I attended RT about 2 years ago and one night I came back to my room and found a bag on my bed with the first Virgin River book in it. Jack and Mel's story. I read that book the whole way home on the plane and was hooked from then on. By the time I landed for my connecting flight I was sitting waiting to board stalking Robyn’s site for Preacher's book, dying to know if it was available. And then I wrote a review simply because I loved them so much and I’ve been stalking her ever since. I had a chance to talk to her about her Virgin River series and I’m happy to say that she was kind enough to answer my questions.

Tell us a bit about your Virgin River Series.

Virgin River is a small town in the Northern California Mountains, in the midst of redwood and river country, where the landscape is breathtaking and the living is rural and rugged.  The local watering hole is Jack’s Bar and Jack is as much an anchor for the series as he is for the town.  The local midwife, Mel Sheridan, anchors the series and town through her dedication to the health and welfare of its women.  The men almost all have roots in the military; as a group they’re courageous, honorable and committed. 

The Virgin River Series is many things – an ongoing small town drama (I’m working on the 9^th story right now!), women’s fiction, romance and adventure. 

 

When you start writing, do you already have the story plotted out or do you let the characters dictate what will happen? 

I have to know the basic plot and major characters before I begin; I usually ask myself “what are they up against?”  But that’s where the outlining ends and the writing begins, on page one.  And over time, as the story and characters develop more depth new things begin to pop into my mind.  It’s not that the characters really write the story, but more that they evolve.  And they keep taking shape through many, many revisions.  Sure, I’m sometimes surprised when things I hadn’t planned happen – but that’s just a new idea or new twist on the existing idea materializes. 

 

Do you draw inspiration for your characters from real life? Any fun stories you could share? 

I don’t really draw on real life people for my characters – they’re almost always a composite of many different character traits.  But what happens to them, with, almost always have their roots in real life – either something that’s happened to someone I know, something from the news, issues women in our society deal with on a continual basis.  For example – Mel Sheridan was tasked to deliver a stillborn infant when she, herself, was nine months pregnant, making the situation more challenging emotionally.  That actually happened to a midwife I know! 

Name one thing that your readers would be surprised to know about you.

I have absolutely NO idea. 

 

Do you have a guilty pleasure? 

Is reading late into the night a guilty pleasure?  It’s certainly stupid, given the fact that I want to get up early and write all day.  But I read until I fall asleep on the couch and wake up with my book or Kindle and glasses either in my lap or on the floor, wrestle myself awake and go to bed at a disgusting hour! 

 

 What do you need before you start writing?

Coffee.  Just coffee.  I get up very early – 5-6 a.m.  I’ve been known to get up at 4:30.  On days that I sat up the night before reading something I couldn’t put down, I have to have a nap in the afternoon.  But once up, I get back to the computer till 6 or 7.  I’m not disciplined – I’m having fun.  I’ve always been pretty self-indulgent – if this wasn’t fun, I’d find something else to do.

 

Anything that is just a must have or the creative juice don't flow?

Yeah.  An idea.  Sometimes that’s asking a lot!! 

 

Does music influence your writing? If so, does any of your stories have a theme song?

I play music while I write, but nothing special for special books.  The radio or several rotating CD’s.  When I’m into the CD’s, I play the same ones over and over.  I don’t know anything about music – just what feels good. Right now I’m into Rod Stewarts American series – music from the 30's and 40's and 50's – great stuff.  I’ve also gone on Michael Buble and Toni Braxton binges.  Then I’ll switch to classical.  I’m just filling the silence.  But I DO wake up with a song in my head every morning, like Mel Sheridan.  I’ve been waiting for years to give that oddity to a character.  And sometimes (now this is getting weird) I put myself to sleep with shopping lists.  Not deliberately – that’s just what I’m trying to remember.  “Lettuce, spray-on butter, toilet paper, Tide...” 

 

If your story was optioned for a movie, who would play your characters?