Today is my stop on the blog tour for Snowlfakes Over Holly Cover by Lucy Coleman. I have an extract to share with you today and if you like the sound of that, you can click here to order your copy now. Don't forget to check out the other stops on the tour for more exclusive content and reviews.
Here's what it's all about...
As the snowflakes start to fall, Holly Cove welcomes a new tenant to the beautiful old cottage on the beach...
For lifestyle magazine journalist Tia Armstrong, relationships, as well as Christmas, have lost all their magic. Yet Tia is up against a Christmas deadline for her latest article 'Love is, actually, all around...'
So, Tia heads to Holly Cove where the restorative sea air and rugged stranger, Nic, slowly but surely start mending her broken heart.
Tia didn't expect a white Christmas, and she certainly never dared dream that all her Christmas wishes might just come true...
Set in Caswell Bay on the stunningly beautiful Gower Coast, the cottage nestles amid the limestone cliffs and the woodlands, where the emotions run as turbulently as the wind-swept sea.
As cosy as a marshmallow-topped mug of cocoa, fall in love with a heart-warming festive story from the bestselling author of The French Adventure.
And here's that extract for you-enjoy!
Welcome back, Tia, you’ve been missed. Glad to see
you looking so well.’
Clarissa Cooper doesn’t do sympathy, or
empathy. My gut instincts tell me that’s probably going to be the full extent
of my back-to-work interview. Even the chief editor can’t ignore HR’s policy
for staff returning to work after being out on compassionate leave.
In fairness, Love a Happy Ending
lifestyle magazine is a little empire. With its print sales, website and app,
it runs like a well-oiled machine. Since Clarissa took over two years ago,
sales have steadily climbed and no one could ask for a better mentor.
I suck in a deep breath as quietly as I can,
thinking that if I keep my mind focused on getting through this meeting, then
I’m less likely to embarrass myself and dissolve into tears.
‘I have an exciting project lined up and the
whole team agree that you are the right person to tackle it. How do you feel
about three articles, each one looking at two very different types of
relationship? They are due to run in the November, December and January issues
and will look at what makes the relationships work.
‘We’ve already picked the couples from
varying backgrounds and age groups. Our readers will be keen to know how they
keep the love alive. How does love change as the years go by? What sort of
gifts do they give each other at Christmas? I want pages oozing with
sentimental festive cheer. And the January one should slant towards New Year
resolutions and shared goals for the coming year. It’s going to be our biggest
headline this winter and we’re all very excited about it. We’re going to run
this in tandem with a series of competitions sponsored by Green Fern Spa
Centres and we will be giving away one hundred vouchers for free his and
hers pamper sessions.’
I was right. Her employer obligations have
been fulfilled; box ticked, now back to the business in hand, which isn’t
simply hitting those sales targets, but knocking them for six.
My stomach sinks into my boots. Clarissa
Cooper’s steely-grey eyes sweep over me, appraising my reaction rather like a
fine-tuned minesweeper in action. If I hesitate now she’ll know I’m not ready
to come back yet, and warning bells will start sounding in her head. I can’t
risk being side-lined for some younger, smarter version of me, because Mum
would be horrified to see me throwing away all those years of hard graft.
‘Great. I love the idea – sounds exciting.’
My mother died four weeks ago today and it’s
my first day back. Interviewing loved-up couples gushing over their wonderful
relationships is about as surreal to me at this moment as the fact that I can’t
pick up the phone and talk to Mum. Still, not bad, Tia, you managed to sound
enthused. That’s quite an achievement, especially since you have just waved
goodbye to thirty and obviously have no idea at all how to keep a long-term
relationship alive. I ease my shoulders back and down, forcing my body not to
sag and I seem to have convinced Clarissa I’m up to the task.
‘Well done, you. The sign of a true
professional is someone who can roll with the punches and remain standing
afterwards. I thought, given the circumstances, a little stay away from the
madness of London might aid your concentration. The details are in here.’
About
the author
Lucy lives in the Forest of Dean in the UK with her lovely
husband and Bengal cat, Ziggy. Her novels have been short-listed in the UK's
Festival of Romance and the eFestival of Words Book Awards. Lucy won the 2013
UK Festival of Romance: Innovation in Romantic Fiction award.
Follow
Lucy:
Twitter: @LucyColemanAuth
Facebook: @LinnBHaltonAuthor
Follow
Aria
Website: www.ariafiction.com
Twitter: @aria_fiction
Facebook: @ariafiction
Instagram: @ariafiction
Thanks again to Lucy for stopping by the blog today and sharing that extract with us.
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