'Virgin River' Author Got Help Writing About Infertility
Martin Henderson as Jack Sheridan with Alexandra Breckenridge as Mel in 'Virgin River.'
When bestselling author Robyn Carr began writing the Virgin River book series, she had no idea it would lead to 21 romance novels and a popular TV adaptation. But that it did.
With the first 10 episodes of the show’s fifth season now available to stream on Netflix (and two additional holiday-themed episodes coming out Nov. 30), Parade called up Carr for her thoughts on Mel and Jack, how the show differs from her books and more.
“I’m so happy with the series,” Carr said. “It just goes on and on and people are loving it. With 21 books to draw from it means we can grow very old together.”
Read on for more from the author.
Let’s talk about Mel. How is Alexandra Breckenridge’s portrayal of the character different from how you wrote her in your books?
Watching the character of Mel evolve is a more emotional experience than reading about her evolution. One thing that I didn’t do successfully in the book that Alexandra is a master at is that you can tell her every emotion just from her facial expressions. That’s truly what I wanted for Mel from the very beginning and [Alexandra]’s got it. She’s extremely gifted and I enjoy that a lot.
What else is different is that early on in the second book, Mel and Jack [Martin Henderson] get married. Jack, the wonderful Jack, who all the women love, becomes a husband. He does stupid things and screws up from time to time and has to beg for forgiveness. I wish they’d gotten into more of that in the series.
Related: Why 'Virgin River’ Star Alexandra Breckenridge Predicts Mel Will Be a ‘Nurturing and Patient Mother’
I guess the romance is heightened if Mel and Jack are not married yet.
Or it’s a totally different medium. And that’s how TV works. You have to keep the viewer on the edge of their seat.
Photo credit: Courtesy of Netflix
There were a number of cliffhangers going into Season 5. What were some of the surprises that you thought were remarkable?
The ending of Season 4 was awesome. I never expected that. It was not in the books that the big drug cartel was run by a little old lady. [Melissa Montgomery, played by Barbara Pollard] was not in the book. Her character was their idea [in the TV writers' room]. It’s really fun to do this because there are times I say to myself, “Why didn’t they use my idea?” And then there are other times when I think, “Oh, gosh, I wish I had thought of that.”
You have a background as a nurse. How did your early nursing career help with figuring out Mel and her story?
Well, it helped a lot. Plus, I had additional help. My father is an orthopedic surgeon and my daughter is a cop. So you see lots of doctors, nurses, cops and teachers in all of my books. I have a friend who’s a nurse practitioner in women’s health and I was asking her a lot of questions. She finally said to me, “You’re above my pay grade now. I’m going to find you a midwife.”
She found a midwife, Pam, who had worked in both urban and rural settings. She inked up my first five manuscripts. I said, “What am I paying you for this?” She was working so hard. She replied, “If you get this right, it’s free.” It was so important to her that the right information be there, even though it’s fiction. Pam did not hesitate to say things in the first draft of the manuscript, like, “She would not say that to her patient.” She corrected me on a lot of that. It was quite an adventure to write with help from the medical community.
Related: 'Virgin River' Star's TikTok Is the Place to Be for All the Season 5 Behind-the-Scenes Shenanigans
The infertility issues that Mel endures truly strike a chord with women who have gone through their own similar painful experiences.
I had help from Pam with that as she treated a lot of infertility with her patients. The most exciting part of that was that after the books were published, I had letters from obstetricians saying, “You did a good job here.”
Have you spent time with any of the actors on Virgin River?
I went to the set in the first season and met most of them. They are truly delightful people. What was really interesting to me was spending time with the crew. I would have great, big, giant, bearded men come up to me wringing their hands and saying, “Does it look the way you wanted it to look?” I was so humbled by the entire experience. They’re kind, caring, hardworking people who are easy to get along with.
Photo credit: Courtesy of Netflix
What would you say is the overall theme of the series?
The overall theme is that Virgin River is a place where you have a genuine sense of community.
Some 20 years ago I read that the U.K. did some research on death and dying in the elderly. They found that the greatest cause of terminal illness and death came from isolation and loneliness. It does not take a stretch of the imagination to agree with that. The one thing that you’ll find in Virgin River is a sense of community and camaraderie, and whether [your neighbors] like you or not, they’ll help you and they’ll have your back. [That's] why everybody wants to move there.
Fans are certainly very invested in the books and the series.
They are emotionally invested. I’ve noticed this over the years through my mail, social media and other sources, that when you have a relationship with a book and an author, it’s deeply personal. We’re usually alone together late at night. Think about that. They take it personally. They’re emotionally invested and they do want answers to their questions, and they do want to know why something was done; they want it explained.
Sometimes, they get very angry and sometimes they get angry over ridiculous things. I had [someone] write to me and chew me out about my treatment of Cubans. I couldn’t understand because I don’t think I’ve ever written about Cubans. I finally caved in and wrote her back and said, “Where in my books does this happen? I don’t believe I’ve ever written about Cubans.” She wrote me back with the page number and the scene. I looked it up and I was talking about cigars. Not people. So I wrote her and told her I was talking about cigars. She replied, “You should be more careful.”
Why 21 books in the series?
I started what I thought would be one or maybe two, at most three, books. But it just grew and grew and grew and grew, and it was never going to end. There is a very logical reason to stop. When you have 21 books in a series, people are reluctant to start it. They’re afraid they’ll like it and then they’ll have 20 more books to read. That’s quite a load of books. I did eventually stop.
When is your next book coming out? Could it be another TV series?
It is called The Friendship Club and it will be out in January. It’s about a television chef and her little group of women friends, and a big fire, and it’s set in northern Nevada near Lake Tahoe and Reno. It’s really a fun book and kind of adventurous. But I don’t see a series there.
What message do you have for loyal fans of the Virgin River books?
I’m honored. I’m so happy that they’re enjoying the books. The kinds of letters that I get from fans are not letters about how great I am, how good the writing is or how much they love this series. Although I do get some of those. It’s more along the lines of “My mother died last year and your books got me through it.” Or someone will write, “I lost a baby once and Mel’s reaction was spot on.”
Next, 10 Feel-Good Books for When You Need a Good Cry
Seasons 1-5 of Virgin River are available on Netflix.
