Guest post…..

Things I Learned While Researching for My Cornish Book Series

Thank you so much to Kerry for letting me share about my series A WEDDING IN CORNWALL!

You’re very welcome, Laura 🙂

Cornwall is an awfully popular setting for romance and women’s fiction novels these days isn’t it? I have to admit I couldn’t resist its potential as a setting—the breathtaking scenery of shows like Poldark and Doc Martin convinced me easily that anyone might go there looking for a new lease on life, as my heroine does in the first installment in the series.

That was back in 2016 when I first wrote American event planner Julianne’s move ‘across the Pond’ to a beautiful estate in a Cornish village. A Poldark-esque gardener named Matt befriended her there, along with her co-workers and employers at the manor known as Cliffs House. One adventure led to another, until the series had reached its heartwarming conclusion with a total of twelve novellas. Now, as it celebrates its second anniversary, I’m excited to release a book bundle so readers can enjoy the original books 7-12 in one volume of either paperback or digital format.

Unsurprisingly, I have had to learn about both the UK and more specifically Cornish culture in order to write these novellas—after all, I’m an American who is writing about a county located in another country (and making mistakes many times, of course!). But thanks to the internet and other resources, I have learned many things which proved helpful in making Julianne’s world seem more colorful and authentic, fictional though it be. And I thought it might be fun to share with you a few of the facts that my American readers might find enlightening from the six novellas in this book bundle:

1) Cornish pixies might be more devilish than other kinds of pixies (just ask Harry Potter!). Seriously, though, it was fun to learn about Cornish folklore for aspects of A Romance in Cornwall—including that they have many tales and legends about giants and that the tale of “Jack the Giant Killer” has a strong Cornish connection.

2) Caravans in the UK can refer to ‘houses on wheels’ — campers, R.V.’s or travel trailers — or other vehicles that are used as housing or meant to be used at a campsite (whereas in the US, they are more likely associated with a car, or a train of vehicles or conveyances in motion).

3) English village fetes are pretty similar to American county and state fairs. This was something I had kind of assumed but had only the most basic knowledge of before penning A Sewing Circle in Cornwall. So before I imagined Julianne preparing her patchwork quilt for this event’s charity raffle all I really knew about village fetes is that they were community events that provide a colorful backdrop for various plots of intrigue and crime ( at least they do in Hot Fuzz and Midsomer Murders!).

4) Kewer Vas means ‘fine weather’ in Cornish. It’s just a tiny fact to learn, of course, and is only mentioned once in the book A Talent Show in Cornwall, but still quite a fun thing to tuck away in one’s memory bank!

5) Hen nights can be the same thing as a bachelorette party in America. I had a vague notion of this before, but it wasn’t something I really knew too much about until Teagen’s character—a wild and carefree hen night planner— appeared in my novella An American in Cornwall. Her scene is one of my favorites in the story and one that provides much humor at poor Julianne’s expense! And it seems that although the term ‘hen night’ was used in America in the past, it is fairly rare to hear it these days.

6) Real estate works much differently in the UK than it does in the US. Not the most fascinating bit of research, true—but it was quite a pivotal part of the story, since Julianne was faced with the possibility of moving from her beloved Rosemoor Cottage in the final book in the series.

So, whichever side of the Pond you live on, if you enjoy feel-good, romantic stories set in Cornwall, maybe you will enjoy these novellas. Each one can be read as a standalone, but I do hope you’ll check out the whole series. You can learn more about it, as well as the all-new Cornish romance series I’m working on for 2019 by signing up for my special book news right here:

https://returntocornwall.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_4.html

A Wedding in Cornwall (Books 7—12)

The last six novellas in the UK bestselling series A WEDDING IN CORNWALL are now available in one collection! Join American event planner Julianne in her final set of adventures ‘across the pond’ in beautiful Cornwall. From celebrity sightings to a local talent show, from a charming village fete to a secret Cornish garden, there’s never a dull moment for Julianne and her Poldark-esque true love Matthew in the quaint village of Ceffylgwyn.

This collection contains A Romance in Cornwall, A Star in Cornwall, A Sewing Circle in Cornwall, A Talent Show in Cornwall, An American in Cornwall, and A Garden in Cornwall. Exclusive bonus materials include a sneak peek of the author’s all-new 2019 Cornish romance series!

Purchase Link –

http://smarturl.it/cornwallbooks7-12

Author Bio –

Laura Briggs is the author of several lighthearted romance novels and novellas, including the bestselling Amazon UK series 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, caring for her pets, going to movies and plays, and trying new restaurants.

Social Media Links –

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaperDollWrites

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorlaurabriggs/

Website: https://paperdollwrites.blogspot.com/

Giveaway –

Win A Wedding in Cornwall – 3 different prizes (Open Internationally)

1^st Name Drawn will win – A paperback copy of the anthology to be shipped to the winner by the author via Amazon

2^nd Name Drawn will win – A digital/eBook copy of the anthology to be sent via email

3^rd Name Drawn will win – A Smashwords coupon code good for a free download of 1 ‘Surprise eBook’ from the Cornwall series of novellas

*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 I reserve 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 I will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.