The book that survived a hurricane.
Yes. A hurricane.
Flash back to August 25, 2017—my birthday and the day that Hurricane Harvey slammed the Texas Gulf Coast. Suffice it to say the birthday celebration was postponed as the category 4 storm blew in with winds up to 130 mph.
As the rain fell and the waters rose—a year’s worth of rain in less than a week here in Houston—the September 1 deadline for completing PIRATE BRIDE loomed. Not so fun fact: so much rain fell on coastal Texas during that storm that the National Weather Service had to update their weather maps with new color codes for rainfall because there was no precedent (or color) to show that.
Never have I been so grateful for our decision to downsize to the top floor of a midrise building with third-floor interior parking even as I worried about friends and family who weren’t sitting as high and dry as we were. While the television played the unfolding drama of lives lost, families rescued, and even a news crew that was forced to evacuate their own newsroom while on camera, I continued to write the chapters that would form this book.
Maribel and Jean-Luc have been with me for more than two decades, and I would not miss the opportunity to tell their story. As I typed page after page, outside my window real heroes were saving lives. If anyone had a question as to whether there are still heroes in our midst, look no further than those who waded into chest deep water; who came from out of state with boats and all-terrain vehicles (thinking of you, Cajun Navy!); who opened stores and restaurants to feed, clothe and offer refuge (look up Mattress Mack Mackingvale for starters); and who swooped in after the waters receded to dig in (literally) to begin the long process of recovery.
So as I hold my copy of PIRATE BRIDE in my hand, I think of the torrents of rain that blew past my window as I typed this tale of heroes and privateers and villains who sailed the Gulf of Mexico. And while I hope that you’ll buy a copy of this book and enjoy it, especially given the fact I have wanted for so very long to tell this tale, I also hope when you hold it in your hands—or open it on your e-reader--you’ll also stop a moment and offer up a prayer for those who are still recovering from this storm.
And no matter what, keep writing…no matter what!
Thank you and God Bless! #TexasStrong
Have you faced a time when you had no choice but to write through less than ideal circumstances?
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Bestselling Kathleen Y’Barbo, winner of Romantic Times Inspirational Romance of the Year, is a multiple Carol Award and RITA nominee with than two million copies of her more than eighty books in print. Find out more at www.kathleenybarbo.com.