I’m excited to have a guest blogger today — Jane Myers Perrine, the author of the new, acclaimed Butternut Creek series, the debut of which, The Welcome Committee of Butternut Creek: A Novel, will hit shelves on April 3!

Take it away, Jane!

What do I love about a small town?

We lived in Buchanan Dam, Texas, population nearly 1,700, for seven years. Our subdivision, just east of the post office and west of the dam, consisted of five houses all snuggled together in a leafy paradise overlooking Lake Buchanan. We had the greatest neighbors in the world.

One evening at nearly ten o’clock, George called me into his study and said, “I think I’m having a heart attack.”
Exactly what every wife wants to hear. I called 9-1-1 and went out on the front porch to wait. By the time EMS arrived, our neighbors had gathered to help. One of our neighbors was a nurse with terminal cancer. She was there immediately, to make sure we were okay. She stood by as George was loaded into the ambulance. Fortunately, he was fine, but her standing there calmed me.

When our closest neighbor died, George performed the funeral. When our neighbors on the lake sold chickens for their Four-H project, everyone bought one. Any time anyone needed anything, our neighbors down the hill were there to pitch in.

By the time Suzanne died, we’d moved to Austin but we came back for her funeral to sit with our neighbors.

I used these memories to create the warm community of Butternut Creek.

I used these memories to create the warm community of Butternut Creek. Friends taking care of each other—that’s what I love about a small town.

Here’s Jane’s bio: Jane Myers Perrine has taught high school and college Spanish and worked as a program director in non-profit agencies as well as being chosen an outstanding citizen of Louisville for her volunteer work. She writes stories with humor and deep emotion.

The Welcome Committee of Butternut Creek, the first book in Jane Myers Perrine’s Tales of Butternut Creek will be available April 3, 2012. The hero of the series is a young minister called to serve a church in Butternut Creek, TX. Jane, an ordained minister, has served several churches as well as following her minister husband from small towns to big cities. Library Journal wrote: “Perrine, an ordained minister, convincingly takes readers through the social and spiritual challenges that Jordan faces.”

Thanks for guest blogging today, Jane! Can’t wait to read the book in April!

You can pre-order your copy here.

So tell me, readers, what are your thoughts about series books, particularly books set around a small, close-knit community? Personally, I love visiting the same characters and places in a series. How about you?