Jennifer Shirk | Why the Jersey Shore Makes a Great Small-Town Setting
Hi, all, Jennifer here. Some of you may (or may not) know that a majority of the
books that I've written usually take place in some sort of small New Jersey
shore town.
Why? Well, most likely because I live in a small NJ shore town and I
know it like the back of my hand. However, I also like to write about it,
because there are so many bad ways NJ is depicted (yes, I'm looking at you,
Jersey Shore TV show) that I feel the need to capture the better things
about New Jersey.
Today, I'm happy to share with you WHY southern NJ shore towns make great
small-town settings:
the year round population of most of the shore towns by me can range
anywhere from 2,000 to 11,000โnot counting Atlantic City. (In the summer that
can increase to sometimes 200,000 people) But they are true small towns in the
winter! Everybody knows everybody!
NJ shore towns have the most beautiful beaches. In fact, Ocean City, NJ was
rated Best Beach in America by Coastal Living magazine this year
beating out beaches in CA! Your hero or heroine can surf, fish, crab,
paddleboard, or just walk the beach together at sunset.
Most southern shore towns have a boardwalk and/or downtown shopping
district. The town I live in has BOTH, which adds to the things your heroine or
hero can experience together. In my new release, FROM FAKE TO FOREVER, Ben
and Sandra take Sandra's daughter to the boardwalk for pizza and rides.
Because most southern NJ shore towns have such a small year round
population, the Chamber of Commerce always plan many fun (sometimes silly)
events all year long to bring tourists into town. Some of my favorites are sand
sculpting contests, local restaurant week, "Night in Venice," which is an annual
boat parade, block parties, antique car and air shows, quiet festivals, and
taffy sculpting.
I can go on, but these are just few examples of some of things that make NJ
such a wonderful setting for my small-town romances. I hope you all get to check
out FROM FAKE TO FOREVER
and its setting of the shore town of Woodmanor, NJ. :-)
Their arrangement is fake, but the attraction is real.
Sandra Moyerโs preschool is struggling, so when her sister suggests allowing
a super-famous actor to research his latest role there, she reluctantly agrees.
Except the actor turns out to be Ben Capshawโa playboy whoโs never serious,
always joking around, and who knows zero about kids or being a parent. Case in
point: his involvement in the untimely death of the preschoolโs class petโฆ
Ben is enjoying teaching more than he thought he would, but that doesnโt mean
heโs looking for a permanent position. Sure, heโs ready for more serious movie
roles and less goofing off, but the buttoned-up, beautiful Sandra and her young
daughter are more than he bargained for. Plus, Sandra still wonโt trust himโwhat
if itโs all an act, research for the role? As the lines between make- believe
and reality blur, Ben will have to decide if love is worth casting aside the
role of his life for a new roleโฆthat could last a lifetime.
Jennifer Shirk has a bachelor degree in pharmacy-which has in NO WAY at all
helped her with her writing career. But she likes to point it out, since it
shows romantic-at-hearts come in all shapes, sizes, and mind-numbing
educations.
She writes sweet (and sometimes even funny) romances for Samhain Publishing,
Avalon Books/Montlake Romance and now Entangled Publishing. She won third place
in the RWA 2006 NYC's Kathryn Hayes Love and Laughter Contest with her first
book, THE ROLE OF A LIFETIME. Recently, her novel SUNNY DAYS FOR SAM won the
2013 Golden Quill Published Authors Contest for Best Traditional Romance.
Lately she's been on a serious exercise kick. But don't hold that against her.
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