I’ve always been a romantic at heart. In elementary school I was already reading every teenage romance series on the market. At age 12 when I was on vacation in rural Oregon with NO ONE my age with whom to play, I struck gold when we visited a Five and Dime Store (showing my age here!) in John Day, Oregon.
There was this turning tower LOADED with interesting covers and titles. I had discovered Harlequin. I picked up my first two Harlequin Historicals that day. I still remember the titles—Sophie and the Prince and Prisoner of the Harem. Of course, back then, there was no such thing as Christian fiction, but these Harlequin’s were quite mild by today’s standards.
I’ll also admit to reading eighteen billion Fabio-covered Zebra historicals, purposefully skipping the sexy bits. At that point, just after high school, I was starving for a happily ever after.
As time went on, I found my own great love story in a man named Joe Kastner. I started a family and had three beautiful girls. I discovered pioneer Janette Oke and dived into what Christian fiction there was (Frank Peretti, anyone? Awesome!)
And then, to my great delight, Christian romance became a thing. Heartsong romances and Multnomah Palisades, where I published my first novel Beloved.
At that point, it didn’t take Harlequin long to catch on that readers were devouring Christian romance. Enter Love Inspired (then Steeple Hill). I was at a Romance Writers of America conference when I first heard the news, and my heart quickened like no other. Within months, I had a two-book deal and have been writing for them ever since.
Why am I pondering this right now? The Covid 19 Pandemic has truly changed the world, and I’m holed up with my ultra-high-risk husband.
My oldest daughter Annie, her husband and my granddaughter all live in Washington and all tested positive for the virus. My son-in-love and granddaughter are recovering. Annie, not so much. She has had nearly every major abdominal organ removed, giving her little to fight off this nasty virus.
My middle daughter Kimberly lives in Utah and is so far safe from Covid 19 but just experienced her first major earthquake. All alone and scared to death.
Katie, my youngest, is presumptive positive (you cannot be tested in CO unless you are already admitted to the hospital) and is suffering through a horrible bout of the virus. She has asthma, which makes the pain in her chest worse. And now my grandson Boo has a cough.
I have a book that is a week overdue and I’m struggling to focus. I find myself constantly watching the news and scouring the Internet for more information. We watch daily mass live streaming into our homes from our church. I see the numbers of positive and deaths climb and spend extra time in prayer, knowing those numbers don’t even scratch the surface of what’s really going on.
To be honest, even with all that, it doesn’t feel real. A worldwide pandemic? This is the stuff of movies, not the actual, real live Colorado governor giving a stay at home order.
This blog is getting way too long so I’ll wrap up, but I wanted to circle back to my theme—happily ever after. Romance novels are more important than ever. We all need to experience joy and happiness and read about times when social distancing isn’t a thing and toilet paper is fully stocked on the shelves in every store (seriously?). We all need to cling to what is good and right and lovely, and that’s what inspirational romance novels offer.
I pray that you and yours are well. If you have prayer requests, please post them below and know that I and other Inspy bloggers will be praying for you.
~~Love Courageously~~ Publisher's Weekly Bestselling, award-winning author of 30 novels, Deb Kastner enjoys writing contemporary inspirational western stories set in small communities. She feels especially blessed to be able to include faith as a natural and genuine part of her characters' lives. Deb lives in beautiful Colorado with her husband and a pack of miscreant mutts. She is blessed with three adult daughters and two grandchildren. Her favorite hobby is spoiling her grandchildren, but she also enjoys reading, watching movies, listening to music (The Texas Tenors are her fav), singing in the church choir, and exploring the Rocky Mountains on horseback.
This pandemic does not feel real. Surreal is a better word. Our world has been turned upside-down.
I have been keeping your family in my prayers, Deb.
Hi Deb! Keeping your family in my prayers to the Almighty Physician. Difficult enough to practice social distancing and sheltering in place when my adult sons are now all living in the same town. Can’t imaging having sick child and grandchild so far away. Blessings to you and to all who are hurting.
Prayers for your family… that’s so hard. My husband and I had the virus in February before there were tests available in my agricultural town.
And this craziness still doesn’t seem real.
