Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!
I’ve crossed paths with Ms Halton in the past whilst hosting another blog tour for her as much as I’ve interacted with her on #bookTwitter a few times as well. It is my intention to start listening to her stories in audiobook – either through Scribd or my libraries, as whenever I’ve sampled her narrators, I find myself compelled to hear the fuller story! It is simply a matter of time and sorting out which is available to me.
I’ve been trying to keep better informed about the stories releasing by authors of my #mustread list over the years, but sometimes I do fall a bit short knowing which of their stories has come out which is one keen benefit of being a book blogger as it enables me to keep a better eye on their releases! I love visiting with my fellow book bloggers for this same reason as even if a book hasn’t come across my own radar, someone else in the book blogosphere has had the pleasure of finding it for me! And, of course vice versa applies to me as well for helping my fellow readers and book bloggers! It has become a lovely niche community of the bookish wherein each time we all attempt to highlight a story or blog our curiosities about one – we are in fact, helping to spread the word about the stories themselves. Thereby it is always a pleasure of joy to re-host an author I am so keenly happy to be featuring on my blog ahead of reading their stories!
She is also known as Lucy Coleman (wherein I have hosted a blog tour for her releases as well!) which I love knowing as authors today publish under differnet names for different reasons. Such as exchanging one genre for another or publishing with different publishers. If you were curious about Ms Halton, I hope you’ve found her stories as Ms Coleman, too!
I enjoy finding stories which focus on a certain part of our lives and perhaps whose end game doesn’t involve a romantic connection but there could be a romantic thread inclusive of the story itself. Meaning, I love how this story involves family and the drama of family as much as it talks about different generational ages of people involved. Those are the interesting stories to discover because they tuck us into the life of a woman ‘behind’ the scenes of her life and into the corridors of where she is living the most out of her hours. This is one reason I enjoy reading ‘Women’s Fiction’ and haven’t sorted out why it has such a bad reputation recently on social bookish channels.
To me Women’s Fiction is an evolution of a woman’s life from different perspectives of that life she’s living whilst endeavouring to give us an emotional portrait of how she’s chosen to live her life as well. Sometimes it focuses on a particular moment of her life as well or a transitional period of her life or even an adverse circumstance; each story is uniquely told with the perspective of cluing us more into her journey and the growth she’s experience as she’s lived her life. In essence to capitalise on everything which evolves through her living experiences and the ways in which her life has developed before and after we’ve met her which makes for keen reading.
I especially love finding stories of either redemption or second chances – stories wherein someone is looking for a new chapter to begin in their lives and perhaps taking a chance of relocation. For these reasons I felt this story was a wicked good fit for me as reader and hope you might consider it being a good fit for you, too!
Why I wanted to host a spotlight & extract
for this new Women’s Fiction ‘Coming Home to Penvennan Cove’:
As the founder and host of @SatBookChat – I am constantly seeking to find new stories featuring strong women in the centre of Romance & Women’s Fiction. I read an equal amount of Contemporary and Historical stories within these genres of interest whilst encompassing all the lovely sub-niches of their literary styles as well. This New Year 2020 I am also seeking out Feminist Lit which celebrates the kind of stories I am enjoying to discover as well. All of which I try to champion and showcase in the chats I host on Saturdays – wherein writers, readers, book reviewers, book bloggers and the rest of the bookish community on Twitter get to engage with one another. Thereby as a regular reader of these stories I was delighted to find a #newtomeauthor to start seeking out to read!
As said, this is an author I’m especially keen on reading in future and it is only a matter of time before I queue her stories into my readerly life. I have had the tendency of finding her holiday stories in the past but as I am a reader who loves reading Women’s Fiction – this particular release caught my eye recently! What I found brilliantly motivating about it really is the non-traditional characters populating the story itself and how this is a story about life rather than focusing directly on a romance.
This is why I actively try to read both Romance & Women’s Fiction as the latter chooses not to focus directly on the former but rather the moments in and round a women’s life which isn’t necessarily hinged to finding love and sustaining a relationship. Those are the moments which are exciting to read as a reader as we’re all living our lives and having unexpected moments percolate into our hours and yet, more oft than naught those ordinary moments are not always explored in Contemporary Lit in either genre of interest.
From what I’m gathering about this new release – Kerra wants to help out her family and yes, there might be a beau on the side but her first intentions are to aide her fam, sort out her life thereafter and then, perhaps consider an old flame! To me that is the perfect mix of what I’m currently seeking out of my wanderings in Women’s Fiction as it hones in on how sometimes you must put both yourself and your fam first even ahead of a dash of romance!
