Where Are the "Little City" Romance Books?
A Q&A with Central Valley romance authors
Hey there! Many of you are new to Grumpy + Sunshine, so welcome. We’ve got a fun panel interview today, but first: I’m in the middle of my summer book tour!
To recap, I’m still on cloud nine after the Bay Area Book Festival. I ended up selling out of books halfway through, and my husband had to drop off more stock in the afternoon. A gigantic thank you to everyone who stopped by my booth!
And congrats to Amy N. for winning my crochet Karl the Fog 🎉
The festivities are far from over, though. If you’re on the West Coast, come join me at the following events this month:
San Francisco Authors Fair at Sports Basement in San Francisco, CA, on Saturday, June 7, at 1-4 p.m. (free to the public). I can’t imagine a better location for a book fair than the beautiful Presidio.
Love and Paklava Launch Party at Judging By the Cover Bookstore in Fresno, CA, on Tuesday, June 17, from 6-8 p.m. (free, but RSVP to save your seat). I’m returning to my hometown and determined to max out this space. I encourage every resident in the 559 to come!
Love and Devotion in Burbank, CA, on June 20-21 (tickets required). Let’s face it: there aren’t that many romance book conventions in California, so this is your chance to meet 100+ authors (my personal heaven).
Speaking of California, I’m on a mission to connect with as many Central Valley romance authors I can find, and today I participated in an interview with two of them.
I’m excited to introduce you to Anita and Yeiri as we chat about living in the heartland that feeds the nation. Small-town romances get all the hype, but where are the books about little cities, like Fresno, Bakersfield, and Stockton?
Well, we’re writing them, and if you make it to the end of this interview, I’ll tell you how you can win some signed copies!
Meet the Panelists
Alyssa Jarrett is a romance author and content marketer based in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the only thing funnier than working in tech is writing about it. Her latest book, Love and Paklava, is an Armenian bakery romance set in her hometown of Fresno. When she’s not telling steamy, satirical love stories, she can be found drinking an iced tea or cuddling with her husband and three cats.
Anita Morenos is the author of Drift, a paranormal M/M slow-burn romance about a gay Latino man returning to his Central Valley hometown, body-swapping with his boss’s Audi, and being put on a path toward healing and recovering mental health.
Yeiri Farias resides in the California Central Valley. Inspired by her father and her maternal grandmother, she fell in love with literature at a young age, and has an ever-growing list of books to read and stories to write. She loves reading romance, cozy mysteries, and horror books. Her poetry and short stories have been published or are scheduled to appear in Gypsophila Zine; Vial of Bones Zine; Flies, Cockroaches, and Poets; The San Joaquin Review; and others. Love Me Under the Stars is her debut novel. She is a general editor at Vial of Bones Zine, Eurydice Lit Mag, and the Editor-in-Chief of Abundance Literary Magazine.
A Q&A on Love in the Little City
1. Introduce yourself! How would you describe who you are and what you do?
Alyssa Jarrett (A.J.): It feels weird to be introducing myself on my own Substack, but for those who are new, I’m a rom-com author, born and raised in Fresno and now living in the Bay Area. I’m childfree-by-choice and the fur mom to three outrageously cute cats. When I’m not rambling about romance books, I offer content marketing services to tech companies.
Anita Morenos (A.M.): I am a bi Latina writer born and raised in various parts of the Central Valley. Writing has been a large part of my life both personally and professionally.
Yeiri Farias (Y.F.): Hello! My name is Yeiri. I am an avid reader and enjoy variety in genres; I don't like to be confined to only one type of book. One day, I could be reading a thriller, and the next day, I could be kicking my feet to the fluffiest romance.
I'm working on getting my degree in Creative Writing, which has been encouraging me to work on multiple genres, such as literary fiction, horror, poetry, and many more. In addition to my academic work, I've recently founded Abundance Literary Magazine, which promotes the work of other writers and artists.
2. What got you into the romance genre, and what were the books that made the biggest impact on you?
A.J.: I’m old enough to remember the “chick lit” era of the early aughts, so my first foray into the romance genre was reading Meg Cabot and Sophie Kinsella.
As I started book blogging in grad school, I especially fell in love with Julie James’ FBI/U.S. Attorney series and Vicki Lewis Thompson’s Nerd series. I’d say those were the most formative books to shape my brand as a rom-com writer of sexy, fashionable women in the big city.
A.M.: I slowly fell into the romance genre over the last few years. I often like romance when it's a subplot, but as I grew older and continued writing fiction, I found that I developed my own tastes within the genre that meshed with my personal development.
Y.F.: I started reading romance a while back, but not in an enthusiastic manner because of the inner patriarchal fears of being "like other girls." It was something that I read sparingly, until it wasn't.
