positive light."

This year, the Air Force celebrates the Year of the Air Force Family.

"I hope that means benefits will continue to improve all the time and that the Air Force takes care of its veterans and families," Ms Carr said.

Her Air Force family always took care of her.

"I found a lot of support from my fellow Air Force wives," she said. "They were eager to help me in any way they could. When I did get published, my first speaking engagement was with the Officer's Wives Club."

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