Be sure to brew your favourite cuppa and enjoy the extract from this story!
Coming Home to Penvennan Cove
by Linn B. Halton, Ms Linn B. Halton
Can Kerra's Cornish hometown offer the fresh start she needs?
When Kerra left the quiet Cornish town of Penvennan Cove for the bright lights of London she didn't look back. But after the death of her mother, she's decided it's time to face her past and return to the place she called home. Her father needs her, and perhaps she needs him more than she's willing to admit?
Tackling town gossip, home renovations and a flame from her past, it's not quite smooth sailing for Kerra. Ross is the bad boy she was meant to forget, not a man who still sets her heart aflutter. As he helps bring her dream home to life, they begin to break down the barriers that have been holding them back and in the process learn things about themselves they never thought possible.
As friends old and new come together, the future in Penvennan looks bright.
Perfect for fans of Milly Johnson, Phillipa Ashley and Julie Houston.
Places to find the book:
ASIN: B089BZQMYX
Also by this author: Christmas at Bay Tree Cottage
Published by Aria Fiction
on 8th October, 2020
Published By: Aria Fiction (@Aria_Fiction)
a Digital First imprint of Head of Zeus (@HoZ_Books)
This is a Digital First Release!
Converse via: #ComingHomeToPenvennanCove, #WomensFiction and #HeadOfZeus
Enjoy this Extract
from “Coming Home to Penvennan Cove”
‘Traitor. I never thought you were the type of woman to take the money and run.’
Staring at him, I raise a disapproving eyebrow and Sy hangs his rather handsome head in shame.
We both know he doesn’t mean that, but as a creature of habit he hates change. And he hates goodbyes even more. He’s like the younger brother I always longed to have when I was growing up. My best friend had one and he adored his big sister, despite the fact that having a little shadow following her every move annoyed her intensely. Sy latched on to me in much the same fashion from day one. He was a godsend and he isn’t just an employee, but a dear and valued friend. I trust his opinion because he always has my back and I have his.
‘Cornwall is where I grew up and it’s time to go back, Sy, to reconnect with my roots. You can come and visit anytime you want, so think of it as a free holiday whenever you need a break.’
The look I get in return makes me stifle a laugh. Sy looks like a startled rabbit.
‘What—you expect me to head down to the land that time forgot?’
That would have been funny if he wasn’t being serious. Cue the commercial—I need to be painting a picture here. In my smoothest tones, I imagine I’m doing a voiceover.
‘Cornwall is a beautiful area, with stunning scenery, Sy. It’s a place made for romance, steeped in history and with wonderful walks that make the heart want to leap out of one’s chest.’
He gives me a sour look. ‘Sounds wonderful if you like that sort of thing, but I’m not fooled; you’re just trying to appease your guilt at abandoning me. Wellies have never been fashionable in my book, or remotely of interest to me.’
‘From lush green pastureland,’ I continue painting the picture, ‘to sandy beaches washed by fingers of foaming, salty water, to cresting waves and spray that stings your face, making you feel truly alive. Nature is a gentle reminder of the wonders all around us: the things that ground us and remind us what really matters. What’s not to like?’
Sy takes one step back, crossing his arms in front of him and resting his chin on one hand.
‘Hmm. Let me think. Would it be the narrow, winding lanes without a motorway in sight? And there are probably more bright lights in one square mile in London, than there are along the whole of the southwest coast. Not forgetting the fact that there’s either a camper van, or a herd of cows around every bend. It’s a hazardous place to live and the parking is abysmal. The Wi-Fi is rubbish, too, I hear!’
I give up. He’s being purposefully antagonistic now.
‘It’s the countryside, Sy. It’s all about community—but the real thing, not the online variety. This is life in the raw, versus…’ How can I put this into context? ‘As opposed to virtual reality—which doesn’t always bear much resemblance. There is life outside of London, it just has a different dynamic. It’s more sedate, neighbourly. People get to know each other on a more personal level.’
‘I like work, and wine bars, and theatres, and crowds of people I don’t know—and don’t care to know up close and personal. I hate the thought of strangers being privy to my business and I have no desire whatsoever to be on more than nodding terms with either of my neighbours. They could be serial killers, for all I know.’
