Posted in Cornwall, Costal Romance, Goodreads Reading Challenge, Holidays, Norfolk, Reviewing, Writing

APRIL UPDATE

Wow! A third of the way through 2023 already. I can’t believe how quickly this year is passing. April has been a disappointment as far as the weather is concerned. More overcast days and rain punctuated with the occasional sunny day. I’m hoping we come out of this seemingly never-ending bout of greyness and emerge into wall to wall sunshine for a while. What are the chances, do you think?

April, of course, was publication day for my third and final book in the Cornish Coastal series. I had an amazing response on social media. Once again, thank you to everyone who liked, retweeted or posted a comment. It was very much appreciated, and it’s great to know there is so much support out there.

READING AND REVIEWING

This month I read seven books. Yes, I do try to limit myself to a sensible number but having said that, if I’m lucky enough to find titles I like which are well spaced through the month, it doesn’t seem a problem to add a couple more in. I’m quite a quick reader and so far on my 2023 Goodreads Challenge have completed 26 books. Below are those for April and I found two in particular were exceptional reads – Go As A River by Shelley Read, and The Enemy of Love by Annabelle

So that’s it for now. See you all next month. Take care, and enjoy your weekend.

Jo xx

Posted in Cornwall, Costal Romance, Holidays, Norfolk, Publication Day, ROMANTIC SUSPENSE, Writing

March Update…

Due for publication on 25th April, 2023. Currently available to pre-order on Amazon.Com and Amazon.Co.UK

Yes, I guess this is the most important news to come out of March. The third and final instalment of my Cornish Coastal Romance trilogy is finally ready to meet the outside world. Given the kind of health issues that have seen me yo-yoing in and out of hospital for clinic appointments during 2022, it became a bit of a battle to complete The Secrets We Keep. Yes, there were times when I felt like abandoning the whole project, but looking back at how far I had come, I knew I had to keep going, no matter how difficult that final stretch would prove. Thankfully I managed it and can happily confirm I have the all clear and am now looking forward to getting back to regular writing.

Not sure how everyone else feels, but for me the move into summertime with the clocks being put forward an hour is a time for celebration. We’re eventually pulling away from those dark evenings and hopefully can now look forward to brighter, lighter days. Not that the weather is currently playing ball. We’ve had a few really lovely spring days full of sunshine, but there are moments, like today, when winter’s keen to tell us it hasn’t yet left the building!

Next month is a double for me. Birthday and the first of our holidays. We’re returning to Wells Next the Sea on the Norfolk Coast. This will be our fourth trip to this lovely part of the UK. Friendly locals, big skies, sea air, long walks and fabulous food…what more could you want?

MY READ AND REVIEWS FOR MARCH 2023

This month has delivered a great selection of books. I have a quite broad taste when it comes to reading. Despite preferring psychological thrillers, I often opt for something completely different if I know it’s an author whose work I enjoy, or if the synopsis interests me. Four of this month’s choices proved exceptional –

The Last Party at Silverton Hall (a wonderful dual time line read) The Hidden Letters (Lorna Cook being a favourite author of mine, didn’t disappoint with this), The Loch (atmospheric and suspenseful) and The Night She Vanished by Wendy Dranfield, another author who I know always delivers an exceptional read.

So that’s it for now. Hopefully by the time I’m back with my April update, we’ll be in a better place with the weather, with many of us looking forward to our 2023 holidays.

Take care everyone…

Jo

Posted in Cornwall, Costal Romance, Romance, Writing, Writing Journey

SEPTEMBER UPDATE

September seems to have come and gone in the blink of an eye. We spent a week of it in Cornwall, where the days were warm, but with the chill of autumn lingering in the air once the sun had set. Unlike June and July, when we stayed in Cumbria and Suffolk, our return did not have us looking forward to more warm, bright weather and time away. There were no more lunches in the garden, or getting in early morning reading time just as the world was waking up. Even the pigeons, our usual early morning alarm clocks, have gone. Instead, it’s now about the darker evenings creeping in, the trees turning colour and swapping the summer duvet for something a little more substantial. It has also seen me changing short sleeves for longer, warmer ones. Of course, there have been moments when the summer has poked its head around the door to remind us it hasn’t quite disappeared. But today being the very last day of September, I don’t think it will linger for long.