I found some romance books that made me feel alive, as if I wanted to be inside the book. The best part was that it opened up the romance community, which embraced me as a new reader.
Some of those books that made me read more romance and impacted my perception are:
Well Met, by Jen DeLuca, in matters of chemistry and character arcs.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, when it comes to character development and making the protagonist imperfect.
Go Hex Yourself by Jessica Clare—I loved the humor and the irony in this book.
The Fastest Way to Fall by Denise Williams—this book introduced me to variety in the romance genre, that the romantic plots do not have to fit inside a mold.
3. What are your favorite romance subgenres and tropes, and why?
A.J.: I read mostly contemporary rom-com, but I also love historical, paranormal, and monster. My favorite tropes to read and write are enemies-to-lovers, opposites attract, fish out of water, and grumpy/sunshine.
There’s something so satisfying about bringing people together who aren’t a good match on paper and making them fall in love against all common sense.
A.M.: Enemies and/or reluctant allies to lovers is so fun to follow. Watching feelings of hate turn into love is so fascinating.
Y.F.: I absolutely love supernatural romance and time-travel romance! As for tropes, I like the "but he's a ghost" trope, family secrets, friends-to-lovers, and forbidden romance.
4. What’s your relationship to the Central Valley?
A.J.: I was born and raised in Fresno, specifically Sanger for those in the know. My mother’s side of the family is Armenian, and I took for granted what it was like living in a tight-knit cultural community until I moved to Santa Cruz for college and realized most people don’t know Armenians exist.
A.M.: For privacy reasons, I mostly grew up within Tulare County. My parents were farm workers, working with grapes and pomegranates, as well as operating irrigation systems and various tractors.
Y.F.: I have made my home in the Central Valley since 2014, well over a decade now. I like traveling within the Central Valley because we’re surrounded by nature.
5. In what ways has the Central Valley influenced your writing?
A.J.: As someone who was raised in a small town and now lives in a big city, I know what it’s like to have complicated feelings about your hometown. When I was growing up, there was nothing I wanted more than to leave and seek greener pastures, so to speak.
Now, even though I love living in the Bay, I understand what draws people to the Central Valley and what keeps them there. It’s that dichotomy that makes me want to write more authentic settings and love stories.
A.M.: Growing up in and outside small towns, surrounded by small homes or pomegranates, it felt like everything was so open and spacious, but also small and constricting.
Y.F.: The Central Valley is rich in nature; there are hiking trails, rivers, lakes, and fields that bloom beautifully in the spring; the elements of nature around me are something that I like to weave into my own scenes and settings when I write.
The way that being surrounded by beautiful cherry blossoms or the calm that I feel when I hike next to a stream—I want to give that to my readers, to help them feel it through my words.
6. Are your books based on real-life locations in the Central Valley?
A.J.: Absolutely! My latest rom-com, Love and Paklava, takes place in Fresno, specifically downtown, where my Armenian grandfather owned an automotive shop.
It also references real-life locations, such as Fresno State, Dog House Grill, and the Forestiere Underground Gardens, which is a fascinating hidden gem that everyone needs to add to their bucket list.
Sanger residents will especially appreciate my deep cuts, like mentioning Chuck Wagon and the Sanger S, which is painted on the side of Mt. Campbell.
A.M.: Within Drift and a few other upcoming works, the fictional town of Southpoint is a mixture of Bakersfield, Tulare, and Delano. I didn't go out much as a kid, so I know I didn't really experience the real sides of these towns—I mostly lived in very rural areas outside these towns.
Y.F.: I'm at an early point in my career and have only one book published. The setting of Love Me Under The Stars is not based in the Central Valley, but I mix inspiration between the Valley and my natal town.
There is a scene in that book that was inspired by the Tulare Fair and the Fresno Fair in terms of colors, food, and the overall atmosphere. There is another scene where the setting is inspired by River Park in Fresno, specifically the small green park located in the center of it.
7. How do you feel about small-town vs. big-city romances, and how would you categorize your Central Valley-inspired setting?
A.J.: The Central Valley is complex. On the one hand, Fresno is the fifth-largest city in California, with a population of more than 500,000 residents. However, it’s largely agricultural and feels like a collection of small towns, such as Sanger and Clovis.
I wanted to capture that “little city” friction in Love and Paklava, in which Fresno feels like the “middle of nowhere” to folks in larger cities, especially along the California coast, while also recognizing that it’s an economic hub with world-class education and farms that literally feed the nation.
A.M.: I feel like the small-town romances come with a pressure of notoriety because everyone more or less knows each other, including your business. The setting on Drift is small-town, even if places like Bakersfield and Tulare aren't considered small.