I, too, have loved the sense of anonymity that living in a metropolis brings with it. No one has time to notice you, unless you want to be noticed. The truth is that the day I signed on the dotted line I did waver, there’s no denying it. I watched my hand shake as I focused on forming each of the letters of my name. My head was telling me that it was the right thing to do for the survival of the company and to ensure the livelihoods of my loyal staff. But my heart felt it was at breaking point—I was being pulled in two directions. Work on the one hand and family on the other.
I loved finding out Kerra exchanged a small towne in Cornish for the bigger city of London whilst she is now finding herself returning to small towne life – as it speaks well to how our lives evolve as they are lived. I began in a larger metropolis myself which had a beautiful melting pot of culture, ethnicities and all the joys of big city living which can give you a wicked rounding of a well lived life. However, having said that – stepping away from a metropolis and exchanging it for a different kind of life offers better perspective on how you might desire to live vs how you’ve always lived until you’ve made a switch.
I’ve lived in both urban and rural communities and they both have benefits from each other. Now that I’m a forty-something I can fondly look back on living in both environments as I have a fondness for a slower pacing of life with a backdrop of wildlife and the natural world whilst I still fondly find myself appreciating the cultural benefits of a city.
A mixmash of both would be most ideal, I think as you could take the benefits of both – and perhaps that is something Kerra is considering too. Where does your heart truly lie? In the bustling of a city? or in the quieter pace of a smaller towne? And, what is more important? The bustle or your family? I know where my priorities lie but it will be lovely to follow in Kerra’s footsteps to discover hers, I think!
Ms Halton has always been a writer I felt was writing the stories I would geniune relish reading because of how sensible she writes her characters and how she endears them to ask the larger questions. About their purpose in life, their place in their world and the larger scope of what everything means at the end of the day. This extract truly captialised on everything I was hoping would be inclusive of this story and I can’t wait to seek out a copy to listen to once it goes to audiobook! Or, in print if an audiobook isn’t slated. I’m blessed I’ve had the chance to host her today and I hope other readers will find her style as heartwarming as I have from afar as they venture into her reading her story now as it releases into the world.
About Ms Linn B. Halton
From interior designer to author, when Linn B. Halton's not writing, or spending time with the family, she's either upcycling furniture or working in the garden. Linn won the 2013 UK Festival of Romance: Innovation in Romantic Fiction award; her novels have been short-listed in the UK's Festival of Romance and the eFestival of Words Book Awards.
Living in Coed Duon in the Welsh Valleys with her 'rock', Lawrence, and gorgeous Bengal cat Ziggy, she freely admits she's an eternal romantic. Linn is a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association and the Society of Authors. Linn writes feel-good, uplifting novels about life, love and relationships.
Follow this Blog Tour:
NOTE: Similar to blog tours wherein I feature book reviews, book spotlights (with or without extracts), book announcements (or Cover Reveals) – I may elect to feature an author, editor, narrator, publisher or other creative person connected to the book, audiobook, Indie film project or otherwise creative publishing medium being featured wherein the supplemental content on my blog is never compensated monetarily nor am I ever obligated to feature this kind of content. I provide (98.5%) of all questions and guest topics regularly featured on Jorie Loves A Story. I receive direct responses back to those enquiries by publicists, literary agents, authors, blog tour companies, etc of whom I am working with to bring these supplemental features and showcases to my blog. I am naturally curious about the ‘behind-the-scenes’ of stories and the writers who pen them: I have a heap of joy bringing this content to my readers. Whenever there is a conflict of connection I do disclose those connections per post and disclose the connection as it applies.
{SOURCES: Book covers for “Coming Home to Penvennan Cove”, book synopsis, author photograph of Linn B. Halton, author biography, the extracts from the books and the blog tour banners were all provided by Head of Zeus and used with permission. Post dividers and My Thoughts badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets were embedded due to codes provided by Twitter. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: Stories in the Spotlight banner and the Comment Box Banner.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2020.
I’m a social reader | I tweet my reading life
.@joriestory🔦 #WomensFiction #BookSpotlight
🏖️A lovely small towne: Penvennan Cove
👒A life shift: exchanging city for small towneMs Halton is a writer I believe I would geniune relish reading for stories like this!👏
📙🧡#bookblogger #blogtour pic.twitter.com/HWOVEAc8Lr
— Jorie Story 📖🎧 (@joriestory) October 7, 2020
Thank you so much, Jorie for being on the tour and featuring Coming Home to Penvennan Cove – your posts are always so interesting and it’s much appreciated!
Reply