Back to the Future: The Story Behind the Story by Pat Simmons

I enjoyed Michael J. Fox’s character in all the Back to the Future movies. Sci-fi seems to hold a bit of truth for the future. Without realizing it, I had a “Back to the Future” book inside me. In 2012, I thought my writing career was over. As a Christian romance author, I had nothing if God didn’t inspire me with a story. The Lord reminded me of an idea I briefly entertained. I had once cared for my 89-year-old grandmother, and I wanted to write a story that would champion caregivers who love deeply but are overwhelmed at times. They just need “someone to understand the life they live. An agent helped me shape up The Caregivers proposal. Christian publishers didn’t seem interested at the time, so the outline sat untouched. Fast forward to 2020, when Sourcebooks approached me about the Caregivers series, which they renamed the Family is Forever series. God spoke to me that someone needed to read the stories. I wanted to explore different scenarios: caring for elderly relatives; a child who might outlive the caregiver; and, after being a caregiver, a person who needs a caregiver. I chose breast cancer, not knowing it would touch my family in the future. Writing Book 2, HERE FOR YOU, felt strange because no one in my family had been diagnosed with cancer. In fact, the Lord blessed me with relatives who have lived into their eighties and nineties. My mom is now 92 years old. Plus, it was fictional, right? I write about all types of plots within the Christian genre, and I had no reason to believe this story would hit home. When someone in my immediate family was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, I thought about Rachel in HERE FOR YOU, and wondered, Lord, if I hadn’t written that story, would it still have happened? But I know God’s will is divine and not determined by anything I write. But it was a thought. Like the Knicely sisters, I became a caregiver once again. This time, I cared for two elderly loved ones inside my home and one outside.

Caregiving is relevant. That’s why I'm reintroducing the HERE FOR YOU eBook, featuring Rachel. Please download it for yourself and anyone caring for a loved one. Let them know you see them. Enjoy, Pat

Pat Simmons is an award-winning and multi-published author of fifty-plus Christian romances. She lives in St. Louis, Missouri, holds a B.S. in Mass Communications from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, and has worked in radio, television, and print media for over 20 years. Visit her at www.patsimmons.net.