Y.F.: I like both settings for romance: small towns allow for a closer relationship between the characters, while big cities make the adventures of the characters more fun.
My novel is set in a small town. If I could compare it to a town in the Central Valley, I'd say it contains the fairs and festivals of Fresno and Tulare, although in a smaller setting, like that of Dinuba, Merced, and Selma.
8. What do you love MOST and LEAST about the Central Valley?
A.J.:
Most: The diversity is unparalleled. There are over 100 languages spoken in the Central Valley, which means you grow up around so many cultures. To this day, I’m still on the hunt for Armenian food that rivals what I grew up with.
Least: Other than its 115-degree summers and atrocious air quality, the Central Valley is called the “Bible Belt of California” for a reason. Sanger’s congressional representative was embarrassingly Devin Nunes for ten years. Although I was raised conservatively, I feel much more at home in politically left-leaning spaces (and my books reflect that).
A.M.:
Most: It's a diverse area of strong Latinidad. I've also lived within small hubs of Filipino and Sikh culture.
Least: Major areas are religious and conservative. I hope that changes.
Y.F.:
Most: I love the community of writers and poets that we have in the Valley. From poetry slams to book festivals, there is always something going on in the literary scene.
Least: The fact that there is not much nightlife other than bars. Businesses close early, and the only places to be outside with friends are bars.
9. What do you think people misunderstand about the Central Valley?
A.J.: Growing up, I struggled with classist bias about what accomplishment looked like. In many ways, “brain drain” is a real issue, in which high-achieving college graduates move to urban areas for better job prospects.
But Fresno also has some of the best teaching and nursing programs in the state, and there are smart, brilliant people doing their best to retain talent. I would love California as a whole to prioritize alleviating the housing crisis and investing in public transportation and infrastructure to give everyone access to equal opportunities.
A.M.: Agriculture might be mostly what we're known for, but we have a diverse population.
Y.F.: In my experience, many people think that we only have cows and grapevines, with some other individuals saying that the valley is in the middle of nowhere.
10. On this Substack, we like to get grumpy and share our hottest takes. What’s making you grumpy about Romancelandia or the publishing industry right now?
A.J.: In Love and Paklava, I have a line that says, “the best neighborhoods shouldn’t mean the whitest,” so if you’re writing small-town romances that aren’t diverse, I am giving you major side eye.
A.M.: Hmmm...the mainstream could switch things up a little, maybe. More diverse themes, go a little deeper with the character work, maybe? That's all I want to say, ha ha.
Y.F.: Not all romance books have to resemble ACOTAR to be considered hot romantasy.
11. Now, let’s end with your moment of sunshine: what have you loved reading, watching, or doing lately?
A.J.: For reading, I am getting through my 2025 ARCs—there are so many great books coming out this summer! On my TBR is These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean (July 8), Lucky Break by Jaclyn Westlake (July 15), Love Is a War Song by Danica Nava (July 22), and Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings (Aug. 5).
I also just finished watching The Handmaid’s Tale and cried during the series finale. It’s been a longggg journey, but I’m already excited for The Testaments sequel.
A.M.: I've been reading a little more sci-fi, leaning into cyberpunk. I'd love to expand into different genres. I'm keeping up with a lot of anime, mostly mainstream titles.
Y.F.: I've loved watching Sense and Sensibility (BBC 2-episode adaptation). I put it on when I was working out, but I ended up sitting at the edge of the couch, gasping and being shocked, completely forgetting about my dumbbells on the floor.
I also went hiking in Kings Canyon National Park recently, and it was a wonderful experience. I got to see a young deer eating a few yards away. The entire experience made me feel more connected with nature.
12. What’s next for you? How can people keep in touch with you?
A.J.: Other than here on Substack, I can be found primarily on Instagram and Threads. Next up for me is a Glam Fam holiday novella set in Yosemite, which I plan to publish this fall!
A.M.: I have been the most active on Threads and will attempt to learn Substack. I am mostly trying to feed my WordPress blog after running low on inspiration.
Y.F.: People can keep in touch with me through my Instagram @yeirifarias.writes and on Facebook Yeiri Farias - Author.
My upcoming projects include a Spanish translation of Love Me Under The Stars, poetry and short story publications, and a couple more projects that are still in early development to announce (but that I can't wait to share!).
Enter Our Special Paperback Giveaway!
To give little cities more love, we’re hosting a Central Valley giveaway on Instagram tomorrow, June 5. One lucky person will win signed copies of the following three paperbacks:
Love and Paklava by Alyssa Jarrett
Drift by Anita Morenos
Love Me Under the Stars by Yeiri Farias
The giveaway period will be open for five days, and the winner will be randomly selected and contacted on June 10. Make sure you’re following us on Instagram, and stay tuned for entry details!