City Girl Writes Small Town

Hello. Happy First Day of Summer! Happy Father's Day!

We're talking about settings this month, and that sure plays a big role in my Harlequin American Romances. The first book I sold to HAR was set in a small Texas Hill Country town. (I love the Hill Country.) I had no idea when Melissa Jeglinski bought the proposal that I would end up writing only about small Texas towns. She suggested I continue the series, then Kathleen Scheibling suggested I begin a new Texas town when she became senior editor. That was fine with me because I'd just about run out of single twenty and thirty-somethings in Ranger Springs!

The odd thing might be that I'm a city girl. I've never lived in a small town. I grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, where the metropolitan area is about a million people. Then I moved to Denver, Colorado, and after three years, to a suburb of Dallas, Texas. I was blessed to have wonderful Texas in-laws who told great stories of growing up in small towns. They had lived all over the state. Texas is a lot more than rolling grasslands, cattle and oil wells. Those are the settings we most often see in books and movies, but there is a huge coastline, wetlands, pine forests, desert and mountains way out west. If you've ever driven across Texas (in any direction) you know just how huge this state is.

I've had a lot of fun creating Texas towns, although there are some issues to consider. I really do try to base my settings in the reality of the region and the economy, without being depressing. Many towns are really hurting now, with industries closing, people being laid off from their jobs, high costs of everything, and a growing problem with drugs. We don't want to read too much about those realities, though, at least not without a happy ending. We need to put the issues faced by our characters in the context of rising above obstacles, solving problems and finding love.

Speaking of finding love, my husband and I went to see "The Proposal" today, and I highly recommend the movie. Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds are great together, and Betty White steals the show. The setting is a small town in Alaska, and specifically an island estate. The only way to get there is by boat, which the writer/director used very effectively. This is contrasted with the characters' "normal world," New York City. It's definitely a romance. Make sure you stay for the credits and the short conversations with immigration at the end.

Have a great Sunday, a happy Father's Day, and a wonderful summer. For those of you coming to RWA National conference this summer in Washington, DC, I'll see you there!