Tamworth first stop on When Love Comes to Town book tour featuring authors Rachael Johns, Penelope Janu, Stella Quinn

These are a few of the traits necessary to write a rural romance novel (ruro).

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a romantic story must end with two characters getting together.

But, there's plenty that can go wrong along the way, author Penelope Janu said.

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Protagonist Patience Cartwright, a naval officer, is forced back to her hometown to work on the river, in Ms Janu's novel Shelter From the Storm.

Patience is forced to confront what she left behind in the form of environmental biologist Hugo Halstead.

Ms Janu is a resident of Sydney's Northern Beaches, but she said rural communities offer the chance to narrow a plot down.

"Often the characters are not fully formed at the beginning," she said.

"Through the journey of the novel, they'll find something that's been missing in their lives."

In Stella Quinn's novel, A Home Among the Snow Gums, the author revisits a town used in previous novels and promotes a side character.

Ms Quinn came up with a story as to why Hannah Cody was prickly in the previous book. It was due to a traumatic experience when she left her hometown for college.

Love interest Tom Krauss has returned to his hometown after being badly wounded in a secret division of the Navy. Since he was a schoolboy, he's had a crush on Hannah.

The primary reason ruro authors love country towns is the idea that a community pitches in with events, and connects people with each other, Ms Quinn said.

"There's just so much rich fodder for a character driven story when you start putting in a community event, to make wonderful side characters that gives the book a really wholesome, lovely feel," she said.

While a ruro should have a strong, independent heroine, and a sexy, hardworking, honest guy, the core plot is just as important, author Rachael Johns said.

"I think often people think romances are just light and fluffy books, because they're easy to read, and they've got a happily ever after," she said.

"To me, the rural romances that are best, they do have a lovely, feel-good romance.

"But they're also exploring serious, important issues, that are happening in small rural communities and in general people's lives."

Outback Secrets depicts the dangers of being an agricultural pilot, as well as what it's like work in a male-dominated industry.

Heroine Henrietta Forward strikes up a fake relationship with the town publican, Liam Castle, to get her family off her back about settling down.

Ms Johns' books have dealt with single parenting, infertility, long term illness, missing people, arson, wind farming, eating disorders, and more.

"I feel like you've got to have strong love interests and a really feel good romance, but there's got to be more meat to it as well," she said.

Ms Janu, Ms Quinn and Ms Johns will kick off the When Love Comes to Town book tour in Tamworth on May 4 at The Press. RSVP at romance.com.au/lovecomestotown.

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