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Katherine Garbera | Childhood Dreams
Giveaway: No Limits
August 31, 2016
When I was growing up in Central Florida the space program and NASA was a
really
big deal. There wasn’t a launch that I couldn’t see from my house (even though
I lived in the middle of the state and not on the coast) in fact when there
was
a launch sometimes my dad would get out the ladder and we’d all climb up and
sit
on the roof to watch it. This is probably something that no parent would do
today but I loved it. 
My first job was at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in Orlando and it was in
Tomorrowland. The ride I worked on was Mission To Mars. It was a
simulated space journey to Mars and part of my job was interrupt the audio
animatronic Mr. Johnson in mission control to get guests onto the space craft.
I
had a thirty second interaction with a robot, how cool is that?! If you
remember
the ride you might have thought it was tired in the 80s but a part of me just
loved it. And in that last hour before the theme park closed and we didn’t get
that many guests through the ride I’d make up stories about going to Mars.
Since
I was a romance reading addict from an early age those stories always involved
myself as the plucky heroine and some dashing astronaut dude as the hero. This series is really close to my heart. It came out of a conversation about
the
space program and ranches in Florida. I also grew up in a very rural area and
my
parents have had everything from an egg ranch to a citrus grove. I never had
any
doubt about where the meat on our kitchen table came from (my dad was a big
proponent of not naming animals anything except steak or bacon since that was
what they’d become!). So I was remarking to my editor that most people don’t
realize that Florida has so many ranches. And then we talked about combining
it
with the space program. The NASA missions all launch from Florida but mission control and training
takes
place in Texas—a place I’ve also lived and when I got home from the conference
I
sent my editor an email and the series Space Cowboys was
born. I’ve got an autographed copy of NO LIMITS to give-away to
one of you. All you have to do to be entered to win is to tell me something
from
your childhood that you loved or tell me about your favorite Disney World
ride…mine is It’s A Small World—which I also got to work at! It was
really a dream come true. I loved every second of it. 
Happy reading! Kathy
Space Cowboys
#1
Some cowboys are outta this world…
Astronaut Jason "Ace" McCoy tried to escape Cole's Hill, Texas—and the
memory
of Molly Tanner's dark eyes and strawberry-scented hair—among the stars. Now
he
and Molly have jointly inherited her father's struggling ranch. And having
failed his latest medical tests, Ace is on leave—maybe forever.
He's determined to sort things out with the ranch and get back to Houston
as
soon as possible. What he isn't counting on is that Molly's only gotten more
beautiful over the years…and she still wants him. The passion between them is
hotter than rocket fuel—and just as dangerous. He can't promise anything as
long
as there's a chance to go on another mission. But even in orbit, this
attraction
has no rules…and no limits.
Romance
Contemporary
[Harlequin Blaze, On Sale: September 1, 2016,
e-Book, ISBN: 9781488000355 / eISBN: 9781488000355]
Katherine Garbera is the USA Today national best-selling
author
of more than 75 books. Writing is the chief focus of her time after her family
and the only thing she likes more than working on her own books is reading
other
authors. She is a frequent speaker at conferences and loves the opportunity
to
talk about writing with anyone who'll listen. Garbera started making up
stories for her own benefit when she was on a competitive swim team in high
school. Though she went to State and usually medaled at swim meets, Katherine
says her heart wasn't in swimming but rather in the stories she created as she
swam laps at practice. She worked for The Walt Disney World Company for
15
years and did everything from being a hostess on It's a Small World, to saving
swimmers at the Grand Floridian Resort, to touring around VIPs such as Jack
Valenti at the Disney-MGM Studios and being a production page on the New
Mickey
Mouse Club--yes, it might be possible that Britney, Justine and Christina owe
her a nod of thanks for keeping all those kids who had to go to the bathroom
from interrupting their performances. A Florida native who grew up to
travel the globe, Katherine now makes her home in the Midlands of the UK with
her husband, two children and a very spoiled miniature dachshund.
Comments
20 comments posted.
Re: Katherine Garbera | Childhood Dreams
I loved going on vacation in Colorado. It was cooler in the
mountains than at home in Texas. I have never been to a
Disney them park. I hear that they are a blast.
(Cynthia Cook 12:11pm August 31, 2016)
I love Disney World and my favorite was the Haunted Mansion ride! It was unbelievable! The whole experience of Disney World is wonderful!
(Bonnie Capuano 9:32am August 31, 2016)
Definitely 'Its a Small World.' When I was a kid going to Disney I would
always separate from my parents to ride it again...and again.... Wasn't the
brightest thing to have done, but my parents always knew where to find me.
😊
(Christine LaFord 11:01am August 31, 2016)
As a child I often went to the Monahans (Texas) Sandhills
State Park. Monahans is in West Texas and was my hometown.
My daughter is a Disney nut and wanted to work at Disney
World also but never did so she visits.
(Leona Olson 5:54pm August 31, 2016)
Informative and fun article! Thanks so very much.
(Kathleen Bylsma 9:08pm August 31, 2016)
The first movie I even saw in a movie theatre was Mary Poppins. It was a second run as I had been born after its premiere:)
(Susan Jang 10:49pm August 31, 2016)
I love Space Mountain even though it scares the stuffing out
of mem
(Charlotte Litton 11:49pm August 31, 2016)
I'm a lot older than you, so when my dad was doing some
work for NASA and we lived in Titusville, I remember
getting out of Language Arts and everybody trooping out to
the playground to watch the rockets launch. Didn't mean
much at the time, but it left cool memories as an adult.
No Disneyland back then either!
(Marcia Berbeza 3:06am September 1, 2016)
I remember going with my parents and grandparents to Disney World... had a truly wonderful time... I can not recall the ride, but there was one with a dragon named Figment in it... might have been in Epcot. I still have the stuffed dragon as a souvenir.
(Colleen Conklin 12:52pm September 1, 2016)
My family drove across country to California to visit my
Grandmother and other relatives.
Marilyn
(Marilyn Collins 2:06pm September 1, 2016)
I like Pirates of the Caribbean!
(Sharlene Wegner 10:37pm September 1, 2016)
Soarin' and Toy Story are my favorite rides. I love Disney and Texas. I'm looking forward to reading this pook.
(Amy Burke 8:18pm September 2, 2016)
loved going to Kennywood - local amusement park - with the family and riding roller coasters!
(Beth Elder 10:43pm September 3, 2016)
Having picnics with family at local parks
(Mary Smith 7:22am September 4, 2016)
As a child I loved spending Holidays with relatives. We all had such good times.
(Carol Woodruff 7:41pm September 4, 2016)
This will date me for sure, but my family went to Disney
World the year after it opened. I've been to Disneyland a
few times - and always get a little misty on It's a Small
World.
(Jeanne Power 8:18am September 5, 2016)
I remembered my first time at Disneyland. It was free admission to the park but the rides require tickets purchased. That was one of the reasons my parents kept taking my four sisters and I to the park. If it was at today's cost to go to Disneyland, they wouldn't be able to afford the admission with all seven of us.
(Kai Wong 1:42am September 6, 2016)
Went to Disney LAND in 1969 and loved all the rides!!
(Teresa Fordice 2:36pm September 6, 2016)
You've had some terrific experiences. I especially think it would be exciting to see the space launches and your experiences at Disney are wonderful memories. You are very fortunate.
(Anna Speed 7:09pm September 6, 2016)
My grandfather would take us to Jansen' s Beach in Portland OR
every summer. We would ride the rides, play the carnival games
and have a fabulous time! None of us have ever forgotten!
(Kathleen Bylsma 9:33pm September 6, 2016)
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