Welcome to Inspy today! Back-2-School Book Bash has begun! Always great fun! And today we’re talking small towns. What we love and maybe don’t love about small towns. There are tried and true elements that readers love and come to expect when creating this type of community. I’m calling them anchors.
Small Town Anchor 1-Let’s start with people. Reoccurring characters can make a reader feel like they’ve come back home. Some favorite character types are the matchmaker–usually a woman, but don’t count the men out. There are also busy bodies who are always in everyone’s business, with good intentions of course! What about a meddling mayor?
The reoccurring characters must have a role in the story. I know as a reader I love picking up a book and recognizing a character. Sometimes that in itself foreshadows what may be coming in the story.
Small Town Anchor 2-What about the town itself? Once a reader starts reading a small town romance, they become familiar with the shops and the town. Do the characters meet at a favorite coffee shop? It’s always fun if a character owns or manages a book store. Restaurants, churches, flower shops, even wedding dress boutiques can become a part of the story. And again, there’s the trick. The shops must serve a purpose besides somewhere for people to gather. It’s always interesting to me how these stores and places in the small town become an intricate part of the story.
Small Town Anchor 3-The setting. Where is this small town? One of my favorite authors says setting is like a character itself. Setting can add so much to the story. The mountain small town will have a different vibe than the beach small town. I’m obsessed with wanting to live on a river. River towns? Ranches are always a popular setting. Readers can’t seem to get enough of them. Also small towns with lakes draw readers to them.
Of course these small town anchors can be used when writing a stand alone book. But they are essential when creating a series. I created a small town in my series, Single Dad Next Door-A Devon Park Collection.
(I’m giving away copies of this book in the Back-2-School Book Bash)
I realized all my other towns, (except 1) were urban settings. Maybe that’s because I am a city girl at heart. But there is an endearing aspect to having community that can be gained by living in a small town. I know we’ve talked about small town verses urban settings before, so we aren’t going there again.
So, the question today is this: Out of the small town anchors that I’ve listed, tell me in the comment section what would be your favorite combination. Example: A matchmaker who worked in a flower shop in a mountain town setting. Of course, I’ve only listed a few things under each anchor. Feel free to add your own.
I’ll choose a winner at random to win a novella of their choice- One Autumn Love, One Winter Kiss, One Spring Promise, or One Summer Sunrise.
USA Today featured author Lindi Peterson lives in north Georgia, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, with her husband and a lively array of cats, dogs and birds. She loves sharing life with her family and friends. Her passion for reading led her to writing, and then God spoke words of love into her heart and changed her life forever.
I love recurring characters and one of my favourites was an older lady who was very much like a grandmother figure to all. She taught Sunday School and was a lady people could talk to and get advice or she would just listen.
I like different places but one place is a candy store.
Favourite location that’s difficult to say. I like most areas. I think lake or mountain or even seaside (ok I have no idea).
I do remember reading a group of older men who were matchmakers. I think there were 3 of them and they would get together at the Café and would pray for which ever couple they had in their sights. This happened for a few books
I enjoy recurring characters.
These are great – but I’d posit that they aren’t exclusive to small towns. I’d say they’re community anchors and, as such, you can find them in most urban fiction settings too.
But all that aside, I think my favorite is recurring characters.
Hi Lindi, I’ve just finished re-reading Rich in Hope- love Jenny and Stephen!!
I like small towns and think that they work well in stories- because you get that continuity of character and place. Not too worried about location. Here’s an odd one- I love op shopping and regularly go in the holidays and often end up chatting with people there. How would an op shop work- with someone who volunteers there doing some subtle matchmaking amongst other volunteers/people who visit/need help etc.
Blessings:)
Hi Wemble! Had to Google – op shop (an Australian term), which is Thrift Store or recycle shop. We have two in our town. Love learning new “English” expressions. Great story idea.
Hi Lindi! Living in a small Lake Michigan community with inland lakes, a river and creeks, I enjoy small town settings near water. I also enjoy the recurring character – especially a librarian or book store owner. When taking my granddaughters to story time in our small community, I have interacted with library staff, grandparents, my dentist there and lots of former students with their children. I also attend a book club. Our local libraries have game nights, adult movie nights, concerts and more. Our local independent book store has book signings and people love visiting with Poppy the bookstore doggie mascot. Fun topic. Best wishes.