This year I have missed the usual mists rising up from the river valley to the south of the village. We have had one or two of these mornings where a first look out of the window has found our road covered in a fine curtain of white. Houses have appeared as shrouded indistinct shapes, which soon materialise once more when the sun breaks through. Now we are looking at clearing up the garden ready for winter months. Clearing leaves, planting more bulbs and filling the hanging baskets and tubs with pansies. I do hate the restrictions of the winter months, when the garden is a foreign, damp place and lunch on the decking outside the dining room is only a memory. Of course, as there is less to do outside, it does give me more time for writing. Our stay in Cornwall did trigger some positive thoughts about my next project. But hey! I still have an unpublished book to sort out.

The Secrets We Keep – and yes that is it’s final title – has been a bit of a stop/go writing experience. I’ve been blessed through my adult life with good health, but I guess that couldn’t last for ever. I don’t do illness. It’s not me. But this year I’ve had problems which I’ve found more disruptive than debilitating. At the time of writing it seems I’ve reached the end of the tunnel and emerged into daylight once more. Currently I’m fine and my energy levels are on the up. So it’s all about making the most of things. Because of the disruption, my writing journey has suffered and frequently been put on hold. An anticipated publication date in August had to be moved. To give the whole thing my best shot, I decided to suspend any thoughts of publication until the new year. That means I’m now looking at an end Jan/beginning Feb date for the final part of my Cornish trilogy to step into the spotlight. Watch this space!

READING AND REVIEWING

These are my September reads. I have now completed 55 books so far this year, ten more than my Goodreads challenge of 45. My favourite of this month’s selection is definitely The Three Loves of Sebastian Cooper. One of the best books I’ve read so far this year and one I can highly recommend.

Well, that’s it for another month. I’ll be back in October. By then I should have had my Covid and Flu shots so hopefully be fully protected for the coming winter months.

Best wishes….Jo

Posted in Contemporary Romance, Costal Romance, Holidays, ROMANTIC SUSPENSE, Writing

ADIOS TO SUMMER…

Yes, I know that seems a little depressing, but for me, the August Bank Holiday weekend has always been a symbol of the ending of summer. It feels like a door closing behind us, moving us on towards autumn. Looking back on this month, I have to confess that it’s been one of the most uncomfortable ever. Sunshine is definitely therapeutic. It energises me, makes me feel relaxed and puts a different face on the world. However, although the heatwave that arrived in the UK during August was very welcome, it soon turned uncomfortable. Despite having all the windows and doors open, some days there was little air. And nights, with most of those windows still open, still meant at times it was difficult to sleep. Open windows also proved an irresistible invitation for insect life. Moths are an expectation. Crickets maybe not, but the worst intruders were spiders, who seem to get bigger and bigger each year. All were given a helping hand out of the bathroom window never to be seen again.

I was around during the 1976 heatwave/drought (whatever you want to call it), when we had ten whole weeks without rain. Gardens were watered with bathwater, lawns went from green to brown (as they have this summer), and stand pipes were issued in some places, leaving people to queue with buckets to collect water. The stand pipes didn’t reach my road and thankfully the country has not experienced such draconian measures now. I remember ironing in my underwear because it was so hot and wondering if it would ever rain again. Comparing them both, Summer 2022 has definitely been the worst experience of the two. In those days there were no talks of global warming, it was just a very long, hot summer. Now what is happening has far reaching implications for both the planet and us in general. Looking forward, I guess the downside of all this is that we will have a very wet autumn. Mother Nature normally balances the seasons, and despite global warming, I have a feeling when the rain does arrive, there will be lots of it.

