I live in a small town. I’ve lived in my small town of less than ten thousand people for the past twenty years. Before that I lived in another small town. And while there are some advantages to living in the city (and hey, I’ve written books set in cities from NYC to London) there’s a lot to appreciate about small towns and books set in smaller communities.
I like the fact I can know my neighbours, that my children have grown up and completed their schooling with kids they knew back in church playgroup days. I like the fact that people participate in their churches and support local businesses and community events. I like the fact that as a writer I can explore some of the nitty-gritty of what makes community and relationships work – and not work – and how events can have ripple effects for generations.
So there’s a lot to love about books set in small towns, especially when you combine elements of family, friendship, food, faith and romance in a gorgeous setting. I’m pretty sure that’s partly why TV shows like Virgin River and Sweet Magnolias are so popular. There can be a degree of ‘escape’ in an idealised setting, where you’re a valuable part of a community.
When I first visited the beautiful Muskoka Lakes region of Ontario, Canada, I didn’t realise that I’d one day write a series based on this area. I had one book, Muskoka Blue, about a girl from a city (Sydney, Australia) escaping to a small town on the other side of the world to find healing after tragedy. But I underestimated the power of Muskoka, and how many stories could potentially be based around this area, which is why I started a new series that spins off the setting used in Muskoka Blue.
The first book in the new Muskoka Romance series is called Muskoka Shores. This is both the name of my (fictional) small town in Muskoka, and the name of the (fictional) resort where my heroine, Serena Williamson, works. It was fun to incorporate various elements of both my visit and my own experiences of small town life. For example, on our visit to Bala, Muskoka (where the author LM Montgomery has a museum dedicated to her life and works – well worth a visit!) my husband and I were lucky enough to attend a Cranberry Festival – which just may have made its way into my book. Other fun things on our visit, such as visiting a cranberry farm, enjoying ‘Chilli at the Church’ and an unexpected encounter with the town crier, might’ve also made an appearance. Couple this with things I’m familiar with – local church events, friendships, family and neighbour connections – and it’s wonderful to see how a story can start to come together. (Want to see pics from my visit? Check out my website here.)
Muskoka Shores will be followed by November’s release of Muskoka Christmas, with more books to come based around a group of young women and their forays into romance. I’m loving the interactions between these ladies – they’re real, relatable, and people I think you’ll love getting to know.
Here’s a bit more about Muskoka Shores:
Serena Williamson loves working at Muskoka Shores, the fancy resort on Lake Muskoka, and making couples dreams come true. But after returning from a celebrity wedding to find her own hopes crumbling to dust, she sets out for self-improvement, and to prove her ex was wrong. But when a misunderstanding concerning the new assistant church minister leads to more self-doubt, can she ever really trust a man again?
Joel Wakefield is looking forward to a fresh start for himself and his sister in this beautiful small town beside Lake Muskoka. He hadn’t counted on meeting a curvy cutie with a gift for hospitality and a gracious heart. Can he show her that it’s what is inside that truly counts?
You can grab your copy at Amazon, Apple, B&N, Kobo, GooglePlay or request your library to get the ebook. Happy reading!
Let’s chat: Do you enjoy small town romance? What aspects of a small town do you like seeing in fiction? If you live in a small town, what are some of your favourite things about your town?
I do enjoy small town romance. I love the quirky characters and the fact that the main characters are practically forced to interact.
I live in a small town and love to read books set in small towns. I like the cute shops and unique festivities that small towns have. We have a fireman’s festival every year. I am so glad you let us know about your series. I really want to read it!
I love romances in any setting, but there’s something “extra dreamy” about a small town (coming from a city/suburban gal). There’s a certain feel about those places when you visit – like an escape, even more so when you read about them ❤️ … And Canada is total eye candy 😍 …
I love small town romances. Maybe because I lived in a small town and there was community and everyone knew others and there was always help. There are so many things I loved about living in a small town. It was one big family. Of course there was always the few that wanted nothing to do with the rest of us. But I looked at it as: well their loss. We would help each other with babysitting, helping put in crops, helping with butchering, helping with births, helping with building and on and on the list goes.
I love small town romances! Some of the fun of small towns is knowing the people, and having them remember you (even from visits!) year after year. People wave when they see you, whether they know you or not. There are usually some really cute stores that you won’t find anywhere else, there are unique foods that you don’t come across everywhere, and life seems to move at a slower pace.
I’m so looking forward to the Muskoka series.
I do enjoy books set in towns and their relationships because you get to read the different characters for longer.
I used to live in Spain and one of my favourite things to do was (pueblo spotting) town spotting 😊. I enjoyed to see their main square, churches, their party celebrations and their bakeries.
Hi, yes, I love small town romance, because alot of the people know each other, I especially like it when almost the whole town is rooting for the nice couple. Have a great weekend and stay safe.
