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With: Wendy Byrne
Congratulations to "Kim M.", the winner in Wendy's giveaway. Thank you to all who participated!
Sometimes the setting is an integral part of the story. Who could forget about the richness of Tara pre-civil war in Gone with the Wind? Margaret Mitchell did an amazing job of bringing to life Scarlet’s Tara—both pre and post-Civil War. I don’t know about you, but I could nearly feel the richness of the land, the gaiety at the parties, along with that sense of the unknown of what lie ahead. And who could forget the falling of Atlanta? The setting drove Scarlet into yet another predicament when Melanie goes into labor. For that book, it was as much about the setting as the characters themselves.
Sometimes the setting is superfluous to the story. It’s more about weaving a story and it doesn’t really matter where it’s at. The characters are the real star of the show. In Bridget Jones Diary, it didn’t really matter where she was living. The story was about her evolving as she negotiated her way through relationships.In my book, The Millionaire’s Deception, it was mostly about the character’s growth, but being a fish out of water in a small town added to Rafe’s discomfort. Here’s a short snippet showing Rafe’s not-so-great adjustment to small town life:
Before he could skulk into anonymity, back to his hidey-hole upstairs, and figure out where he’d made a wrong turn, the book club ladies surrounded him. “Looks like you two had a bit of a tiff after your make-out session.” Louisa yanked at his arm to pull him from his thoughts.
“It was just a kiss. That’s it.” What the hell was wrong with this town? A kiss and the whole place went nuts. It was like they hadn’t seen anybody kiss before. Although he had to admit it was a pretty damn good kiss. Still…these folks had a few screws loose.
The sooner Frankie got out of this place, the better off she’d be.
“I don’t know about that. I practically saw sparks flying between the two of you,” Bette added none too quietly.
“There were no sparks flying.” He clenched his jaw. Where was a good psychiatrist when you needed one? This whole place needed to be committed.
Giveaway:
What’s your favorite book, and was it about the setting, the characters or both? Leave a comment for a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card.
Giveaway ends 11:59pm EST Feb. 25th. Please supply your email in the post. You may use spaces or full text for security. (ex. jsmith at gmail dot com) If you do not wish to supply your email, or have trouble posting, please email maureen@JustContemporaryRomance.com with a subject title of JCR GIVEAWAY to be entered in the current giveaway.
I don't know what it is about small town settings but I'm drawn to them like the proverbial moth to a flame:) Rather than one book it's a series that's my favorite. The Virgin River series will always be my favorite for the spirit of community it embodies and humor that goes with everyone being in your business.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post!
Jonettaallen77 at yahoo dot com
Thanks for the comment, Jonetta!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite book is Clan of The Cave Bear by Jean Auel. I love that it takes place in pre-historic times and even though it is fiction, I can imagine what it was like living at that time. The characters are wonderful too and help bring the story to life but I most like the setting.
ReplyDeletejoanne.boykoATyahooDOTcom
My favorite book is Clan of The Cave Bear by Jean Auel. I love that it takes place in pre-historic times and even though it is fiction, I can imagine what it was like living at that time. The characters are wonderful too and help bring the story to life but I most like the setting.
ReplyDeletejoanne.boykoATyahooDOTcom
Wow, I haven't read that in a long while. It certainly had it's own world with its own language as well as I recall.
DeleteFavorite book. That's pretty hard to pick.
ReplyDeleteBut I do find myself liking books set in small towns. You get a sense of everyone looking out for everyone else. When you have the big moment of I just lost the one person for me, someone is there to help you win them back.
I'm looking forward to reading this book.
Thank you for the chance to win.
kvmatlock (at) gmail (dot) com
Small towns are so interesting. I love Kristan Higgins Blue Heron series! She is hilarious!
DeleteI love visiting so many locales and characters in books! A book that stands out for me usually grabs ahold of my emotions... make me either laugh, cry, cringe, etc.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on that and I would add smirk. I often smirk when I read Lee Child or Julie Ann Walker because their characters are so fun!
DeleteI like small town romances, but I don't seek them out. As for my favourite books, there aren't many, but when I think of a character driven story "The Masquerade" by Brenda Joyce comes to my mind. It's about love, devotion and sacrifices. Loved it! Another favourite of mine is "Slow Heat in Heaven" by Sandra Brown and it takes place in the Louisiana bayou. I don't think that I would have enjoyed it as much if it were set in another place. It's almost like a character of its own.
ReplyDeletenatalija(dot)shkomare(at)gmail(dot)com
It's been a while since I've read Sandra Brown. I'll definitely have to pick that one up. For some reason, I love books set in Louisiana, especially New Orleans
Deletepride and prejudice for the characters; don't really care about settings
ReplyDeletebn100candg at hotmail dot com
Don't hate me, but I'm embarrassed to say I've never read Pride and Prejudice. I think I picked it up at the library once and never could get into it. I know I'm probably the only female on the planet that hasn't read it.
DeleteSusan Mallery's THE SHEIK'S SECRET BRIDE. What resonated with me was the way the story began and the way the story ended (setting), but I re-read the book every two years so that I can enjoy how Susan wrote the actual words (characters, etc.) - so my answer is both....
ReplyDeleteMaureen has my email address, thank you.