WRITING: At the beginning of the month my manuscript left the building for editing. Unfortunately, part way in my editor hit a problem. One which needed it to be returned and some comprehensive rewrites undertaken before she could continue. It’s the first time this has happened to me, and I guess it won’t be the last. Even after eleven books, I’m still learning. The delay has meant my hope of a late September publication date has had to be shelved. Instead, I’ve moved it to the New Year, probably late January or early February.

HOLIDAYS: In three weeks we’ll be in Cornwall. Fowey is a place I never tire of. It’s somewhere that really influences my writing. It’s a place where Daphne Du Maurier wrote in her house on the estuary next to the Boddinick Ferry. In fact, in my latest novel, I have taken something from the town – the Old Quay House Hotel – as inspiration for the Estuary House Hotel, which is central to my story. At this moment, with the completion of the third and final part of my Cornish trilogy imminent, I’m fairly open minded about what happens next. It’s always good to discover another part of the West Country where I can put down ‘roots’ and create another community, weaving romance and mystery around the lives of everyday folk. However, there are still characters in my fictitious estuary town of Kingswater who might be able to provide enough interest for a fourth book. I’ll just have to see what soaking up that Cornish atmosphere does. Watch this space!

READING & REVIEWING: And finally, my reading for the month. You can find my reviews on Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/thewriterwhoreads

So that’s all for now. I’ll be back at the end of September. In the meantime take care everyone…

Posted in Cornwall, Costal Romance, MONTHLY UPDATE, ROMANTIC SUSPENSE, Writer's Journey, Writing

JULY UPDATE…

Another month over and a milestone reached. Yes, at last I’ve arrived at the point in my writing where I can finally type THE END.  At just over 103,000 words, it’s the smallest book I’ve written so far. And it has been one of the toughest. Some books almost write themselves. This one hasn’t. Part of the problem has been I’ve had one or two health issues. They have been irritating rather than worrying ones but nevertheless distracting enough for my writing to go into stop-start mode.  Not a good thing when you have a timetable to keep to.

This month has seen another trip – a mid-week break to Alderminster, just outside Stratford Upon Avon. The Bell is a favourite stop over of ours. I can highly recommend this as a place to stay if you’re planning to visit Stratford. Not only is the accommodation first class, it has a really good restaurant if you fancy staying put for the evening.  And if you want to leave the car behind, there’s a good bus service into Stratford with a bus stop right outside the pub.

We had a two night stopover, giving us a whole day to ourselves. Deciding to make use of our National Trust membership, we decided on a trip to Coughton Court, near Alcester (about 12 miles away). A Tudor Country house with extensive grounds and gardens, we spent a few hours there before returning for a late lunch in the pub garden.

 

Book News – The manuscript has left the building, which you would think leaves me with a huge amount of time on my hands. Not so. In fact I seem to be busier.  As a great fan of period drama, I managed to get some chill out time watching Jane Austen’s Emma and Persuasion. I loved Anya Taylor-Joy in the lead role of Emma Woodhouse and Bill Nighy did a great job as her father.  Netflix and Persuasion not a good mix. Not only was this my set book for English Literature ‘O’ level, the action takes place in Bath (my home town) and Lyme Regis. That means I’ve always had a special affection for it. I’ve also carried with me my own idea of what Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth should look like – which as any reader knows is dangerous once a book finds its way onto the screen. I have seen two previous versions, one with Ciaran Hinds (1995) and the other with Rupert Penry-Jones (2007) taking the role of Captain Wentworth.  Although Hinds was quite imposing as a senior naval officer, I preferred Penry-Jones (far more handsome), and was keen to see how this twenty first century version compared.  Unfortunately, all I managed to watch was 33 minutes then sadly, I gave up.  Maybe my expectations were too high, who knows? The whole thing simply didn’t work for me, particularly having Cosmo Jarvis as Frederick Wentworth.  

