I’ve tried to explain this before, and I’m not sure I ever quite get it right.
But there is something about small towns in Maine that feels like a story waiting to be told.
It’s the corner diner where the server knows your order before your order!
It’s the post office bulletin board layered with handwritten notices.
It’s the white church steeple rising against a soft gray sky.
It’s the way Main Street goes quiet by eight o’clock.
Maine towns don’t perform for you.
They simply exist.
And I think that’s why I’m drawn to write about them. I grew up in a small town in Massachusetts and have always loved small towns.
When I picture Chickadee Falls or Misty River or any of the little towns I create, I’m always pulling from something real, something I’ve lived. In small towns, people see you. That’s the part that stays with me.
They notice when you haven’t been to church in a few weeks.
They bring casseroles when there’s a loss.
They show up for tree lightings, school concerts, fall festivals, and fundraisers.
Small towns hold history in layers. The old inn that’s changed hands three times. The farmhouse that’s been in one family for generations. The empty storefront that everyone hopes will reopen in the spring.
There’s something deeply romantic about that kind of rootedness.
Maybe because so many of us are longing for it.
We live in a world that moves fast. People relocate. Jobs change. Connections can feel temporary. But a small Maine town? It whispers something different.
Stay.
Build something here.
Let your life intertwine with others.
When I write small-town romance, I’m not just writing about a love story between two people. I’m writing about belonging. About finding your place. About choosing to stay when it would be easier to leave.
Maine, especially, carries that quiet strength. The rocky coastline. The pine forests. The long winters that demand resilience. The short summers that feel like a gift.
It shapes the people who live there.
And maybe, in some way, it’s shaped me too.
So when I sit down to write, I don’t have to invent the heartbeat of a town.
I’ve heard it.
I’ve felt it.
I carry it with me.
And that’s why I keep going back.
— Lori 🌲💙