If Iām anything, Iām a small-town girl.
I grew up in a small town in the middle of coal mines and corn fields. Populationā900. My graduating class had 24 students; somewhere around 15 of us had been together since preschool. Looking back, it was an interesting experience.
We were almost our own little family. We knew each otherās secrets. Every birthday since all of us were five, some before, we all attended. We were there in Kindergarten when Bryan* cut Eveās hair and Mrs. S let us finger paint with chocolate pudding. We joined forces to throw Mrs. R a 40th birthday party in third grade. Lennon stuck a paper clip in an outlet and the hallway smelled like fire all afternoon in sixth grade. (And we all know who dared him to do it.)
We ate our lunches together in the old gym with its hardwood floors and dilapidated stage where weād host cheerleading practice when the basketball team ran late in the new gym. We cared for a student who had emotional outbursts in high school when the substitute teachers were bamboozled and didnāt know what to do. āWe got this,ā weād say. āCan you just go into the hallway? Give us ten.ā We knew what to do. Weād known him his whole life.
Small-town life runs through my veins. Itās embedded in my DNA. Ice cream socials, Sunday dinners at Grandmaās, and making chicken and noodles as a fundraiser are what I know better than anything.
And thatās why I often write small-town romances.
The Carmichael series are just thatāa tightly knit family that relies on each other the way I was brought up. They may fight and bicker (and add giant chickens to each otherās yard), but they're family at the end of the day.
And when they bring home the girls that steal their heart? Theyāre immediately family too.
The world has gone mad. I can barely turn on the television or radioāand letās not start with social media. Ugh. Everywhere we turn, thereās gunk and devastation.
Thatās why delivering feel-good, heart-warming romances is wildly important to me.
Few things are more magical, reassuring, and hopeful than reading a story filled with laughs and love. Setting those types of tales into worlds like I know, small-town life, is a marriage made in heaven.
Speaking of marriage ā¦ in Flaunt, my hero, Banks, poses as his heroineās fake fiance. Itās supposed to be one night, one event. But it turns into so much more.
If youāre looking for a weekend read, I hope youāll check it out.
xo,
Addy
*Names have been changed to protect the guilty.
Me and my mom during Football Homecoming. This is easily the biggest event of the year in my hometown. The alumni come in, there are alumni softball games, a big party, a festival, and, of course, the football game and crowning of Homecoming Queen. I was crowned queen a few minutes after this photo was taken.
Since itās graduation season, Iāve been looking at my old graduation phots. This is me and Mr. Locke during my high school graduation. We called that hairstyle ātopsy talesā. I see the young kids (Ha!) doing it now on Tiktok. So funny.
There is nothing more small-town Indiana than this picture. Basketball Homecoming my sophomore year. Dribbling a ball in heels and a dress.
Meet Banks Carmichael, my small-town, blue-collar hero, in Flaunt. Live now on Amazon and free with Kindle Unlimited. Narration by Jacob Morgan and Mckenzie Cartwright coming next week.
ā¤ļø love the behind the scene stories and the throw back pictures. The one of you and Mr.L is so sweet. You can see he loves you in that smile.
These posts are as special as your books.