Inspy Romance

Inspy Romance—Fall in Love With a Good Book

Life in a Small Town and #Giveaway

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I’m a small-town gal. While I grew up in a city of around 300,000 people (we still called it a large village), I fell in love with small towns after moving to Texas. The feeling of community, caring, slow pace, knowing your neighbors by name, and little traffic always appealed to me.

When I started writing my first series, I wanted to set it in a small town in south Texas. And thus Rios Azules was built in my imagination. I struggled with the name. Any town names I came up with already existed either in reality or in fiction. Finally, I found the name I liked and simply translated it into Spanish, as many towns in south Texas have Hispanic names. A river runs near this fictional town, so I decided on Rios Azules, or Blue Rivers. I still have doubts that the name might be unclear, so I want to take this opportunity to ask you, dear readers. Are you okay with Rios Azules, or should I include a translation in the backmatter? Thank you very much in advance!

As my booklist grew, so did Rios Azules. Characters from other places fell in love with the inhabitants of my small town and moved to Rios Azules, and new establishments started appearing, as well. I want this small town to be a place where people care about each other, forgive each other, and love each other, no matter what. A place where I’d love to live myself. Not perfect, but peaceful and beautiful in its own way. And it doesn’t hurt that it has great restaurants where one can get delicious tacos with barbacoa or a Russian chocolate pie. It’s such a joy when readers mention in reviews or letters how much they like Rios Azules!

Here’s a fun game. Can you guess from the following list which Texas town/city names I made up? (Maybe they do exist, but I was unable to find them on the map). Comfort, Utopia, Holiday, Turkey, Antelope, Natalia, Charlotte, Hilda, Kelly, Henrietta, Texas City, Scotland, Groom, Bride, Spur, Munday, Loving (my favorite!). Hint: one of them is the heroine’s name in my book. The first person to guess all town names I made up will receive 1 Kindle copy of my book Season of Miracles (set in a small town, of course!) and a $5 Amazon gift card. The giveaway is limited to commenters with www.amazon.com account.

Do you like romance books set in small towns? If so, what do you like about them? Any fictional small towns that stand out in your memory? Any small town you traveled to that you liked very much? And do you, by any chance, live in a small town?

I’m offering a giveaway to one randomly chosen commenter to this post: 1 Kindle copy of my book Season of Joy. The giveaway will end at 11 p.m. CST on July 5th.

I look forward to reading your comments!

 

Alexa Verde (31 Posts)

Alexa Verde writes uplifting, diverse books about faith, love, and hope. She has had 200 short stories, articles, and poems published in the five languages that she speaks. After traveling the world and living in both hemispheres, she calls a small town in south Texas home. The latter is an inspiration for the fictional setting of her series Rios Azules Christmas and Secrets of Rios Azules. Alexa has a bachelor's degree in Spanish and a master's in Russian. She's worn the hats of reporter, teacher, translator, model (even one day counts!), caretaker, and secretary, but thinks that the writer's hat suits her the best.


Comments

  3. Happy Independence Day Alexa! I live in small tourist town in SW Michigan on the shores of Lake Michigan. Michigan has many small towns – the most famous being Hell in the Lower Peninsula and Paradise in the Upper Peninsula. Most of my life I have lived in our community, but for 10 years I lived in the Chicago area. Due to our pristine sandy beaches, I am not fond of tourist season, especially holidays (Memorial Day, 4th of July, or Labor Day). We enjoy our county with towns from 1,000 to 10,000 residents. Beautiful country with luscious fruit farms and vineyards. Blueberries are in season, followed by peaches and then apples.

    Thanks for the fun game. I am an arm chair traveler through my reading and the internet. Even though I have never been to Texas I believe, the fictional Texas towns in your list are Bride, Hilda, and Kelly. Enjoy your weekend.

