Guest Author: Carolynn Carey

Today we have author Carolynn Carey discussing...

Books Set in Small Towns: Love Them or Do You Care?

Thanks for having me today. It’s always fun to “talk” with other readers.

And although I’m a writer, I consider myself, first and foremost, a reader. I think the love of reading is what makes anyone want to become a writer. Creating worlds that can help other people escape for a few minutes or for a few hours is one of the most fulfilling endeavors one can undertake, in my opinion.

Speaking of creating worlds, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed writing books centered around the small fictional town of Barbourville, Tennessee. Dealing with Denver is my third book set in Barbourville, but each stands alone.

I don’t know about you, but I love books set in small towns, and they’re very popular right now. In Dealing with Denver, I drew on my experiences in growing up in a small town. Although I have lived in a city for many years, I still go back to that small town, both physically and emotionally, and I always revel in the closeness of the people.

In Dealing with Denver, Southern travel writer Mattie Meadows needs an excuse to spend a few days in Barbourville, Tennessee, without the town folk guessing why she’s there. Fortunately, she’s a frequent contributor to a magazine devoted to cottages, and Barbourville boasts a delightfully authentic, old-time cottage called Potter Place. After snagging an assignment to write about Potter Place, Mattie figures her goal is in sight. Then Denver Vance shows up at the cottage and everything changes.

Since Chicago attorney Denver Vance is merely passing through Barbourville on his way home, he decides to spend one night at his brother’s cottage, Potter Place, and then head north the following day. Problem is, there’s a stranger on the front porch acting as though he’s an intruder, and by the time Denver discovers who she is, he’s already been drawn into helping her with her clandestine search.

Both are aware that their time in Barbourville is limited, and although neither expects to fall in love, they do. Then Mattie succeeds in her quest and old Barbourville secrets come to light, secrets that could very well destroy Mattie’s and Denver’s chances for happiness.

Will Mattie and Denver find a way to mesh their very different worlds and settle down in Barbourville? Or will the secrets they’ve uncovered forever taint their future in the small town?

What about you? Were you raised in the city or a small town or even in the country? Do you think where you were raised has any influence on the setting you prefer for the books you read?

Carolynn Carey loves writing about small towns and large towns, about the present and the past, about Tennessee and about long-ago England. To learn more about her various books, visit her website at http://www.CarolynnCarey.com.