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Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Joanne Rock: I (Heart) Small Town Series


There's a lot to love about a small town--both in real life and in romances. I'm writing my first series set in a small town now that I'm writing some Harlequin Superromances, and I have to say, I'm really enjoying it.

Some of the crazy pace of our world makes us crave small town living, I think. If you've sat in a big city traffic jam recently or tried to battle with a big school board in a huge district, you probably would enjoy the small town I've created in Heartache, Tennessee. It's a fictional town, but I pulled in a lot of what I know from growing up in a small farming community and from living in more rural areas. 

There's no traffic for one thing. Congested highways don't exist in these idyllic enclaves where the only other traveler on a back road might be a cow that wandered free from a nearby pasture. Of course, you might be slowed down by a tractor, but a friendly farmer will wave you around soon enough.

I also like writing small towns for the chance to know (and love!) so many characters. I'm returning to Heartache for at least three books-- PROMISES UNDER THE PEACH TREE (September 2014), NIGHTS UNDER THE TENNESSEE STARS (April 2015) and an as-yet-to-be-titled third book that should be out in Fall 2015. I introduced characters in Book 1 that I want to put in every book so we can catch up with their stories. It's fun seeing familiar faces in each book.

Another fun bonus is seeing the way people in small towns live. There's not a Wal-Mart in town, so people are more likely to buy locally. Artisans thrive when there is a local customer base. A small town can create its own distinct personality, attracting tourism from visitors who love their homemade pies or delicious peaches, or both. A small town flea market is Etsy come to life. No need to go to Restoration Hardware for authentic farmhouse fixtures (and pay a hefty price) when you can find the real thing in your neighbor's garage sale. Plantation shutters? Rustic doorknobs? They're all available for a fraction of the cost on your Saturday morning rounds. 

Best of all, there are a lot of interesting stories in a small town. Some people grew up there and never left. Others couldn't wait to leave an then made their way back home for one reason or another. But everyone's got a story to tell and in a small town, they make time for the telling. 

Do you have a favorite small town you like to visit in real life? A place you grew up or where a friend lives? A town you like to visit for their garage sales? Share with me on the blog and I'll give on random poster a copy of book 1 in my new series, PROMISES UNDER THE PEACH TREE. 


Three-time RITA nominee Joanne Rock never met a romance sub-genre she didn't enjoy. The author of over sixty romances from contemporary to medieval historical, Joanne dreams of one day penning a book for every Harlequin series. A former Golden Heart recipient, she has won numerous awards for her stories and looks forward to next month's release UNDERCOVER FESTIVITIES with Tawny Weber. Learn more about Joanne's imaginative Muse by visiting her online: 
Buy links:  Amazon / BN / BAM! / IndieBound / Kobo / iBooks / Goodreads

15 comments:

Katy said...

Sounds like you've been to my town. You huff if you have to stop at one of the two lights in town. The closest walmart is 20 - 30 minutes away. The school was a comprehensive and K - 12 were in the same building, just different wings. I can almost put my class in alphabetical order since the majority of us were together the whole 12 years.

Laney4 said...

Nice to see you here, Joanne!
Still often visit my hometown 30 mins away. Whether at friends' homes or their charming stores, I know more about what's going on there than most of their residents! (It doesn't hurt to "follow" online news websites too, hehe.) I must say that I can usually find my mom's plates at her local yard sales, as their grocery store sold tons of them decades ago!

Joanne Rock said...

Hi Katy! I know my hometown has grown since I lived there, but it was sure sleepy when I was growing up. I rode my bike everywhere and have the scars on my knees to prove it :-).

HollyJacobs said...

Joanne, I do love reading small town stories!! Can't wait for this one! Love the cover!!

Joanne Rock said...

Hey Laney! There's a friendly face... nice to see you too! I love that comment about the dishes. When the grocery store had the good deals, EVERYONE got that pattern! It's sure nice for the people who still use the classic-- makes it easy to replace the chipped pieces when their neighbors put them out for sale for pennies. I bought a girlfriend's set of dishes when she moved recently and I loved getting a whole set of great dishes inexpensively. They're new to ME
.

erin said...

Ok... I remember watching reruns of the Andy Griffith Show and I always thought that Mayberry would be fun to visit ;) Congrats on the upcoming release!!!

Mary Preston said...

My parents seemed to move from one small town to the next all my life. So it was not the place that drew me, but the people. The family was the constant, but not the locale.

Christy said...

I live in a bit of a bigger small town (about 30,000 people). It's not quite as rural as what you describe, and there are some bigger cities within a few hours drive time. It's the perfect balance for us. It's a great size for raising kids--plenty to do without the headaches of fighting big city traffic all the time. I'd love to read about Heartache. Thanks for the giveaway!!

Joanne Rock said...

Thanks Holly!! I'm having to use book 1 as my town continuity bible... Should have made more notes as I was writing, but at the time, I wasn't sure if I would make a series of it. But it's been so fun...

Joanne Rock said...
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Joanne Rock said...

Mayberry!! Good one, Erin :-).

Joanne Rock said...

I'll bet you could fill in the blank-- every small town should have _______. I vote for an excellent antique store and pizza shop.

Joanne Rock said...

Hi Christy! Thank you for stopping by the blog :-). It is nice to get somewhere bigger when you need an outing. We used to live in rural upstate NY, but if you cross the border to Canada... voila! Big city. Agree that balance is a good thing!

Joanne Rock said...
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Joanne Rock said...

Winner!!! Congratulations to Christy, winner of the thread prize! All I need is mailing addy at jrock008@gmail.com I'm so grateful to everyone for visiting this week and I look forward to another stop at Tote Bags n Blogs in October. Until then... Happy Fall, my friends!