Characters all need a hometown plus a life history, and it can become challenging to give them each a unique place to come from. An author needs to have some basic knowledge of that setting, so I mostly write about places I know. In Tackling the Fields, I went back to my mother’s roots to give the heroine, college student Audrey Vaughn, a place she called home.
My mother actually grew up in the small town next to Jasper called Cordova, Alabama, which was a textile mill town. Most of her family worked in the factories. Over the years, mills moved away, and the town’s population dwindled. My uncle moved to neighboring-town Jasper and worked in the coal mines, so we visited him there often.

My Mother
Jasper is the county seat of Walker County, and it just so happened that one of my former roommates married an attorney from there. I’ve enjoyed visiting the area which is popular because of the nearby Smith Lake. The lake area is known as a great destination for boat and ski enthusiasts and fishermen. Like most Southern towns, people in Jasper love good food and watching football.
Of course, like Mississippi, Alabama has a unique Southern flare, especially in the small towns. Before he passed away, my uncle Wilber drove me through both Jasper and Cordova, telling me stories of the old times, including bootleggers, and of crazy things he did, like when he jumped onto a train to skip school. He was quite the story teller, actually, and most of the time when we visited, we sat around a table of yummy fried chicken and fresh vegetables from the garden, hearing funny family tales.
How I miss those dear people! Here are a few more pics from our drive that rainy day.

Jasper Downtown

Cordova Downtown

My mom grew up in the left side of this duplex with her mother, brother, aunt and uncle in Cordova. I believe the mill built this housing.

Track near the school where my uncle jumped the train.