My favorite is the recurring characters….hands down. Valerie Comer does an awesome job with the two Farm Fresh Romance series and the Cowboys. I love seeing my “friends” again and picking up where we left off….
I have always loved small towns and their quaint buildings.
My favorite setting would be a young woman who inherited an Antique shop and a Victorian house from a grandmother or aunt. She would have to renovate the house with the help of a hunky carpenter or architect. The town would have other quaint shops, churches and older buildings and a town square with a bandshell or gazebo. It would have an excellent historic library. The town would have an annual historical celebration. The town council would require all new construction to blend in with the history of the town.
I love recurring characters, which I guess is part of the reason I loved the Tales of the Grace Chapel Inn series. There are 46 books by different authors in it. The main characters and main place stay the same, but there are recurring townspeople and, of course, stores, in it. You feel like family when you read a book, and to keep meeting them and finding out more about each character is nice. I’ve read other series, and feel the same way. I love the new Chapel Cove series, with recurring stores, and I loved Susan May Warren’s Deep Haven series, which had recurring businesses, too. My favorites are small towns, doesn’t matter if it’s beach, mountain, or somewhere else!
I love recurring characters. I love the new Chapel Cove series, with recurring stores, and I loved Susan May Warren’s Deep Haven series, which had recurring businesses, too. My favorites are small towns, doesn’t matter if it’s beach, mountain, or somewhere else!
How about a firefighter who works in a small, mountain town by a lake. I love small town romances.
I love small towns where everyone knows everyone. Where Main St comes alive on a Friday night or Saturday night in the only bar in town.
Characters that families lived next to each other for generations and sometimes that is a good thing but sometimes it’s a bad thing especially when one of the characters happens to live on the wrong side of the tracks.
I love small town settings for a series! Arcadia Valley was a fun one for me to write in since I was one of six authors creating the town, and each author’s characters interacted with the town and with some of the other characters.
Even in an urban setting, I tend to build that sense of community within a neighborhood. It draws me in, so I hope it does the same for readers!
I prefer small town settings because it is just more realistic to have the same characters interacting with the same set of people. Plus in a series we get to know a bit about the future heros or heroines before their book comes along. I like matchmakers they can be a hoot.
I feel it is my duty and honor to spotlight small towns in my romances. My goal is to feature all the places in Upstate NY that don’t get the attention it deserves in fiction. I absolutely loved kicking my writing career off with the Adirondack Mountains, specifically a county so rural there is one four-way stop sign. The people are as lovely as the mountains, and it was great fun to create fiction from that.
Jenny—How fun–the older gentlemen matchmakers. :) I think, like with the grandmother type figure, that people can relate to someone like that. Very likable!
Kim—Me, too! Thanks for visiting!
Elizabeth–great point. Community is community no matter the location. :)
Thanks to Renate for Googling. I love the idea–and what a great place. Hey, I shop at thrift stores all the time anymore. :)
Oh, and thanks for the shout out about Rich in Hope. That is probably my favorite story I’ve written. I love Jenny and Stephen.
Renate–Wow–that’s an amazing community! Our small town, Ball Ground, is building up slowly but surely. There was a gentleman who owned a lot of the small downtown area and when he passed away about 10 years ago his kids have been selling off different buildings and land. We have restaurants, coffee shop, deli—wedding venue and flea market type shops. Thanks for sharing about your town. I was thinking about starting a book club at the local coffee shop.
These all sound great! I enjoy mountain and lake settings.
A matchmaker in a coffee shop in a mountain small town.
Paula–i love recurring characters, too. Thanks for the shout out for Valerie’s book. And she does do a great job. Readers love them!
Paula–You just wrote a synopsis for a great romance. Thank you! That does sound interesting. Building those relationships would be fun!!
Paula–You just wrote a synopsis for a great romance. Thank you! That does sound interesting. Building those relationships would be fun!!
Trudy–thanks for the shout out for those series. Wow–46 books!! That’s awesome! I’ll have to check it out when I’m done with my current read. And Susan May Warren—always excellent!!
