BLUEBELL'S CHRISTMAS MAGIC

BLUEBELL’S CHRISTMAS MAGIC, my first ever Christmas romantic comedy, was published by Choc Lit UK on November 19th.

As random as it seems, the inspiration for Cassie Bell's story was a family holiday in the Lake District, Christmas cracker jokes and the 1980s band Bananarama – and in particular the song ‘Cruel Summer’. It does seem a bit strange, but that's how inspiration works for me. Even if I can usually pinpoint the exact moment or place when I got the first idea about a new story, the process of creating characters and a plot line usually takes me a long time and is a complete mish-mash!

I first had the idea for BLUEBELL when staying in a tiny cottage in Coniston, which is one of my most favourite places in the UK and one I try to visit every year. The scenery there is beautiful, the village so quaint and lovely, and the lakeside is just wonderful. One of the places I particularly love is Brantwood, which was John Ruskin’s house. The view of the lake from the terrace is one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. Last time we went we stayed in a holiday cottage near a very old farmhouse with strange round chimneys, which gave me the idea for Belthorn Manor where the hero Stefan Lambert comes to stay to forget all about Christmas…

Lake Coniston

No Christmas would be complete without Christmas cracker jokes, and I had a lot of fun finding some to put into the book – some of them were supplied by my friends and my children, and others I made up myself (but I won't say which ones)!

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

What about Bananarama and their song ‘Cruel Summer’? Well, in my story, Cassie Bell always wears dungarees when she does her cleaning job, and she ties her hair up with a scarf, like the singers in the clip. She also used to be in a Bananarama tribute band when she was younger.

I hope that BLUEBELL’S CHRISTMAS MAGIC will be the first of a series of standalone romantic stories set in the same Cumbrian village of Red Moss, and I am now working on the second novel.

Blurb

A gorgeous new Christmas story from the author of bestselling novel Little Pink Taxi
A flick of a feather duster and a sprinkle of Christmas magic …
Cassie Bell is used to mess. Her cleaning business, Bluebell Cleaning, is well known in the Cumbrian village of Red Moss. However, now it’s almost Christmas and Cassie has a slightly messier situation to deal with than she’s used to.

She’s been hired to help Stefan Lambert, an injured army helicopter pilot who’s staying at the local Belthorn Manor whilst he recovers. Stefan resents Cassie’s interference and is definitely not looking for Christmas cheer. But Cassie prides herself on sparkling surfaces – so, can she bring some festive sparkle to Stefan’s life too?

You can buy BLUEBELL’S CHRISTMAS MAGIC as an ebook and audio book here from Amazon UK