JULY BOOK REVIEWS

And finally, when I next post, I will be including a cover reveal for my new romantic suspense novel Secrets That We Keep. It is the third part of my Cornish Estuary series set in the fictitious town of Kingswater. When I finished the first book Shadows on the Water I had no plans to turn it into a series. However, with three young women featuring, I soon saw the potential for two more stories. What happens next? Well, that’s all in the lap of the gods at the moment. We’re staying in Fowey during September so perhaps I’ll pick up those Cornish vibes and return home with the inspiration for another book. Who knows?

Until next month, take care and enjoy August…

Posted in Contemporary Romance, Cornwall, Costal Romance, Devon, Lost Lights, Norfolk, Walking, work in progress, Writing

January Update…

Well here we are, 1st of Feb already. One whole month of 2021 gone.

Like most people, we had a quiet Christmas. Taking down the decorations on 12th Night, it left me wondering what it was all about.  Our usual trip to do some of our Christmas present shopping in either Salisbury or Winchester was postponed, everything bought on line instead. Our pre-Christmas meets with friends for lunch or a drink; our New Year’s Eve plans, cooking for friends at home. All of this cancelled. We didn’t even get the bubbly out while Jools Holland’s Hootenanny welcomed in the New Year with excerpts of past programmes. In fact during the Christmas period I kept looking at the decorations and the cards and feeling everything was somehow out of kilter. As if I had made a mistake and decorated at the wrong time of year. This wasn’t Christmas; it didn’t feel like Christmas. It was like decorating a room for a party that no one was going to turn up to.

One thing I have noticed on our walks during January is that some people have decided to keep their Christmas garden lights going. I think this is a great idea, providing a bit of cheer during the month, which has mostly been dull and wet. I have to say even under normal circumstances, for me it’s the worst thirty one days of the year and I can’t wait to see it gone.

When the decorations were eventually packed back into their boxes, one question still remained. Where was the new set of lights we’d bought last year? In October 2019  we bought a new set of lights. We used them to illuminate the inside of a large lantern in the lounge. During Christmas 2019 we moved them onto the mantlepiece. When the decorations came down, I remember putting them back into the lantern. That meant they didn’t get packed away in the loft.  In February 2020 I bought a large candle for the lantern,  took the lights out and re-boxed them. Our house is obviously in some sort of UK Bermuda Triangle, because we turned every drawer and cupboard out pre-Christmas 2020 and could not find any trace of them.  We still have hopes we’ll discover them, probably in the last place we ever thought of looking.

The one thing I have missed most during all three of our lockdowns is people, as I am sure most of you have. Social media is great but it is in no way a great substitute for actually being with people. Last summer, some weekends we spent time in friend’s gardens (and our own) for a socially distanced drink. It was allowed then, although not indoors. I’m hoping when they begin relaxing the rules that we will be able to do that again. It may be baby steps back to normality, but spending time with friends and family is so important.

Holidays too, are in limbo at the moment. We have a break in Norfolk booked for mid-May. It’s roll over booking from last year when Covid and the first lockdown scuppered our vacation plans. Not sure whether we’ll lose it second time around. Currently it’s all in the lap of the gods –  and whatever decisions Boris decides to make.  In the meantime, where possible, we have been continuing our daily walks for exercise and fresh air.  It’s all about keeping going, making the best of things and staying positive.

 

 

 

BOOK NEWS

I have just reached 53,000 words. As a writer of larger books (120,000 – 135,000 words) there still seems a long way to go. Certainly as far as the plot is concerned, the journey is no where near its end.  So at this moment in time I’m not even attempting to predict the final word count.  At the very beginning there was a slow start when I reused part of an already written manuscript. A bit like unpicking knitting; time consuming and laborious, but looking at the story so far, I know I made the right decision to re-use it. Currently I’m in completely new territory where the writing is averaging 1500 words a day and the word count is mounting up very quickly.  I’m working towards (fingers crossed) a publication date some time in June.

 

Well that’s all for this month. I will be  back again at the end of February.  I hope by the time I post again, there will be a glimmer of light at the end of this very long tunnel.  In the meantime, take care and stay safe everyone.

