Inspy Romance

Inspy Romance—Fall in Love With a Good Book

Hometown Settings in CCR

by

Sydney Opera House

I enjoy reading books that are set in places where I’ve lived or visited. I grew up on the northern beaches in Sydney, Australia, and I’ve always loved reading books set in Sydney. I’ve even read books in genres I don’t usually read because they’re set in Sydney.

City skyline from Taronga Zoo Sydney

Reading is a sensory experience and writers use the five senses to draw us into their story. For example, we can dig our bare toes into the soft sand at Manly Cove and look out at the beauty of Sydney Harbour. We can smell the salty sea air, touch the refreshing cool water that’s lapping into shore, taste the deep fried fish and chips we’re eating while sitting on the beach, and hear the squawking from the seagulls hovering around us, hoping we’ll share our dinner with them.

Manly Cove, Sydney, Australia

These little details can add a richness to the story setting, and trigger our memories if we’ve visited the setting in real life. Writers who know their setting can add details to deepen the authenticity of their story.

Manly ferry docked at Circular Quay in the city

Her Tycoon Hero is the first book I wrote when I started writing, back in 1998. I was living in Sydney at the time and I sometimes wrote longhand on the Manly ferry. There’s a scene in the early chapters of the book with my characters, Ryan and Cassie, travelling to the city on the Manly ferry. I wrote the first draft of that scene while sitting on the Manly ferry, drinking coffee and experiencing the turbulence and rocking as the ferry passed by the entrance to the harbor between North and South Head.

On Friday I’ll be releasing the 2nd Edition ebook for Her Tycoon Hero (Sydney Sweethearts Book 1) at Amazon and Kindle Unlimited. The paperback with the new cover will be available soon. It was fun to reread this story and update the technology that has changed since the book was first published in 2014.

Cassie Beaumont believes in second chances.

Cassie is set on proving she’s no longer a party girl, instead focusing on her career as an event planner. Ryan Mitchell, her dad’s top executive, proves to be a handsome distraction, especially when someone from Cassie’s wild past tries to draw her back into the life she has worked hard to escape.

Ryan is taken with his boss’s beautiful daughter. But he is slow to trust, having been burned by a brother who ran in the same circles. When Cassie’s newfound faith works its way into his heart, Ryan wants to claim both Cassie and her faith as his own. Can they forgive past mistakes and navigate a future together?

Have you read many CCR (contemporary Christian romance) books set in your hometown or city or state? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Narelle Atkins (199 Posts)

A fun loving Aussie girl at heart, Narelle Atkins was born and raised on the beautiful northern beaches in Sydney, Australia. She has settled in Canberra with her husband and children. A lifelong romance reader, she found the perfect genre to write when she discovered inspirational romance. Narelle's contemporary stories of faith and romance are set in Australia and international locations.


Comments

  3. I had never read contemporary Christian romance set in Kampala, so I wrote one, ha ha. :-D About two years later, a friend of mine also wrote a Christian romance set in Kampala, so now there are at least two.

    Your book sounds great! I’ve just put it on my TBR list. For my reading challenge in March, I needed to find a book with an interesting setting, and yours will be perfect!

  4. Kristen M Fraser has written a number of stories set in Queensland, Australia, which were great to read, that being my home State. I especially loved the Hope Rising series set in Brisbane.

  7. Hi Milla, It’s fun setting stories in our home towns, and reading other stories set there. I hope you’ll enjoy reading Her Tycoon Hero. Reading challenges are great for broadening our reading choices. Thanks for commenting. 😊

  8. Hi Margaret, yes, Kristen M Fraser and also Juliette Duncan have many CCR books set in Queensland. The Hope Rising series sounds fun. Thanks for commenting. 😊

  9. Hi Narelle from the cold snowy Mitten State Michigan. I have not read many CCR with a Michigan setting. There are CCR with a Midwest setting – Indiana, Illinois or Ohio. Merrillee Whren’s Hometown Hero has an Ohio setting. Also looking forward to Carolyn Miller’s Checked Impressions with a Windy City – Chicago setting. During the 1980s I lived in the Chicago area. Now I live across Lake Michigan in a small resort town. There are several cozy mystery authors that have Michigan settings. During this pandemic it is fun to read stories with international setting. Mini vacation from the safety of my home. Best wishes.

