Robyn Carr’s popular ‘Virgin River’ romance series released on Netflix

Two weeks ago, when Netflix premiered “Virgin River,” Robyn Carr — like millions of romance novel fans around the world — settled in to watch it with a few family members and friends.

She loved it. So did they. Good thing, too, because the 10-part series was adapted from Carr’s series of international romance bestsellers, and not loving it could have been, well, awkward.

The series premiere marks a year-end high in an up-and-down 12 months for the longtime Southern Nevada resident. On the upside are the Netflix series, Carr’s induction into the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame and the release on Jan. 7 of “The Country Guesthouse,” the latest in Carr’s “Sullivan’s Crossing” romance series.

On the downside came the end of Carr’s 47-year marriage. Carr would prefer to keep the details private, but fans will be relieved to know that she’s doing fine and is approaching the unhappily-ever-after event with her usual earthy humor.

Carr has written more than 60 titles — romance novels, historical romances and contemporary women’s fiction — that have sold more than 28 million copies, and 11 of her books have held the No. 1 spot on the New York Times bestseller list.

“Virgin River,” the first book in Carr’s 20-book “Virgin River” series, is special. More than 13 million “Virgin River” series books have been sold, and in 2017, HarperCollins named the first entry in the series one of 200 “iconic HarperCollins titles,” placing it in the company of books by such authors as Agatha Christie, Thornton Wilder, J.R.R. Tolkien and Dr. Seuss.

Carr has seen one of her previous books optioned for a movie, but says she never thought she’d see an adaptation of one of them go the distance.

“I optioned a book for a feature film in 1990. That was a suspense novel, and it was optioned not once but twice, so it really was pretty serious. I talked to the director and the producer at the time for that, and a difference between Hollywood and publishing is when (Hollywood) loses interest, they just disappear. You don’t get any follow-through.”

In contrast, Carr was pleased to find that the writer, producer and director of Netflix’s “Virgin River” knew “every single detail of the story — (characters’) names, their ages, their eye color. That doesn’t always happen. This was all about the property, all about the story. I thought, ‘Geez, these people are serious,’ and I felt very confident that they’d actually make a series.”

Her optimism continued after a visit to the series’ Vancouver set in February.

“It was such a great experience,” Carr says. “The cast, the crew, everybody on board were so gracious and grateful. They thanked me over and over again for creating this world that they were now putting into film. I never expected all that attention.

“They were professional, and they knew what they were doing. People ask me how much control I had. I never tried to exercise any control. I don’t make movies. I’d get in there and screw it up.”

Carr didn’t see the finished product until its Dec. 6 premiere, and probably watched it pretty much how her readers and fans watched it.

“I saw it in my living room,” she says. “I had a few friends over for the day. They dropped all 10 episodes on the first day in 190 countries.”

She laughs. “I didn’t know there were 190 countries.

“So it was my daughter and a few friends. We got Port of Subs for lunch and P.F. Chang takeout for dinner and we watched all 10 episodes. We looked at it quietly. We paid attention to the story. And they all cheered when my name came up in the credits. Every episode. They loved it.”

Most of her readers and fans seemed to agree.

“Oh yes, social media was absolutely crazy. Lots of notes and emails and messages and texts,” Carr says. “It was pretty crazy for a few days, but I’d say about 98 percent (thought) it was a hit.”

It obviously proved popular, as Netflix announced in a tweet on Friday that the series has been renewed for a second season.

Some of her fans were disappointed by the series’ occasional departures from the novels, which didn’t bother Carr in the least.

“I’ve been telling people it’s like a brand new Virgin River adventure with some of your favorite characters, but not exactly the same,” she says. “So people who might not have read the book might want to read it now to see if there are any differences, or people who have read it might view it to see if it lives up to their imagination.”

Carr admits that it was a bit odd to celebrate this career milestone without a significant other.

“I’m now divorced, something I did not think I would ever be,” she says. “I have not made any kind of announcement or said anything about it. I’ve responded to a couple of people who wrote letters — personal letters — saying, ‘I lost my husband. He left me,’ and I’d say, ‘It happened to me, too.’ ”

During her visit to the “Virgin River” set, “one of the producers asked me, ‘How are you doing?’ My editor, without missing a beat, said, ‘She’s been writing about this for 40 years.’ ”

Carr notes that while “most of my books end happy,” such challenges as widowhood, divorce, infidelity and betrayal also are part of the dramatic mix.

“It just seems to be what life is made up of,” she says. “If I were God, I would change all of that, but no one has asked me to do that job.”

But, Carr adds with a laugh, “yeah, that’s the great irony. That’s my wheelhouse. I know relationships better than anybody. And, also, I’m cynical enough that nothing ever surprises me, and yet … ”

Contact reporter John Przybys at jprzybys @reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0280. Follow @JJPrzybys on Twitter.