 

Jo x

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Contemporary Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Cornwall, Cornwall, Costal Romance, Writing, Writing Journey

NOVEMBER UPDATE

How did we get to 30th November so fast? It’s a really strange phenomenon that during 2020 it’s been a quieter year for me and yet I seem to have more to do.  The arrival of this month saw the annual clock change in late October. For a while we had lighter mornings, but for a good part of last week waking up to fog and unable to see across the valley, has made it feel as if we’re getting up in the middle of the night.  I remember when I was working, that the last week in January was the time when I walked home from the bus stop in dusk rather than dark.  So I measure the beginning of a move back to lighter evenings by that time.

I guess the one big event during November was the arrival of my new computer.  My old one had given me just over ten years of good use, albeit with several changes of keyboard and monitors.  A bit like Trigger’s broom on Only Fools and Horses with 17 new heads and 14 new handles!  I looked at all in ones and was tempted, but eventually opted for another, smaller tower, new 24″ monitor and a good quality keyboard. As a touch typist I’ve got through a load of these in ten years. Usually the I went first, then the E, S and L.  It seems to me that keyboards aren’t meant to last. During my working life the letters on the office computer kreyboards I used were more robust and didn’t wear off after a few months use as they do today. Yes, I know, maybe I should have splashed out a bit more money, but even the more expensive keyboard I’m now using doesn’t feel as if it will be any more durable. I guess only time will tell.  Oh, and almost forgot, I also have a camera, where previously I had to use my husband’s laptop in order to use Skype to catch up with friends and relatives.  All in all, three weeks into the use of this new computer set up, and I’m really pleased with my purchase. 

On the 3rd of November we had our last Tuesday lunch out before Lockdown No 2.  We had been eating out since early July when we came out of the first lockdown, keeping out of the city and visiting pubs in the surrounding villages instead.  All the pubs we’ve been to have observed strict hygiene rules and we never once felt compromised.  Some of the those we used to visit still have yet to reopen, opting for a takeaway service instead. Coming out of lockdown No 2 this week, we will be in a Tier 2 area instead of 1, as we were previously.  This has seen us having to cancel a planned lunch out with friends. Christmas certainly is going to be different this year!

I hope having to  make these sacrifices will get us all safely to the time when the vaccine becomes available and life gets back to some form of normality.  It’s easy to tell yourself that you don’t know of anyone who has had Covid and to query whether it’s actually as bad as everyone says. Or whether, as some believe, it’s only people in towns and cities who get it. Hand on heart I’d only heard of cases through friends of friends. And then two weeks ago my best friend called me to say her son had a temperature and was self-isolating. His Covid test came back positive but thankfully he has come through the whole episode safely.  It certainly goes to bring home the fact that it is out there and you can become infected when you least expect it.

And finally where am I with my writing? Well everything is going well at the moment. Happy to say writing mojo has made a reappearance. At the moment I’m trying to balance working on book 10 with reading and reviewing, which I’ve been doing throughout the year. I have to say there have been some amazing new titles during 2020 and I’ve currently earned my ‘100’ badge from Netgalley.  However, despite having a huge appetite for other authors’ work, I haven’t lost sight of the fact that my own writing is as important.  I’m hoping for a late spring publication with this, the second part of the Cornish Estuary trilogy. Currently working hard and pushing forward with it. Wish me luck.

And so, that’s about it for the month. See you all at the end of December when I’ll be looking back at the year and my memories of 2020.

Best wishes

Jo xx

 

WEST COUNTRY ROMANTIC SUSPENSE AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

 

Posted in Contemporary Romance, Cornwall, Costal Romance, Muder, Mystery, Romance, Writing

An Italian Affair…

As a holiday destination Italy always been one of my favourite countries to visit.  The people, the history, the food,  the pace of life, the weather, and so many amazing places to explore.

