It Took Me 30 Years before I Wrote About It

As a romance writer, I write a form of fantasy, but I also include a lot of truth in my books. More often than not, it’s my truth—things I’ve learned over my life. When my friend recently described her daughter’s divorce, I flashed back to my experiences.

My Bluegrass Reunion Series is set in Kentucky with heroines who are usually single moms. I was a single mom too so felt comfortable writing heroines in similar situations. However, most were single moms for reasons other than divorce. It wasn’t until thirty years after the fact that I could create a divorced heroine.

In Kentucky Rain, Kate deals with very hurtful experiences—“exchanging” her child with the child’s father once a week, dealing with the knowledge of another woman, facing her own inadequacies, and handling life as a single parent.

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. It happened with me. It happens with Kate in the book. As hard as my divorce was, I’m better for going through the experience and surviving. It just took me a long time before I could write about it.