Inspy Romance

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Real Life Novel Settings: Oxford, Mississippi #Giveaway

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Hello Inspy Readers! I’d thought I’d spend a few of my post talking about my real-life novel settings, starting with my first novel Leaving Oxford.

Oxford, Mississippi, is a small college town in Northern Mississippi hills about three hours from where I live. I spent time going to school there way back in the 80s. My father grew up about thirty minutes away in a tiny place called Hickory Flat, so we often passed through on the way to visit my grandmother. (He’d tell you Hickory Flat was just a wide place in the road, with Oxford being a big city comparatively.)

The town and the campus are absolutely beautiful, and I’m not just saying that because I’m a little biased :) When I thought of writing my first novel about a young woman coming home from the big city after a tragedy, Oxford came to mind. I remember walking the sidewalks from my little apartment downtown to the campus under the shade of the sprawling oak trees, with the aroma of the rampant wild wisteria sweetening the spring air. The azaleas and magnolias dotted green yards. And the architecture!! So many styles from Victorian to Greek Revival, neoclassical, Queen Anne, and more. The picture at the beginning of this post is where my main character Sarah Beth has an office in the novel. It is one of my favorite buildings on campus. The staff was kind enough to allow me to tour it, and there’s a beautiful stained glass window inside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A good bit of the novel takes place with the character water skiing on Sardis Lake which lies not far from town. As a student, I enjoyed going there several times, then later my children went to church camp there while I chaperoned.   

The town is built around The Square, as we call it. Buildings surround the courthouse, and people flock to eat at the wonderful restaurants and do their shopping at cute stores. I had fun researching when my daughter chose to attend college there as well, while I was writing the novel!

Another campus building favorite!

Of course, in the South, football is a huge deal. During the fall the campus is dotted with red and blue canopies in the grassy space beneath the large oaks which students and alum call The Grove. Here’s pic where they are setting up. Once the fans arrive, they deck out their areas with everything from fine china to chandeliers! They really get into it! I wish I had a pic of that, but we usually just depend on the invites of others when we go. I’m not that into decorating! One of my dear friends and I got together to watch a game, sitting in the upper bleachers.

Oxford is also known as a cultural city, boasting as being home to authors, like William Faulkner, John Grisham, Barry Hannah, Willie Morris and others. There’s neat book store too!

There’s so much more to say, but I hope you enjoyed this little tour! What do you think?

I will give away one eBook copy of Leaving Oxford to one person who comments (U.S. only) by 2-7-2021! Or buy your own copy on Amazon :) Where would you set your first story?

Janet W Ferguson (66 Posts)

Janet W. Ferguson is a Christy Award finalist and the FHL Readers Choice Award winning author of realistic inspirational fiction. An avid reader, she loved books so much she found a job as a librarian so she could be around them all day. Then she turned that love of story into writing faith-filled novels with characters who feel like best friends. You’ll laugh and cry as the quirky heroes and heroines chase their happily ever after. ​Janet and her husband live in Mississippi where they say y’all a lot, and she forces him to visit the beach as often as possible. They have two grown children, one really smart dog, and a cat that allows them to share the space. Connect with her at http://www.janetfergusonauthor.com/


Comments

  3. I love small towns like this!! Or, slightly bigger ones with a small town feel! I’d love to go and wander around there!!

  15. Oxford sounds like a wonderful place to visit. I’m not sure exactly where I would set a story, but it would likely be someplace in northeast Florida (St. Augustine or Fernandina Beach?) or in Georgia’s Golden Isles. All are charming towns that just happen to be close enough for a day trip.

  16. Oh I’d love to go to St. Augustine!! I do have some in St. Simons. More about that later :)

  18. As a born and bred Virginian married to another born and bred Virginian, there is no doubt as to where I would set a book! My husband’s grandparents’s farmhouse in the Shenandoah Valley had bloodstains on the wooden kitchen floor because the house was used as a Civil War hospital. Also, let’s not forget that John Grisham lives part of each year outside Charlottesville, VA, home of the University of Virginia.

  21. Thank you for the tour, it looks and sounds very nice! Your book sounds like it’s a good read! Have a Great rest of the week and stay safe. Thank you so much for sharing about your book and the city.

  23. How fun! I loved seeing all the beautiful pictures and architecture!

    When I wrote my first book, I set the hero and heroine as staff members of a Christian college in a small college town, too! I based the town after my current town in NC, but the college itself was based on my alma mater in Pensacola, FL.

  24. I love this! I am an Auburn University alumni so I love all of the memories of campus, ballgames and true love! So, I would love to set mine in quaint little Auburn, AL.

    While I was working (forensic scientist), I testified all over the central and eastern parts of the state and most every town had the courthouse square with shops and restaurants on the square. There’s nothing like the south. Enjoyed the article. 😀

  25. Beautiful place, I really liked the stained glass window. I may have to put this on my list of places to go when we can travel again!

  35. I agree this is a beautiful place. I happen to agree that football is the center of anything good! What a great place to visit, thank you!

  37. What a pretty campus! I remember attending my nieces college graduation in Pullman WA (Washington State University) and being SO amazed by the campus; from the size to the architecture, to the grounds…just everything about it was so neat! It’s a huge campus that almost like a little town/city of its own.

    Thanks for sharing your pictures Janet, what a neat looking place!

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