Lori —Firefighters–and lakes–I love it. :) romance in the making.
Millie–so cool! My son and his wife live in Rincon, Puerto Rico. Every Thursday night there’s Art Walk. Vendors, food, music. I’ve been twice and it’s awesome. People all standing around talking to each other. Rincon is a great community.
And the sectors, where people live, are usually family. It’s a great place to live. Thank you for visiting!
Val—Paula Marie gave your Farm Fresh series a shout out. Community really draws readers in. I bet there’s a lot of communication in writing a series with other authors. That’s one thing I’ve never done.
Cassandra–I know authors who wrote secondary characters with no intention of writing that characters story, but the reader’s loved them so much they ended up with their own book. That’s really great writing!!
I love series with recurring characters and settings. I feel like I already know them and can’t wait to see what happens next. I like historic small town settings but enjoy city based ones as well.
Julie–That sounds great. And I’ve been in one town that had one 4 way stop. That’s a small town! That’s cool that you are highlighting those obscure towns.
Susanne—I love living close to the mountains. My brother lives on a houseboat on a lake. It’s beautiful and we love visiting him and his wife. :)
Lucy—So our coffee shop here in Ball Ground has coffee that the beans have been stored in whisky and bourbon barrels. The coffee is not alcoholic, but it has an amazing, smooth taste. It’s like drinking velvet. They have regular coffee as well.
Diana–Recurring characters seem to be a hit. It is like visiting old friends. And yay—a mention for historical romances.
I agree with the recurring characters and I also love the sense of community.
I love recurring characters.
My favorite one would be a matchmaker who works at a library in a small mountain town setting.
Lourdes. Yes! Community is huge in building a set of stories. Thank you for visiting.
Hi. I love that scenario! Libraries, matchmakers, and mountains. :)
I love recurring characters! A recurring character who owns a business that pops up in multiple stories is always great!
I love small towns because of their sense of community! Old church ladies meddling broken relationships ;) with a touch of humor…
I love the feel of small-town. Small churches and small towns always bring me back home.
A busy-body who owns a coffee shop in a small beach town.
I love books set in small towns, probably since I live in one and can relate so well to it.
Books set in mountainous areas are my favorite (think Jan Karon’s Mitford series!)
Melynda—Creating those recurring characters is fun as well. Giving them quirky traits, or something special about their lives or habits that the reader can connect with. :) Thanks for visiting.
Natalya–Yes! A touch of humor for sure. I naturally have humor in my books. At least I think I do. :)
Michelle–Small churches are awesome. I love it when they’ve been around a long time. :)
Dianna—I read the first Mitford. I liked it. :) Karon did create a great small town vibe with the Mitford Series.
Small towns’ stories are fun to read about. I enjoy when there are recurring characters in places people can meet regularly and chat, like a coffee shop. So I’d answer your questions with coffee shop owner who offers free advice/helps people.
I love small town and recurring characters in a book!
Coming from a small town, I love reading about small towns. I often find myself thinking “Oh that character is just like Julia”, or someone else from my town.
Priscila—I love your scenario. People giving advice reminds me of a mentoring scenario. :)
Sarah–Thanks for visiting Inspy Romance. :) Small towns and recurring characters are a hit.
Janet—How awesome. I love that writers can connect in such a great way with readers. And I live in a small town too, but I work in a big town, go to church in a big town. It’s like I’m driving away from my small town for all the things…..but, we’ve recently had a new coffee shop open, we’ve gotten to know the owners. Last weekend I met another business owner from our town who thinks the same way about food as I do. That is a big find as she sells breads and things that really fall into what I eat.
small town bookshop owner
Denise—-Bookshops! Yes!!
I love recurring characters. I hate when the book ends and you have fallen in love with the characters and you can’ t read any more about them.
I love having a busy body in a small town who shows up in series of stories. I don’t mind reading about a small town but trying to live in one when you weren’t born there was impossible and not a good experience. I will stick to loving them in fantasy land.
Small town anchor three…The setting :) and Sometimes #1….reoccurring characters, like Miss Marple in murder mysteries or Sherlock Holmes. :)