Coming from a big city, I got to experience small-town life as an exchange student, and I loved it. I guess that’s why I love finding it in fiction too: the community, support, friendship, values, and yes, the food too. :)
I love small town romances the same way I love reading romances set in different countries and exotic locations – I’ve always lived in cities so it’s not a something I’ve experienced, so I like to read about it and imagine what it would be like to live somewhere like that.
I love small town romance books. Love inspired and harlequin heartwarming has quite a few books that I have read that r small town romance .
This series sounds like so much fun! Congratulations on your new release. I just snagged a copy on Kobo.
I’ve lived in a few minuscule towns, particularly in Norway. I like small town romance and am currently writing a small town series, too!
Reading your post, I let my mind wander and I realise that I haven’t yet seen any small town romances that hint at the less palatable side of small towns: those that are insular and not very welcoming to newcomers. Because, sadly, not all small towns are charming and not all communities are inclusive.
But then, again, perhaps just like all heroes and heroines have to be likeable, the small towns in romance have to be endearing, too.
Yes! I love how that forced interaction can make things a tad awkward at times. Ha – just like real life. Thanks for commenting.
Ooh, a fireman’s festival? I want to know more! (And I hope you enjoy reading Muskoka Shores!)
There’s a lot to be said for setting a series in a beautiful part of the world – especially when it means I just might need to return there!
sure, the people
Oh, to live in Spain would have been such a marvelous experience! I love seeing different cultures and observing the similarities and differences to my own culture. Thanks for commenting!
Oh, sounds like you would have plenty of material for a series of series, Lori! Yes, that sense of community shapes perspective and makes for lifelong memories doesn’t it?
I love how small towns can lend themselves to opportunities that might be harder to find (or afford) in a bigger city. It’s been wonderful to see the rejuvenation of my small town with the addition of quirky stores in recent years.
Yes, that sense of cheering on the couple makes for some interesting dynamics and extra fun, doesn’t it?
Ooh, that would’ve been so fun! And yes, it’s important to gain a true appreciation for a place by hearty investment in trying local foods!
Exactly, Ruthie! I’m with you. It’s so fun to read about something that is different to our own life that helps us ‘escape’ into another world. Thanks for commenting.
Yes, there’s a lot to appreciate about small town romances, isn’t there?
You are such an interesting person, Milla – Norway! I think you’re right. Having a non-welcoming town is probably not the way to get readers to invest in a series, but an element of that could happen down the track. Because you’re right, small towns ain’t all roses and sunshine.
Thanks for grabbing a copy of Muskoka Shores! Hope you enjoy xx
It’s all about the people, isn’t it? We want to connect with characters & find relatable stories, just like we want people who understand us in real life too.
I live in an area with small towns, lol. As a kid my family lived in a small town mostly, however my preteens and teens we lived just outside of D.C. which was crazy and not my favorite thing by any means.
At heart I am a small-town girl and am glad to be back in smaller towns in Oklahoma.
I would have liked to grow up in a small town, in fact I would like to find a place like that to get married and settle down, I moved a lot growing up and I could never feel that emotion or love that people think people feel who have lived in many cities or the genius of being “in a big city”.
It is simply quite cold growing up in big cities, there is no community, everyone on the street is unknown and that infects the Church as well, they go to pray, read the Bible, listen to a sermon but they do not make friends and there is no sense of unity.
I love small town romance. I love the sense of community – where everyone supports each other.
I enjoy seeing people I know ow when I’m out running errands. That’s something you don’t get much of in the city.
I enjoy reading about small towns. I love the community. The fact that everyone knows everyone as well as their business has its positive and negatives. It is always interesting when someone new comes to town or someone comes home. Thank you for sharing. God bless you.
That would’ve been quite a contrast going from a small town to DC! I’m with you. Small towns for the win!
Oh, Lilly, I’m sorry that’s been your experience. It’s tricky with larger churches sometimes, especially in cities, in that everyone assumes that others are looking after the new(er) people and there’s less of the ‘accidental’ connection that can happen when you bump into someone at the shop or down the street. Praying for you & sending a virtual hug from my corner of the world to you.
Yes. It can be somewhat idealised, but there is a sense of people supporting each other in small town romance, isn’t there?
Yes, always a good chance for a catch up! (Unless they’re that person who always talks SO much about themselves and it’s hard to get away…)
Thanks so much for commenting Debra. Yes, there are both positives and negatives about people knowing each other’s business, isn’t there?
Its interesting what is considered small town. I told my penfriends I lived in a small town. One said she did to with only 55,000 living there. (I call that a city) My other pen friend said she did too with 500 people. We had under 5,000 at the time.
When I think of small towns in books I am thinking less than my town cos I don’t know everyone here but in small towns in books everyone seems to know everyone.
I do like the community which some towns do much betters than others.
It’s funny how ‘small’ we regard a small town, and how much my ‘small town’ has grown in the past twenty years!
Thank you very much for your kindness!
I love small town romance. I live rural in between two small towns.