So far, that I know of, no one in my family or extended family have the virus. I’m staying in (which is something I normally do, anyway), but have to admit to feeling stir crazy. It’s one thing for me to choose to stay in, and another to be told I have to stay in! Or, at least, not mingling with other people. I must admit, I’m glad the virus held off until after my Bible study ended, so at least the last “big” group I was with could go out to lunch and have a good time! Praying for you and your family!! I’ll also say I read Harlequins, my favorite author for those was Betty Neels. And, yes, as soon as CF came out, I started buying those and stayed away from all others!
I know the virus is horrible and we should be caution. But what we don’t hear as much and this should be given more attention, is that many more survive it than die from it. All we hear are the negative numbers. The news last night reported that in the US 193,000 have recovered. I pray that the members of your family are added to this humber.
Praying for your family, Deb!
Yes, praying for your family!
Deb,
Praying for your family.
I believe we read all the same books as teens! I devoured those titles back in the day.
Okay, IR writers. Sounds like, once our prayers are said, we need a romantic comedy about a young single woman whose married friends are all infecting each other. She’s healthy and winds up helping a handsome and conveniently single doctor at an impromptu recovery center while caring for her friends. She’s shy and a little klutzy but loving and true of heart. He’s socially awkward with a bedside manner to match. Neither appears to be susceptible to the virus so they become their own dynamic duo. That ought to have some potential, don’t you think?
Sounds like a book I would read.
Woohoo! With a little bit of effort, we can get some lemonade out of all these lemons!
Continuing to pray for your family, Deb.
I enjoyed reading about the history of those early Christian romance books. I used to subscribe to Steeple Hill years ago and didn’t realize they turned into Love Inspired.
I watch the news every day (something I never used to do), and still I have to remind myself that this is a real thing. Surreal, indeed!
Thank you so much. Praying for you and yours today.
Prayers for you and yours, as well, Renate. I think the thing that is so scary about this virus is that it doesn’t discriminate. Even young people are on ventilators now.
I’m glad you and your husband were able to recover. My prayers are with you. We still don’t have tests available in Colorado unless you are already admitted into the hospital. They tested “around” the virus with my youngest (made sure it wasn’t the regular flu) and then told her she was presumptive positive. But with her symptoms and the fact she works in Sam’s Club as a manager, I am positive she had it. She’s recovered now by the grace of God. But it’s touch and go for so many people.
Oh, I adore Betty Neels. A true romance pioneer in Harlequin. Isn’t it wonderful that we now have such a large selection of CF from which to choose? I know exactly what you mean about being told not to go out. I work at home anyway, but I am really missing choir and Sunday services, even though my church is live streaming. Praying for you!
That is so true. At first they weren’t giving credence that younger people were getting the virus, but that’s because they recovered from it where the older, more vulnerable population is more at risk from dying. Praying for you and yours!
Thanks, Val. Back atcha!!
Thanks, Margaret. I can really feel the prayer covering. Praying for you and your loved ones, as well.
For a bookworm who would quite literally find a quiet corner to hunker down in and devour books, discovering the Harlequin rack was like winning the lottery. Praying for you!
Sounds like a wonderful plot!!! I wonder if pandemic stories will go through the roof with all us authors under orders to stay at home.
I can’t remember what year it was when they took Steeple Hill out of the branding and left the Love Inspired. They’re the same books, though, more or less. I’ve literally been with them since the beginning. It’s been interesting to see how they’ve changed with the times.
Deb, prayers for your family. My kids are on the east coast while we live in AZ. So far they are good. My older daughter is immune compromised, so she is working from home and being very careful when she has to go out for groceries. Her hubby has been working from home for years and only has to make an occasional trip to NYC, but not these days. My other daughter is also working from home, and her hubby is a stay-at-home dad, so he’s in charge of making sure the kids do their online schooling. My hubby and I go out for exercise and to the grocery. I’m praying for a quick end to this and watching the daily updates.
Praying for your family now. Thank you for sharing.
Hey Merrillee! I won’t let my Joe anywhere near a grocery store. He’ll drive me over so he can get out of the house but then I go in. We have our grandson Boo with us now, and he doesn’t understand why he can’t play with Grampy. I think that’s the hardest part.
Thanks so much, Lucy. I’m praying for you and yours, as well.
I have been blessed to have traveled the world. But we haven’t been to the NW OF USA. So that’s where I would love to go
Romance books have always been my comfort read.