Tuesday, July 23, 2019

RRR presents... A SPIRITED GIRL ON CORNISH SHORES by Laura Briggs - EXCERPT + GIVEAWAY!

Hi there!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.


Today, we're playing host to a stop along a Rachel's Random Resources tour featuring a Romance/Chick-Lit title that is celebrating its BOOK BIRTHDAY this very day!  (Woot woot!)  So grab your party hats, and horns as we take a closer look at the book making its way to virtual shelves near you...


A Spirited Girl on Cornish Shores
A Little Hotel in Cornwall series, Book 2
by
Laura Briggs

About the book...
It looks like a perfect Cornish autumn, with aspiring novelist Maisie Clark still finding inspiration as a maid at the historic Penmarrow Hotel. Between the staff of quirky co-workers, glamorous and unusual guests, and her growing friendship with the charming but mysterious Sidney Daniels, Maisie is living out adventures instead of just penning them in the pages of her would-be novel's growing number of chapters.

 And then there's the slight problem of keeping the balance between friendship and 'something more' with Sidney, who's helping introduce her to the village's version of a Cornish Halloween, and has recently taken an interest in Maisie's secret that may change things between them. But even Maisie’s imagination can't conjure the unusual event this Halloween brings to the Penmarrow. An eccentric earl has chosen this site to host his lavish birthday celebration that includes a pretty (and perceptive) young psychic whose predictions seem to have everyone on edge — and, to Maisie's delight, the elusive novelist Alistair Davies is rumored to be part of the guest list! But with the earl's bickering relatives and illustrious friends on hand— and more than one ghost of the past waiting to be revealed — it’s anyone’s guess what the festivities will bring before the party is over.

 Will the psychic foretell doom for the earl's gathering—and is her ‘gift’ as genuine as it seems? Will Maisie finally meet her favorite author face to face? And, more importantly, what about the romantic sparks that fly between Maisie and Sidney?

AMAZON  UK  |  US



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~~ EXCERPT ~~

Thank you so much to Gina for letting me show her readers an extract from my latest romantic read. It is the sequel to my summer novella A Little Hotel in Cornwall, where American waitress and aspiring novelist Maisie Clark found herself working across the Pond at a historic hotel. In this scene, Maisie is on her way to see her friend Sidney Daniels, the groundskeeper for the local vicarage.  (my pleasure! ^-^)


