Michele Summers | Small Southern Town Romance

Small Southern towns are great fun to write with their slower pace and close knit communities. Here are the top three things I like about writing small towns:

1. Wacky characters. In a small town wacky secondary characters can say just about any darn thing and get it away with it. In Not So New In Town, one of my favorite secondary characters, Dottie Duncan, confronts Brogan in his health food store about the kind of product he sells. She owns the Toot-N-Tell, a chain of drive through convenience stores that sells every kind of junk food imaginable.

“Hey, Miz Duncan. What can I do for you?” Brogan asked.

Dottie crossed her arms beneath her massive chest and cocked one hip as she tapped her red, white, and blue cowboy boot on his repurposed wood floor. “You selling ciggies?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Chew tobaccie?”

“Nope.”

“RC Colas and MoonPies?”

“No.”

“Cheerwine and four-cornered Nabs?”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Good. Then I don’t see any problems.”

Along with some very nosy Harmony residents, there are quite a few wacky secondary characters who are on a mission to get a ring on their finger. One of my favorites, Jo Ellen Huggins, is a recurring character and tries hard to wrangle Brogan at one of the tastings in his store.

“Why, Brogan Reese, you’ve been back in town for five months, and not once have you stopped by for a visit. Ooh, are those muffins?” Jo Ellen plucked a muffin piece from the basket in his hand and popped it in her mouth. “These are so-o-o good. Here, try one.”

“Nah, I—” Jo Ellen’s fingers shoved fresh banana nut muffin in his mouth as she smiled.

“You know, I’m hosting a Mary Kay party at my house next Thursday, and I would love to serve these. What else do you suggest?” she purred. Brogan had a strong feeling Jo Ellen didn’t want to hear about healthy food options. She had something more carnal on the menu…with him as the main course.

2. Small towns are the perfect setting for a tight knit community where everyone knows your business and expresses their opinion on it whether you want them to or not. Harmony is known for people spouting their opinions on every topic imaginable. One of the most frequent places that this occurs is at the local restaurant, The Dog. If you’re dumb enough to make a declaration at The Dog then you deserve what comes next. Brogan finds this out the hard way.

“Is Lucy having trouble sleeping?”

“She needs to see Doc Mayfield for some of those pills.”

“Lucy needs a good man.”

Holy hell. Harmony at its finest as patrons shouted out their concern over Lucy. Clancy kept right on talk¬ing horseshit. “…’cuz I’ve got fifty ways to show Lucy a good time. I’d take her cow-tipping, and I’d sleep with her under the stars by the lake, and…”

“My son Tervis is a good man. He’ll sleep with Lucy.”

Seething, Brogan ground his teeth as Clancy spoke over the bar chatter, leaning his dirty hand on the table. “I will sleep with Lucy any day of the week and twice on Sunday.”

Brogan slammed his fist on the table, making the beer bottles jump. “Lucy is off limits. If anyone sleeps with Lucy, it’s gonna be me!” Silence filled the air except for the jukebox playing Tim McGraw’s “Real Good Man.” Forty-five pairs of eyes stared at him, and forty-five mouths hung open.

3. Re-connecting with old friends is a common plot in small town romances. It’s natural for a character to wander down familiar streets and recall childhood memories of growing up. After returning home, Lucy realizes everyone from her past is thrilled to see her especially her BFF, Wanda Pattershaw. Lucy and Wanda make a classic pair like Lucy and Ethel or Thelma and Louise. Wanda is great at making Lucy feel welcome and even better at getting Lucy in trouble… just like old times.

“This looks perfect,” Wanda said, stepping back, head tilted to admire her handiwork. “Take a look.” She moved away from the full-length mirror in her bedroom. Lucy’s eyes bugged out. She tugged on the hem that barely covered her thighs and slapped her hand to her breasts, threatening to spill from the purple-and-white animal-print dress painted on her body. She looked like a hooker ready for Hollywood Boulevard, not a pretty girl ready for a nice steak restaurant in conservative Raleigh.

“You’re kidding, right?” Lucy tried yanking up the neckline. “I’m going on a dinner date…not staking a corner with my pimp. I’m wearing the black-and-silver number over there.” Lucy pointed to the dress she’d tried on earlier.

Wanda sniffed. “I thought you were trying to reel in a hot lover, not respectability at the Conways’ Bible study,” she said, peeling the skin-tight dress over Lucy’s head. “Stop wiggling,” she groused.

What’s your favorite thing about a small town?

Hope you’ll learn more about small towns by reading NOT SO NEW IN TOWN. Thank you for having me on Fresh Fiction and I look forward to hearing from you.

About Michele Summers

Michele Summers writes funny romances set in small Southern towns with sassy heroines, witty heroes and wacky, small-town characters, along with a satisfying happily ever after. Michele started her fiction writing career after Hurricane Wilma hit Miami and she was without power for over a week. Bored to tears, she scrounged for a legal pad and pen, and with the help of a trusty flashlight, started writing. Thrilled to have found another creative outlet, she's been writing ever since, when she's not working as an interior designer, personal chef, playing tennis, or raising her two great kids.

Presently, she resides in North Carolina where she grew up with her family, but she still miss sunny South Florida, swaying palm trees and wearing open-toed shoes...everyday!

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About NOT SO NEW IN TOWN

You can’t go back, and you can’t stand still…

Lucy Doolan is a marketing genius. She can sell rain to a frog and snow to a polar bear. Newly single and unemployed, she’s lured back to her hometown of Harmony, North Carolina to help out her pregnant evil stepsister…only to find former crush heartthrob Brogan Reese has returned too, to open a new business in town. To add insult to injury, he’s still hot.

If the thunder don’t get you, then the lightning will…

Brogan never noticed Lucy much when they were young, but seventeen people have recommended her to help him. She’s got his attention now. With her sweet personality, brilliant imagination, and penchant for doing the completely unpredictable, Brogan is finding a whole lot of excuses to spend his days—and nights—with Lucy.