We always had to make a stop at the cemetery to leave flowers when we visited. This one sits atop a hill in Cordova.
I’d love to hear about your hometown or that of your roots! I’m giving away one eCopy of Tackling the Fields or any of the Southern Hearts series to someone who comments by May 9, 2021 (U.S. only and void where prohibited.)
No home town as my mother moved a lot but I live with my father for 4 years of high school and next to the high school was a small cemetery we would explore before and after school. There was also a camp for kids across the street were my father’s house was we would check out when there were no kids there.
Hi Kim,
I would have definitely checked that out. I loved being outdoors growing up.
Blessings,
Janet
I adore small hometowns! I wish I could tell you I am from one, lol, but I am not🙃! My MIL lives in Cordova….SC though, lol, also a very small town!
I am a suburban girl through and through. My mom grew up closer to the city and I love hearing some of her growing up stories and how much things have changed. My dad is from eastern Kentucky and knew a lot of coal miners.
My parents both grew up in small towns! We went almost every summer to visit our relatives in NW GA. I love small towns! The city I live in isn’t as large as many around us, which I like. I’ve watched my “small” city grow from a small one to what it is today, and some is good, some not. The biggest claim to fame that the small town where my extended family lives is that Rick Camp was from there, so when he played baseball as a relief pitcher for the Atlanta Braves, it kinda put their small town on the map, though the announcers couldn’t even pronounce the name of the town correctly, and it only has 5 letters!
I LIVE IN JASPER, ALABAMA! I was born here, then I moved to Birmingham for college. When my husband and I married, we moved back to Jasper. We love it here. It’s so wonderful to see my small town represented by another author. I can’t wait to read this book!
I love small towns only in fiction.
I grew up and lived in a small town until my husband and I moved away. I miss the small town feel and miss being out in the country. The town, when we lived there , was 350 strong. Most everyone else lived out in the country and came to the small school that was Kindergarten-12th grade. While I miss the area, there just isn’t any way we could move back at this time. Small towns are awesome, though. ❤️
We also moved a lot so I never had what I would call a “hometown.” I lived in Spokane, WA, when I was in high school. Before that we lived in various places in South Dakota and Montana. Even as an adult I have bounced around the country, living in Ohio, Georgia, Massachusetts, Texas, Illinois, Florida, and Arizona.
LOL! I understand. I like living in the suburbs of our capital city here in Mississippi.
They are fun to visit in a novel!
Blessings,
Oh neat, Mandi!! You might know my friend and her husband! We’ll have to talk. Do you have a book set there? In this one, it is mostly my heroine’s back story while she is in school at Ole Miss.
Nice! I have family in Georgia, but they are in Atlanta. The mountain area of Georgia is pretty. Yes, there are good and bad to all of it.
Blessings,
Janet
It’s crazy how much the small city I live near has changed. I bet your mom has some wonderful stories. I miss hearing my family stories.
Another Cordova! Neat!
Wow! You’ve been a lot of places. At least you learned a lot about different areas and cultures. That’s a good thing.
Lol, yes…. population 319…..now thtsya small town, hahaha
I don’t really have a hometown but I always enjoyed exploring the different areas we lived in.
It’s always fun to see new things and learn about the area!
I no longer live in my hometown. My neck of the woods is a small rural community. The scope has changed drastically over the years. One day I hope it bounces back. Thank you kindly.
I think that’s been true of many areas, sadly! I hope things bounce back!
I don’t know many stories of the city I grew up in (East Moline, IL). I know it’s practically the hometown of John Deere (tractors and farm equipment). In fact, my uncle worked for them for over 30 years before he finally retired. Farming is big of course, and right across the Mississippi River is Iowa. So you know most of the industry is corn, farming & the like. From what my mom has told me, my grandpa used to be a coal miner & there’s a small town named Coal Valley….probably due to coal mines. Like I said, I don’t know the history like I should. :-) It’s probably easy to find with the internet nowadays though!
It was fun to see pictures of your hometown & I bet it was fun to hear the stories of your family history! I love when grandparents, parents and other family members pass on those stories to the next generation. What a legacy!
I wish I’d written down more of their stories! When we’re young we don’t appreciate them as much. At one point, I did have my parents write some of their history or record it, and then I typed it and put them into little books for our family.
Glad you enjoyed!
I grew up in a little community in western Kentucky where I had the grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and people who’d known my parents all THEIR lives. I fact, one of my 5th grade teachers taught both my parents! Lol! For the past 30 years, we’ve lived in yet another small town, and have lovingly depicted it my last 2 books!
Aww that’s so sweet! What town is in your book?
Marion, Kentucky, population 3,000 (on a good day!LOL)!
I don’t have a book set here (yet), but I love the idea. We’re also the hometown of Tallulah Bankhead (actress).
I’d love to chat more. There is some interesting history here.
Hi I was born in TX and I was brought up in New Mexico .
Nice area, Alicia!
Oh neat! I didn’t know that.
I’m from a small town of Amory,Mississippi, Our claim to fame is our Railroad festival and Stars over Mississippi concerts. Also being the hometown of American Idol winner Trent Harmon and baseball great Mitch Moreland.
Hi Shelia! I’d love to come check it out! I’m only a couple of hours away in Brandon. I heard Trent, and he was awesome!
I was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio. My Dad was born in Lima, Ohio, but moved here as a child. My Mom was born in Lanesville, West Virginia, but came to Toledo in 1956. the majority of my Mom’s brothers and sister in laws came to Toledo for jobs. I am an only child. My Mom is now living in an assisted living facility. My husband and I are living in the house that I grew up in.
We grew up in the city but camped our whole life in the country. Right beside a small town & have lived with my husband & kids in the small town for alot of years!!
No real hometowns here. My dad and I moved constantly when we were little. My mum grew up on a farm a long way from any town. Sounds like a lit of fun visiting though.
Sounds like you are surrounded by family memories, Debra :)
Oh that sounds fun! We did some camping when my son was in scounts.
Moving like that is hard, I bet. I did enjoy my visit. I’d love to go back again some day.
WOW! I live not far from Jasper, Alabama (actually spent Senior skip day there in high school-LOL) I drove there just last weekend. I grew up in a really small town in Alabama (Kennedy). It has about 500 people and caution light. The main attraction was the local gas station/best place to get a hamburger and milkshake. Wouldn’t trade growing up in a small town for anything. Great memories.
How fun! Sounds wonderful!!
I’m another small-town boy livin’ in the ‘burbs. Where I grew up, out in the country of upstate NY, dairy farming and commuting were the big employment opportunities. I looked up the population on Google and it says that the numbers have almost tripled since the days of my youth. I’m pretty sure the only way to do that is to count the two neighboring hamlets and a bunch of surrounding farm land. The little valley town couldn’t handle that many people unless you stacked them like cord wood down the main street, lol!
My childhood memories are of playing and working outdoors and of having trees and rolling hills everywhere. The people were a mixed bag but generally friendly.
The odd thing is that if you had to go shopping or wanted to go to a movie you knew it was going to be a 20 minute trip to a neighboring town. Now, in the suburbs, the same thing is true but it’s the stop lights not the distance that’s to blame!
I grew up playing outside al day too. Great memories!
I grew up in a small town, in a different country…feels like in a different life lol
We’ve spent all our time outside – good times! I wish my kids the same freedom and safety.
I’d love to hear about that some time!