Like many half days off during my weeks at the hotel Penmarrow, I was planning to spend it with the vicarage's unusual caretaker, handyman, and carefree wanderer-at-heart. Whom I had lately promised could read the object I carried with me, bundled together with twine: the stack of papers that represented the late nights and carved-out hours of my time in Cornwall, and a year of imaginings from my literary aspirations beforehand.
The thought of him reading it made me nervous, truth be told. Since I first began The Untold Heart, its only reader had been Professor Scott, who hadn't been the world's biggest fan of period Gothic romance, even without both a touch of steam punk and a heavy dose of literary allusions. For him, Edgar Allan Poe's poetry ended at "The Raven" — and it wasn't supposed to be married to the classic American author's short stories to give Annabel Lee an elaborate personal history. Needless to say, he didn't give odds to the possibility of my novel finding harmony between all of these things and a perfect ending.
A promise was still a promise. Besides, Sidney — even if he never claimed to be the deeply-literary type — would probably be a kind critic who lied with his lips and told the truth with his eyes, thus sparing my dignity and our fragile young friendship...or whatever this was between us.
I cycled past the old church whose stained glass windows overlooked the sleepy burial ground, turning at the opening in the hedge which led to the maintenance shed located behind the vicarage, where Sidney lived as groundskeeper.
Once again, the shed door was closed and locked. I knocked twice, then sighed. Sidney had forgotten that he had asked me to come by. Again.
"He's always going to ask me and never going to remember. Isn't he?" I addressed one of Sidney's dogs, the big shaggy one with definite traces of wolfhound in his lineage. He thumped his tail lazily against the courtyard path's stones.
Since Sidney had forgotten to leave a note, I didn't have the faintest idea what errand he might be on, and I didn't want to chance leaving my manuscript on his doorstep, where just anyone might find it.
"I don't suppose one of you would like to take me to him?" I asked, as I lifted the bicycle's kickstand. As if he had been waiting for this signal, the terrier mix Kip sprang to his feet, wagging his tail. He scurried along beside me, then trotted ahead, in the direction of Sidney's friend Dean's cottage.
The familiar unkempt front garden beds were filled with late-season roses and faded stalks of foxglove. I parked my bike and approached the front door, as Kip flopped over among the flattened tufts of ornamental grass.
I shuffled the package and the manuscript to one side in my arms, and knocked on the door. I could hear the muffled sound of classical music playing within. "It's open," called a voice on the other side, which was unmistakably Sidney's. I lifted the handle and crossed the threshold of Dean's cottage.
The short, narrow hall where Sidney had greeted me the last time I was here was empty except for a Macintosh hanging from a hook and some crookedly-hung framed prints and artwork. In the untidy living room beyond it, the source of the recorded aria I heard from outside, a large canvas was propped on an easel near the windows, the drapes drawn wide open to look out on the wilderness of a garden outside with its tangled high stalks and wild-limbed shrubbery as it permitted the daylight to enter.
On the canvas was a garden scene depicting a woman and two children seated on a blanket, and manicured flower beds brimming with brightly-colored daisies, aster, late summer lilies, and sprays of roses covering the garden walls. Dean's wheelchair was positioned directly before it, with Sidney beside him on a low chair. A palette of mixed paints rested on the wheelchair's arm, fastened around the arm of the disabled man; between Sidney's fingers rested a brush tipped with a shade of lavender, almost touching the canvas.
"A bit more to the right. Lightly, now," said Dean, in the richly-charged yet blunt voice I remembered from before. "Just there. A bit more and ... perfect. Now, the ochre for the center ...." But here he trailed off, seeing me standing there.
"Sorry to interrupt," I said, apologetically.
"I said 'come in,' didn't I?" said Sidney. "Can't very well answer the door while I'm in the middle of this."
He held up his hands as proof, which were smeared in various shades of purple. The same colors stained the knees of his trousers, his old pullover dark blue jumper, and now the edge of his hair where he tucked the artist's brush like a carpenter's pencil.
Now I put the recollection of Sid saying he 'painted a bit' in its proper context: not that of touching up garden shed exteriors around the village.



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About the author...


Laura Briggs is the author of several feel-good romance reads, including the Top 100 Amazon UK seller 'A Wedding in Cornwall'. She has a fondness for vintage style dresses (especially ones with polka dots), and reads everything from Jane Austen to modern day mysteries. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, caring for her pets, gardening, and seeing the occasional movie or play.





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Image result for giveaway

1st Prize: A Ross Poldark collectible Knitdark character doll (Open Internationally) –1 winner

Perfect for fans of all-things Cornwall, this Ross Poldark doll with tricorn hat is made by Angela Blay, whose popular Knitdark creations have been featured on The Graham Norton Show. Since each doll is hand made, the Ross the winner receives may vary slightly in appearance from the one in the picture. Readers can learn more about the Knitdarks at Angela's Twitter page @kwerkyknits as well as her Etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/kwerkyknits






2nd Prize: A decorative tin T.A.R.D.I.S (Open Internationally) –1 winner

A tin T.A.R.D.I.S similar to the keepsake Maisie is gifted by Sidney in Book 1, A Little Hotel in Cornwall. Designed by Etsy artist KittyConduitt81 and perfect for fans of Doctor Who! Being a unique, hand made item, the final design may vary slightly in appearance from the one pictured. Learn about KittyConduittDesigns on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/shop/KittyConduittDesigns








3rd Prize: A Kindle/Tablet case featuring cover art from A Little Hotel in Cornwall (Open Internationally) –1 winner

A specially designed case for a Kindle or Tablet featuring the cover art for Book 1 in the series A Little Hotel in Cornwall. The final product's size, texture, and color will depend on the winner's device.









*All 3 winners will also receive a digital copy of Book 1 in the series, A Little Hotel in Cornwall.



*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.








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Special thanks to Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for the chance to bring this tour to you. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, this tour, or those on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. Be sure to check out the rest of the tour for more bookish fun!

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!




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