Welcome to Redemption, the charming town in Wisconsin created by two talented authors, Stacey Joy Netzel and Donna Marie Rogers. I’m really happy to showcase Stacey and Donna because, as critique partners, they’ve created a unique, interlinked series of wonderful stories about life and love in a small town in America’s heartland.
Like many romance readers today, I love small town contemporaries. The evocation of a quieter, gentler life, founded on deeply felt relationships between families and friends who’ve all know each other forever is deeply appealing in the fast-paced and often fractured world of modern society. When life gets us down or feels a little two frantic, there’s nothing like a small town contemporary to ease the tension and bring some warmth and sanity back into our reading lives.
And that’s exactly what the Welcome To Redemption series does. These are truly lovely, warm-hearted stories about ordinary men and women in this great little town, who fall in love and overcome life’s challenges to find their HEAs. Here’s what Jane Toombs, the multi-published award winning author had to say about the first set of stories in the series:
“Welcome to Redemption by, Donna Marie Rogers and Stacey Joy Netzel offers four refreshing and heartwarming stories. These stories bring readers right into the heart of this town, and the lives of its people, with four happy and romantic endings. Reading this book was a real pleasure.”
The Romance Studio gave Welcome To Redemption 5 hearts, and called it “a marvelous book.” And it is a marvelous book – I’ve read it and I loved it, and I’m a real fan of Stacey’s and Donna’s writings. I also love the fact that the series is a collaborative effort that interweaves the talents of these two writers into a seamless collection of four tales.
Both Stacey and Donna have garnered critical acclaim for their other books, too. Stacey’s Mistletoe Rules was the winner of the 2010 Wisconsin Write Touch Contest, and also received a Top Pick from Night Owl Romance and was nominated for Best Book of 2009 at Long and Short Reviews. And Donna’s contemporary romance, Meant To Be You, took second place in the prestigious Bean Pot Award and was also a finalist in the Wisconson Write Touch Contest in 2010.
For their next collaborative effort, Stacey and Donna have returned to the world of Redemption. They obtained the rights back to their orginal WTR anthology, re-edited all four stories, and added additional contents to Books 1, 3, and 4. Then, they each wrote two brand NEW stories to continue the series with Books 5 and 6. I’m really thrilled for them, and very much looking forward to revisiting the inhabitants of the lovely small town of Redemption, Wisconsin.
On Thursday of this week, all six books in the series will be available as digital reads on Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, and for other eReaders. And to kick-start the newly edited series, Stacey and Donna will be giving away some of the new books for free. Be sure to check their websites on Thursday for all the details.
But I also want to celebrate the release of the new Redemption books, so I’m doing a giveaway today. Just tell me what you most like (or don’t like) about small town contemporary romance. One person who comments will win the first two books in this truly lovely series.
Hi,
I love small town contemporary romances, I love the settings for the town in them and love how the town people are friends and help each other out. I really haven’t found anything I dislike about them.
Penney
Yep. I love the sense of community in small town stories.
I grew up in a small town — sometimes I wish I still lived there… but I always enjoy reading about them…. Thanks for the alert to these great sounding books!!
Thanks for stopping by, Cate!
The REDEMPTION world seems both charming and welcoming, which is what I find us ally find in small town contemporary romances. There are so much a small-town has to offer: a place belong (not be loss in the masses), of contributing and of stability (small-towns are often slow to change). Of course, at its heart is the community where the people make up a wonderful support system.
What I like most of all about small town contemporary romance is the interconnected relationships. While the romance is the focus, the people, neighbors, family, the local barber, the owner of the knit shop across the street, the local librarian etc. are often brought in and given distinct traits. They personalize the town and contribute to the story in a noticeable way. I like their secondary stories and it is what rounds out a great romance.
Great analysis, Na! It’s true that many small town romances have a large ensemble of characters that the reader can grow very attached to.
Just got home from my WisRWA chapter meeting–great time, too. Great program! Thanks so much for having us, Vanessa.
Penney, Cate and Na, thanks so much for coming by. I grew up in a town of about 1000 people and couldn’t wait to get out. After some time in the big cities, I’m back in the country and small town living and wouldn’t have it any other way. 🙂
We have a few ‘characters’ in Redemption. Motormouth Marv, Mrs. Langhart who runs the book club, and June Dolinski with her pot-bellied pig, Sweet Pea.
The local librarian, now, that’s Matt, and he’s something! You meet him in The Perfect Blend.
Stacey, I’m thanks for stopping by. And thanks for writing such great stories!
Vanessa, thank you so much for having us! Just got back online after fighting with this old piece of crap computer, getting booted over and over until I almost pitched it out the window. I really need to invest in a new one….LOL
Thank you, Penney, Cate, and Na for stopping by. Completely opposite of Stacey, I grew up in the south suburbs of Chicago, so I was always fascinated by small town life. My husband and I moved up to Northeast Wisconsin nearly 18 years ago, and I’ve never been happier. 🙂
When I started writing, all the characters in my head lived in small towns, so that’s where my heart is.
The Perfect Blend, book 3, features the town librarian, who isn’t quite who he seems. 😉 We have the beautician who works out of her home, the sexiest EMT you’ll ever meet, a handyman who is quite, quite handy…LOL Stacey and I love our little town and all it’s quirky inhabitants, and we hope everyone who reads the series falls in love with them as well. 🙂
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