  10. I haven’t found many CCRs set in British Columbia, Canada. I have a novella series (Riverbend) set in a fictional rural BC town, but I can’t think, offhand, about a similar story.

  11. None (that I know of) have been written about the city I live in, though I have read some set in my state of Florida. I visited Savannah, Georgia because of Eugenia Price’s books, and there are some “made up” cities and towns I’d love to visit! lol!!

  12. I live in battle ground Washington and never have heard a book that is set there but have heard of books set in Washington.

  14. Hi no, not from the little town I live in , but alot of them from Texas which is where I live. Your book sounds like a great read. Thank you for sharing about it. Have a great week and stay safe.

  15. I’ve read a few. Dani Pettrey’s Chesapeake Valor Series is one of my favorites because it is set in Baltimore, MD, which is about 1 1/2 hours away from where I live. :D

  16. Rose Dee also has books set in Qld, heres are up McKay way I think.

    Also Mary Hawkins has some books set in the darling downs.

  17. Besides a children’s book about bats from the Caves and an author who writes short stories about working sheep dogs and farm life etc no-one I know of has set a CCR in my town or the Limestone Coast. There are several in South Australia. Paula Vince has written a few in Adelaide. Also 4 Aussie authors wrote a book each taking on one character.
    Would be good to see some books set here. We have a great setting for a Mystery (Historical Naracoorte Caves) but a CCR would work at a few of the coastal towns which swell at this time of year like many coastal towns in Summer.

  18. Irene Hannon has a CCF series set on the Oregon coast called Hope Harbor, Angela Ruth Strong has her hero & heroine visit Seaside (the town I live in) in her book “Husband Auditions”. For that one, it was fun to actually know the places she mentioned, and yes she was spot on with her descriptions!

    I’ve read many books set in Oregon or Washington, but I also love visiting new places in stories. Probably places I won’t be able to in real life. When an author can describe a place or town so vividly in their stories, it can feel as if I’m right there! I’ve often wished some of the towns were real because I wanted to visit :-)

  19. Hi Renate, yes, I love reading CCR books with international settings, too. I’ve read a few CCR books/series set in Michigan. Books from Tari Faris and Courtney Walsh come to mind, and I’ve definitely read some Love Inspired books set in Michigan. Michigan is a big state and I’m not sure if these real or fictional settings are anywhere near you? Chicago is a popular setting. I’m also looking forward to reading Carolyn’s hockey CCR book set in Chicago. Thanks for commenting. :)

  26. Oh, I love reading books set in places I’ve lived in or visited. So books set in New South Wales are super fun to read. I’ve enjoyed reading your books before because of this – happy new (re)release!

  27. Hi Jenny, The Limestone Coast would make a lovely book setting. I’ve enjoyed Paula’s books and also Meredith Resce’s Luella Linley CCR series that’s set in Adelaide. The Greenfield Legacy (co-authored by Paula, Meredith, Amanda Deed and Rose Dee) was a good read. Thanks for commenting. 😊

  28. Hi Trixi, yes, there are many fabulous fictional towns that I’d like to visit, too. It’s fun that there are many CCR series set in Oregon and Washington. Thanks for commenting. 😊

  30. Hi Jenny, yes, Mary grew up in the Darling Downs region and a couple of her books are set in south east Queensland. I love Rose’s CCR books set in North Queensland. 😊

  32. There are a couple CCR ones in towns & cities near by where I live. They all are very good books

  37. I love the Manly Ferry. My first trip as a child was when waves covered the ferry inside the Heads and you could still sit outside upstairs. Scared the adults silly, but the Harbour was so alive and exhilarating. Lots of books set in Sydney and Adelaide and outback SA (especially interesting to mum who was raised there). Thanks for the lovely memories your words evoked.

  39. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book set in the tiny town I was born in in Michigan. Or the slightly larger town I now live in as an adult. I did read a novel set in a small town only about 30 miles from where I now live. It was neat because I have driven through the town several time and could totally picture the setting.

  41. Hi Patty, Michigan is a lovely setting for a book. It’s fun to know the setting and see it clearly in our minds when we’re reading. Thanks for commenting. 😊

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