  5. Just wanted to stop in and say hi! I love your town of Rios Azules (and the people there). You know I love a fictional small town with its sometimes quirky, nosy, but always colorful characters. :) As you mentioned, as your town grows, you can continue adding new establishments, citizens, etc., to add to the fun. It’s a win-win for readers! Looking forward to the next adventure. Blessings!

  8. I live in the Texas Hill Country very close to two of your towns listed. Being a 7th gen Texas and being married to a Texas coach (We have lived in many small towns with lots of 1A football) This might be a bit unfair for me to play. The only town I have never heard of is Bride.

  9. Bride is made up. I like your title but I wish the English name would be first or underneath the Spanish name so I would know what it means in translation:)

  10. I grew up in a village that is now part of the nearby city that grew, and have mostly lived in small towns since. They have their drawbacks, but I do like the generally slower more relaxed pace, and have a lot of fun writing my own small town romances.
    LOve the graphics you used, too!

  11. My husband grew up in a very small town, Gordo, Alabama. They only have one red light and it hasn’t been there very long. The whole town shows up for high school football, what else is there to do? LOL

  13. I love stories set in a small town. I think they have a cozy feel, that I don’t get with a book set in a large city, unless the story only focuses on a small section of the city.

  14. I stand corrected! Somehow I missed Kelly, TX, in my previous research. It does exist. So Bride is the only fictitious place.

  15. I’m glad you like small town romances, Lisa. Small towns are wonderful, aren’t they?

  16. Too many questions in today’s (short) post.
    First of all, I like Rio Azules more than Blue River (but then I was born in the city of Porto Alegre, which I think sounds a lot nicer than Happy Harbor in my opinion). I think it gives some sort of personality to your town.
    Although I’m from a big city (population: 4 million), my parents are from really small towns and I’ve lived in a city of around 30,000 people until recently. I didn’t really like it at first, but my husband helped me see the beauty in it and I miss it dearly today and makes me enjoy stories set in small towns even more.
    Texas’s town/ city names are really hard.. so I’m only making wild guesses for fun: Bride is made up.. and your heroine’s name, well, there’s no Lana, Joy, nor Heidi, so now I’m curious.

  17. Happy Independence Day, Renate! Thank you for interesting information about Michigan. A country with luscious fruit farms and vineyards sounds wonderful, and now I’m in the mood for blueberries. :) You’re right about Bride being a fictitious name, but Debbie Holbrook already guessed it. So sorry!

  18. Hi, Jackie! Thank you for commenting! Glad you love small town romances! What is the population of your small town?

  19. Hi, JoAnn! Thank you so much for stopping by! And thank you for kind words about my fictional town. I loved reading about Evergreen, Serendipity, Darling, and other small towns and the wonderful characters. And the names of towns in your books are great!

  20. Hi, Sabrina! Thank you for commenting! Glad you like reading small town romances!

  21. There’s small towns and then there’s small towns! I grew up in a village withe 51 inhabitants… when everyone was home. Dogs excluded. We currently live on a farm with our nearest town just over 5000 population. I’ve lived here most of my adult life, and always run into people I know which, to me, is one of the great things about a small town.

  23. Waving to a fellow Texan! Only I’m the first generation Texas. :) There’s a reason you’ve never heard of Bride, TX. Hmm, maybe I should create a series of wedding romances and set them in Bride, TX?

  24. Leaned, you are right, Bride is made up. Good idea about the translation. I wondered about it.

  25. Thank you for nice words about the graphics, Autumn! And I like more relaxed pace, too!

  26. What a lovely story, Gail Estes Hollingsworth! Thank you for sharing! I’ve been to different small towns, but I don’t think I’ve ever been to a town with only one traffic light!

  27. Hi again Alexa Verde! Bride, Hilda, and Kelly were the three towns not listed in my Rand McNally Road Atlas, which lists counties, cities, towns, and places. Hilda and Kelly are not incorporated communities, so are they considered towns? My husband researching his family genealogy has looked at the distinctions, because of finding old records – by city, township, or county. As a language teacher, one realizes that different people look at the same word differently, as to do different areas of the country. I do know that Kelly is the name of your upcoming book’s heroine. Enjoying the interaction and seeing how many readers enjoy living in small communities and enjoy the traditions and customs.

