Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!
Happy December, Happy #blogmas, everyone! Each year, for the past several years I’ve been engaging with you during this special month of posts which are inter-connected to either Christmas or a genre of interest which is being celebrated during the chase up to Christmas and/or New Year’s. I have been enjoying curating the guest features, spotlights and other showcases each year I’ve participated in #blogmas and this year, is no exception! I have a wonderful sequencing of posts for you – including a few author interviews featuring Head of Zeus authors which I’m quite excited about!
Today kicks off my Head of Zeus Christmas interviews with a #newtomeauthor, Ms Barone whose written a delightful Contemporary Christmassy Romance whose title first winked a dash of curiosity for me to pursue! I’ve since learnt this is one of three novels set round a theme of interest in ‘Cornish’ – whilst my conversation with Ms Barone tucks into the story a bit as we discuss her characters whilst I also wanted to broach a few questions about Christmas as a season and as a holiday we mutually love to celebrate.
I hope this will become one of the stories I can read next year for Christmas as it is strictly digital first right now for those who read ebooks! Once the titles I’ve featured by Head of Zeus go into audiobook editions, I have a better chance of finding them – as I am grateful Scribd carries their stories. Right now for those who read ebooks the first two stories of Little Cornish are available on Scribd for you. If they don’t go into audio, I’ll have to wait for the print editions to read them.
Why I wanted to host a spotlight & interview
for this new Christmassy story ‘No Room at the Little Cornish Inn’:
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!
I have a soft spot for stories set before, during and after the Christmas and/or New Year holidays – every year, I love to binge watch Christmas movies on tv (esp Hallmark or Lifetime) as much as I have small collection of beloved Christmas movies on dvd which I also love to binge watch every December & January. For me, Christmas extends to Twelfth Night in January and even a bit beyond – as I generally get into the festive spirit the week of Thanksgiving and have it until just before the start of February. Winter also marks my favourite season of the year – when the humidity is finally gone and I can pull out my sweaters and long sleeved shirts whilst enjoying the brisk colder air!!
What stood out to me of course is the overlay from “the” original Christmas story into a Contemporary Christmas Romance such as this one – where the story moves from having no place to stay to having a corporate woman on holiday with her son having to sort out why this particular Inn is malfunctioning. I’ve seen this played out a few times in Hallmark movies (ie. starring Brennan Elliott and/or Candace Cameron respectively) and I’ve always enjoyed them. There is something to be said for someone coming into a business at the moment its faltering and struggling to right its sails – you never know if it will fold, merge, sell or re-stablise and there is joy in the journey towards the ending seeing how hearts spark to life and sometimes in the midst of that kind of chaos romance can bloom!
This is why I was keen on learning a bit more about this story and why I am truly grateful I could interview the author during her blog tour this December.
Be sure to brew your favourite cuppa and enjoy this delightful holiday inspired Q&A!
No Room at the Little Cornish Inn
by Nancy Barone
Rosie Anderson was hoping to whisk her young son Danny away for a lovely Christmas with family, far from the hustle and bustle of her life in London. But then her boss at the head office – aka Susan the Sacker – suddenly assigns her to go in incognito and save a tiny inn in Cornwall from being closed permanently. Rosie doesn't know why The Old Bell Inn is performing so badly but it's on her to sort it out!
Hours in the car later, Rosie arrives at the inn to find she's been double booked – there are no rooms left. And she isn't there for more than a minute before she's butting heads with the manager, Irishman Mitchell Fitzpatrick. He seems to dislike her on sight, so it's confusing that he seems to get on so well with Danny... But if he's as terrible as his reputation, Rosie will have to be the one to fire him.
This really isn't the Christmas Rosie was dreaming of. But maybe, just maybe, it could be a whole lot more...
A sweet and uplifting Christmas romance, No Room at the Little Cornish Inn is perfect for fans of Philippa Ashley, Holly Martin and Jenny Hale.
Places to find the book:
ASIN: B0888WT8S5
Published by Aria Fiction
on 5th November, 2020
The Little Cornish series of stories:
[ although I am unsure if this is a dedicated series, all the stories involve ‘Little Cornish’ ]
New Hope for the Little Cornish Farmhouse (book one)
No Room at the Little Cornish Inn (book two)
Dreams of a Little Cornish Cottage (book three) ← forthcoming, 2021!
Published By: Aria Fiction (@Aria_Fiction)
a Digital First imprint of Head of Zeus (@HoZ_Books)
This is a Digital First Release!
Converse via: #NoRoomAtTheLittleCornishInn, #WomensFiction and #HeadOfZeus