I have a close affinity with water and boats – Dartmouth and Fowey being two of my favourite UK holiday destinations.  So it’s not surprising when I arrived in Garda in 2001 for a week’s holiday, I was totally smitten.  I’ve been back twice since then.  Another stay in Garda and then across the water to Desenzano, the biggest town on the lake with its rail link to Milan and main ferry terminal.

1
Hotel Villa Rosa, Desenzano

When I began to develop the plot for A Cornish Affair, I needed my heroine Cat’s father Ruan to have two long term friends who would become key players in this story. So I created Gareth Hunter who like Ruan had been born and raised in Carrenporth and Étienne Di Marco. Étienne and Ruan had met at university.  Both from hotel owning families, they became good friends and over the years kept in touch.  Half French-half Italian, Étienne now owned the Casa D’Oro hotel group and was based at their flagship hotel Fiore Del Lago on Lake Garda.  The creation of this character and his hotel was helped by the fact we had recently stayed in Desenzano at the Hotel Villa Rosa and I was so taken with this beautiful hotel, I  used it as inspiration for Fiore Del Lago.

But it wasn’t only the hotel. The lake is one of the most relaxing and atmospheric places I’ve visited so taking Cat there to work for Étienne was like going on holiday without leaving home!

 

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If you’d like a trip to the Italian Lakes to join Cat in Desenzano,  A Cornish Affair is one of four books currently on offer as part of an Italian Summer Sale. You can buy on Kobo, Kindle and Apple.  And at just 99p for the e-book version it’s  una grande offerta.  The sale ends midnight on 17th July

Even in your hometown, you can feel like an outsider …

In the close-knit community of Carrenporth in Cornwall everyone knows everyone else’s business. Luke Carrack is only too aware of this. He’s been away for two years but nothing has changed – from the town gossips who can’t see past the scandal of his childhood, to the cold way he is treated by some of his so-called family.
The only person who seems to understand is local hotelier’s daughter Cat Trevelyan, although even Luke’s new friendship with her could set tongues wagging.
But Carrenporth is about to experience far bigger scandals than the return of Luke Carrack – and the secrets unearthed in the process will shake the sleepy seaside town to its core …

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Posted in Author Promotion, Choc Lit, Contemporary Romance, Cornwall, Cornwall, Costal Romance, Murder, Mystery, Writing, Writing Journey

A Cornish Affair – Meet Emelia Trevelyan

Day three and it’s Great Aunt Em’s turn under the spotlight.

If ever there was a character I loved creating it was Emelia Trevelyan – ‘call me Em’.  On the surface she is a strong willed, cantankerous elderly woman. Rules simply do not apply to her.  As the story begins she is a member of a group of elderly women ‘The Gossip Girls’  from the village who create mayhem wherever they go.  But scratch the surface and you will find a completely different character.  She is incredibly lonely after losing her brother Gerren and his wife Jenna.  A year ago they handed the hotel over to their son, Em’s nephew Ruan, and left for retirement in France.  Em has never married. She spent her early years living at the Tarwin House Hotel and then when her parents died she inherited Caer Gwyn a circular white house set on a small promontory  a quarter of a mile away.  When Gerren told her about their plans to move to France, she hoped she might be a part of it.  Unfortunately she wasn’t.  Realising how much she missed their company, Ruan invited her back to live at the hotel; to be part of his family.  Unfortunately Em couldn’t help interfering in the day to day running of Tarwin House and Ruan was constantly having to speak to her.  Feeling more and more isolated, when Rosalind Myers, self styled leader of the Gossip Girls, offered her the opportunity to join their group, Em was delighted.  Her action in bringing them into the hotel and letting them snoop around the family’s private apartments saw Ruan sending her straight to back Caer Gwyn.

Gradually Em began to recognise how damaging Rosalind and her cronies’ actions were, but breaking away from them was difficult.  Being a part of the group appeared to be the lesser of the two evils. The alternative was a lonely life with her housekeeper and Hamish her West Highland terrier.  Things eventually came to a head one morning outside the town’s small supermarket where she was rescued by Nathan and Cat.  And it was Cat who came up with an idea which would channel Em’s energies in a different direction and give her a new purpose in life.

