LEXINGTON, KY - As first-time Bardstown author Kim Huston explains in the opening pages, her book Small Town Sexy, is not about scandalous love affairs and sex in small town America-although small towns have their share of both.
Instead, this is a book about passion-the passion that people have for small towns and their lives there. Sexy, she explains, means interesting, engaging, pleasing and fascinating. It also exemplifies the self-assurance that small town residents have in the place they live and their quality of life there.
No one exemplifies this ardent passion better than the author. Huston writes in a personal, boldly engaging style that makes you feel as though you are sitting on the front porch sipping lemonade and talking with the prettiest, most popular girl in town who happens to know all the hometown news. In Huston's small town world, however, the discussion is as likely to be economic development and business plans as it is the harvest festival.
That is exactly the strength of this valuable look at small town life today. It is neither nostalgic nor sentimental, though it contains both of those elements. It is an insightful, timely, look at why small towns are once again resurging as important centers for business and for creating compatible and comforting lifestyles in our multitasking, digital world.
Huston counters romanticism with research when approaching the topic of small towns.
A former award-winning broadcast journalist, her insightful interviews with state officials, mayors, and small town experts add depth to her research. She currently is President of the Nelson County Economic Agency in Bardstown, overseeing economic activities including the Chamber of Commerce, Tourism, Industrial Development and Main Street Development. This background serves her well in her enthusiasm for positioning the benefits of small towns.
On the other hand, her personal stories of growing up in a small town will leave you laughing out loud. Huston was raised in Bloomfield, KY (Pop. 900). "We lived a very normal American lifestyle on Main Street up from the post office," she writes. "We shared our home with a grandmother I adored, an aquarium full of fishÖand a bird dog named 'Bird Dog.'"
Her remembrances of junior high cheerleading, tobacco spitting contests, and 'stealing' her grandmother's car at age 14 to drive around the block when her parents were not home (she got caught) are all part of the fun of small town living.
"I have heard it said many times that where we grow up defines who we are," Huston says. "I can base that comment personally on experience and from the opinions of others whose passions for small towns are just as strong as mine."
Huston also suggests that where we work also defines us, making a strong argument that many businesses would often be better served locating in small towns than in suburban or urban areas. Among other reasons, she suggests that studies show that "those who live in smaller communities have a work ethic like no other."
There is an extensive list of successful companies that started in small towns or that have relocated there. Among them are L.L. Bean, The Smucker Company, and Cracker Barrel. Most of these companies are deeply rooted in their communities, Huston says, and their towns take great pride in the companies.
The development of the Internet has meant that much business can take place in nearly any location. Small towns hold an allure for international companies, Huston suggests, in an engaging interview with international business recruiter Andy Ito in Nashville, Tennessee.
Small towns can also be 'Sexy' for entrepreneurs.
In the Chapter "Size Doesn't Matter," Huston interviews Phil Soriede, who moved to the small town of Holdredge Nebraska (Pop. 5,600) to started an ad agency, "One Good Ad Guy" and become editor of "Nebraska Rural Living" website and e-newsletter.
"I think the sexiest things about small towns are the sense of community, security, affordability, relaxed lifestyle, and the wide open spaces," Soriede says.
While the entire book is simultaneously educational and entertaining, the chapter on festivals, entitled "Parade it for All to See," is a must-read. Huston describes her long relationship with festivals by retelling stories that are both charming and hysterically funny. And did you know there was a Duct Tape Festival, Mosquito Festival, and Mike the Headless Chicken Festival?
For business book readers, small town enthusiasts, and anyone who has lived in a small town or even visited one, this is the book of the summer. Small Town Sexy is a charmer; you may find it is an affair you don't want to forget.
Small Town Sexy will be available through The Clark Group, PO Box 34102, Lexington, KY 40588-4102, www.theclarkgroupinfo.com, 800-944-3995 or 859-233-7623 and will soon be available at local and online booksellers.
Title: Small Town Sexy
Author: Kim Huston
ISBN: 978-0-9822201-4-6
Softcover Retail price $22.95 Preorder now
Hardcover Retail price $27.95 Preorder now
You can visit the Small Town Sexy blog at http://smalltownsexybook.com/blog/