My newest novel, Night Songs, takes place in Shelbyville, Tennessee, although the characters travel outside of their small Bedford County. Nana’s house, where Charlie Van Cleave escapes to when her life goes sideways, was inspired by a real, rundown home in the outskirts of Shelbyville. 
Shelbyville’s town square is set atop a hill, and it surrounds the historic county courthouse. It 
just so happens, this courthouse is going through a full remodel right now, so I’m very excited to see it when it’s complete.
One of the attractions to the square is the quaint restaurant/coffee shop called (appropriately) The Coffee Break. It’s a narrow building where patrons sit along the side or upstairs where they have loft seating. They not only sell coffee, but they have homemade pastries, wonderful sandwiches, salads, quiche, omelettes, and so much more.
I don’t chain Charlie, Derek, and Nicky in Bedford County, however. They get out quite a bit. In fact, inspiration for Charlie’s new career came to her when she was visiting neighboring Maury County and happened upon the much larger square in Columbia. Just so you know, town squares are a thing here in Tennessee. Even the small town in which we live has one, although it needs a lot of work to look as sweet as those in Shelbyville or Columbia. Think Back to the Future.
Bleu 32 (no, I didn’t spell it wrong) is a large vintage shop just off Columbia’s town square. It is packed with delightful finds from antique furniture to new clothing. They even have an Italian restaurant upstairs that pipes great smells throughout the shop.
I personally love this place, although it can be a bit pricier than some of the others. And there are many others! Tennessee has more vintage stores that Carter has pills. But Charlie wants her new decor dream to be unique, so she adds a twist. You’ll have to read the book to find out what 
that might be.
Most of these places have several vendors, so each nook and crevice has its own
decor theme to fit most any style. Charlie loves that, but she isn’t a collector, she’s a interior designer.
On Charlie’s jaunt to Columbia, she visited another town square jaunt. “Nana always said there was nothing in this world that couldn’t be made better with an ice cream cone.” Ain’t that the truth? While I was doing this “photo shoot,” I happened into Hattie Jane’s Ice Cream, just so I could offer authentic photos for this post. Truly, it was a sacrifice. I tried an ice cream cone for “adults only” thinking it was a joke. It was Goo Goo and Jack 7. Now, if you’ve never had Goo Goo Clusters, you might not know why I had to take a chance on such a treat. Oh, 
and the “adults only” was no joke—it had Jack Daniels’ Whiskey in the mix. Next time, I’ll stick 
with cookies and cream!
I hope if you ever visit middle Tennessee, you’ll give these places of interest a looksee. Or, you can just read Night Songs live vicariously through Charlie!
Comments 2
Loved this post and all the rich, charming history. You took me on a tour, and I want to go visit every stop along the way. Thanks so much!
Author
I’m thrilled that you enjoyed it! And I’m happy to play your guide it you ever visit Tennessee.