Em is, of course, pivotal to one of the most important parts of the book, as witness to a murder, but you will have to read A Cornish Affair to discover how she becomes involved…

  

A CORNISH AFFAIR

 

Even in your hometown, you can feel like an outsider …

In the close-knit community of Carrenporth in Cornwall everyone knows everyone else’s business. Luke Carrack is only too aware of this. He’s been away for two years but nothing has changed – from the town gossips who can’t see past the scandal of his childhood, to the cold way he is treated by some of his so-called family.
The only person who seems to understand is local hotelier’s daughter Cat Trevelyan, although even Luke’s new friendship with her could set tongues wagging.
But Carrenporth is about to experience far bigger scandals than the return of Luke Carrack – and the secrets unearthed in the process will shake the sleepy seaside town to its core …

Amazon Buy Links

📚 https://amzn.to/31EQfMH
🔊 https://amzn.to/2XkRPnA

Also available on Amazon : Kobo : Nook: Google Play and Apple iBook Store

Posted in Author Promotion, Choc Lit, Contemporary Romance, Cornwall, Cornwall, Costal Romance, Murder, Mystery, Writing, Writing Journey

A Cornish Affair – Meet Luke Carrack

Day two and it’s Luke’s turn under the spotlight.

It’s hard to imagine that when I began writing this book Luke was set up to be the villain.  After all with his disadvantaged background he definitely has the makings of an anti-hero.  However, right from the start, casting Luke as the bad guy simply didn’t work. So I sat down and did some reworking of the plot and turned him into the book’s hero instead.

As I said above, Luke came from a disadvantaged background.  His mother Selina, the daughter of a wealthy local family, was a wild child of the 80s who got herself pregnant by one of her father’s employees.  He left the area before he knew her situation and never returned.  Eighteen year old Selina, always the rebel, left home and secretly married Ross Carrick, one of Carrenporth’s fishermen. Ross was ten years older than Selina, but he’d always loved her, even though he felt she was out of reach and all they had was friendship.  When Luke was born he took Ross’s surname.  For a few years his childhood was a happy one, despite being ostracised by his mother’s family and most of Carrenporth.  Then when he was fourteen tragedy struck. Ross’s trawler sank with all hands on board off the Scilly Isles.  Selina, never a strong character could not cope and took refuge in drink.  Within in year she too was dead.  Much to everyone’s surprise Selina’s brother Gareth who now owned the family business, stepped in to give Luke a home and educate him. This angered his social climbing wife Evie who felt Selina’s son had no place in their home, living alongside her own son Jordan.  While Jordan exhibited all the traits of an overindulged layabout, Luke achieved good school grades and worked for Gareth for a while before going on to university.  After successfully completing his degree he left to travel for a couple of years with a promise to come back and work for his uncle.  Now he’s returned to a place that has changed very little since his departure. A large portion of this small minded community still view him as Selina Hunter’s illegitimate son and his aunt still detests him. But Gareth, impressed by his nephew’s work ethic,  is about to reward him. And the job he has in mind is set to stir up even more hate and resentment from Evie and Jordan…

 

A CORNISH AFFAIR

 

Even in your hometown, you can feel like an outsider …

In the close-knit community of Carrenporth in Cornwall everyone knows everyone else’s business. Luke Carrack is only too aware of this. He’s been away for two years but nothing has changed – from the town gossips who can’t see past the scandal of his childhood, to the cold way he is treated by some of his so-called family.
The only person who seems to understand is local hotelier’s daughter Cat Trevelyan, although even Luke’s new friendship with her could set tongues wagging.
But Carrenporth is about to experience far bigger scandals than the return of Luke Carrack – and the secrets unearthed in the process will shake the sleepy seaside town to its core …

Amazon Buy Links

📚 https://amzn.to/31EQfMH
🔊 https://amzn.to/2XkRPnA

Also available on Amazon : Kobo : Nook: Google Play and Apple iBook Store