  28. Hi,Alexa
    The towns I know.
    Antelope and Scotland just southeast of Wichita Falls in Cl ay county..
    Henrietta is east of Wichita Falls.
    I lived there when my oldest was born.
    Loving is in west texas.

    Texas City is below Beaumont on coast.
    Holida| is close to Wichita Falls.
    The rest I would have to research.
    I love small towns.

  29. Thank you for stopping by, Kimberley Rose Johnson! And I like what you said about the cozy feel of small towns.

  30. Hi, Priscila! Wow, 4 million people! Thank you for answering my questions. I love how Porto Alegre sounds. Very beautiful and romantic! And you are right, Bride is made up. It turned out that the second name I made up, Kelly, does really exist! Kelly is the heroine in my new book, currently on pre-order, and she appeared in two previous books as a secondary character, as well. You do know the names of my heroines so well! Thank you!

  31. Hi, Valerie! 51 inhabitants? That’s like one big family! And that’s so true, in small towns, it’s easy to run into people one knows all the time! :)

  32. Hi, Linda! I love small towns, too. You’re correct, all those towns exist! I especially like the town name Loving.

  33. Hi, Alexa,

    I used to live in Texas (I miss it, too) and at the time it was a small town, it is now huge!! My husband lived in Plano in the late 60’s and early 70’s. Plano exploded in growth right after that!! We went back for a visit a couple of years ago and couldn’t recognize ANYTHING!!

    I love small towns, they are so nice to live in. Where we currently live isn’t too terribly large, so it’s not too bad.

    Everyone by now has guessed the correct answer! You picked a good name, though!

    Thanks for the opportunity to win. Good luck to everyone!

    Have a wonderful and safe 4th of July!!!!!

    Blessings~

    Robbie
    (aka RobbyeFaye, aka Robbye)
    robbyefaye (at) gmail (dot) com

  34. That’s very kind of you to say, Alexa. :) Not to forget Starlight. If you don’t grab that Loving, Texas, name — I just might! Not really, but it’s almost too good to resist! LOL.

  36. Hi, Robbie! Have a wonderful and safe 4th of July, too! Wow on the town growing so fast. As for the game, yes, everyone guessed the answer so quickly!

  38. And feel free about the name, JoAnn! I just thought it was a nice name for a small town in romance.

  41. Hi, Laura! Thank you for commenting! Glad you love reading small town romances. :)

  42. Yes, I grew up in a small town & have always lived in small towns. However, I did work in Birmingham, AL for almost 4 years. I will take small town over big city, no question! :)

  43. I live in a small coastal town in Oregon, population about 6500. I love small towns and I love reading books set in small towns.
    A lot of times I can go to the store and run into at least one person I know. Everyone (for the most part) is friendly here. I know there are always exceptions to that rule, but I think that’s anywhere you go. To go anyplace, it only takes 5 to 10 minutes and a lot of people walk.

    So yes, there’s a lot to love about small towns!

  44. I have lived in small towns for most of my life. It is so comforting stepping out your front door knowing there will be people there to offer condolences or congratulations. Small towns offer such a great sense of community. Everyone knows each other and has each others’ backs.

  45. I am not sure witch Texas city/towns you have made up, but I am thinking that Bride, Utopia, Henrietta are the made up ones. I love small towns and where everyone is friendly.

  47. Hi, Susanne! I totally agree! I lived near several large cities, and it was fun going there for a day, but it was good to return to a small town.

  48. Hi, Trixie! Your small town sounds exactly like the place where I’d like to live, too! I love coastal towns. And it’s so awesome you can walk to many places.

  49. Thank you very much! That was a perfect description of a wonderful small town community.

  50. Hi, Andrea! Bride is the only made up one. I thought that some of the names sounded interesting. Imagine living in a town with your name, for example?

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