Robyn Carr

Now that Robyn Carr has earned the No. 1 slot on the New York Times list many times, the creator of the wildly popular "Virgin River" and "Thunder Point" series laughs when someone refers to her as an overnight success.

“The truth is, I was first published in 1978, and it took me 30 years to make it to The New York Times bestseller List,” she pointed out, referring to 2007’s "A Virgin River Christmas."

But once Robyn became that popular, she stayed that popular. When "Bring Me Home for Christmas," the 16th Virgin River novel, was released in November 2011, it debuted in the No. 1 slot not just on the New York Times roster, but also on the Barnes & Noble and Publishers Weekly lists as well. Her last seven books, including her three 2013 Thunder Point novels, have all earned the coveted No. 1 New York Times slot the first week on sale. Her newest milestone: "The Hero," her September 2013 Thunder Point novel, debuted in the No. 1 position on seven national bestseller lists: USA Today, Publishers Weekly, New York Times Mass-market Fiction, New York Times eBook Fiction, New York Times Combined Print/eBook Fiction, the Wall Street Journal and Bookscan.

After 30-plus years of hard work, life is very, very good for the Las Vegas author who began writing when her two children were babies.

Robyn’s books are a blend of romance and women’s fiction—books that not only entertain but also address sensitive issues, such as domestic violence, health risks and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, anything that can compromise a woman’s happiness because she’s female.

Robyn has always written about strong women, no matter the period in which they live. For the first 15 years of her career she wrote romance, the early books of which were all historical, but later included contemporaries. Needing a change, she branched out and wrote a thriller, which she said she’ll never do again because, for her, it was too creepy. She also tried her hand at non-fiction and what she smilingly describes as “several brilliant but as yet unsold screenplays,” in addition to articles and short stories.

She says that reading is important because people need a safe place to deal with the emotions they’re stuck with, and a book is a safe place to do that. She believes there’s great value in her novels dealing with real issues in a realistic manner.

Robyn and her husband enjoy traveling, often taking research trips together. Their son and daughter are grown. Robyn says that, in addition to reading her novels and making snide remarks about how she’s used family scenarios to her advantage, they have made her a happy grandmother.