Hometown Inspiration

I remember the moment I came up with my Sandwich book idea.

I was sitting around the table at my in-law's house, talking about writing. I'd recently finished writing my FIRST book and was dipping my toe into what I needed to do to actually, like, you know, publish the darn thing.

And one thing became very clear. Writing one, solitary book does not a long-term author make.

So we were talking about books and where to set them at. Since the only piece of writing "advice" I'd ever heard up until that point was "Write what you know" I began to go through locations that I *knew*.

Starting with my hometown, the place I was born.

The moment the thought entered my brain, my breath hitched.

It was perfect. I write romantic comedy. I was BORN in the city of SANDWICH.

What if I write a book set there???

My family thought it was a hilariously fun idea.

So over the next few months, I brainstormed the idea--to feature a book with a "sandwich" theme based in the town of Sandwich, Illinois.

My hero would own a sandwich shop. Since that sounded a little too cliche, I thought I'd change it up and make it a nice restaurant that specialized in fancy sandwiches verses a deli type thing.

And my hero and heroine would have a bit of a "sandwich" plot. My hero would already have a girlfriend who was OH-SO-WRONG for him but the heroine would work for him and constantly be put in the middle of the two, feeling like a smushed piece of bologna in between two feuding pieces of bread.

That book went on to be my DEBUT novel, Sandwich, with a Side of Romance, from Abingdon Press.

I also decided to make the whole series be a bit of a 3-layer novella sandwich on novel bread---

 

Novel

Novella

Novella

Novella

Novel

So far, A Side of Faith released in August, 2014, A Side of Hope released in March 2015, and A Side of Love will release December 2015.

The last piece of the Sandwich will release in 2016, a novel called The Greatest is Love.

It's the topping on the sandwich!

It was SUCH FUN using my hometown for inspiration. I used some liberties and inserted businesses from my childhood that have since closed down. But I used a few that are still there and are iconic to the town's history. It's SUPER fun to have someone contact me and be like, "Oh my goodness, I live in Sandwich! I know exactly what you're talking about!"


So what about you? Where were you born, or what town do you consider your 'hometown"? Have you ever considered setting your books in that town?

Major props if you town has a name crazier than Sandwich!