Cornish Gold at Summer’s End by Laura Briggs
What began as a bit of teenage mischief in the village quickly became stories of spooky lights and ghost sightings in the wood. Being sensible, Julianne is more worried about whether she can finish her kids’ costumes in time for the annual Halloween contest—and whether husband Matt and his eager assistants will be selected for the exclusive Brookshire Garden Design Competition. So when everyone in town begins flocking to the local ‘ghost walk’ tours Julianne assures her wide-eyed children it’s just a case of imagination run wild...until she experiences her own brush with the supernatural, that is.
Real or imagined, Julianne can’t shrug off what she saw, or even bring herself to confide in sympathetic Matt for advice. Best friend Kitty is on hand to help, despite her usual family battles, including that of her cousins’ shady new scheme to profit from the town’s ghost mania. But even Julianne’s friends can’t fully understand her need to find a solution this time, one that leads her on a quirky quest from local lore, to meetings with the village’s ragtag paranormal club, and even a creepy abandoned cottage hiding secrets in the woods.
Join Julianne for suspense, surprises, and (of course) heartfelt moments as book four in the series brings an autumn like no other to sleepy Ceffylgwyn.
Thanks so much to Ellesea for this opportunity to give her readers a glimpse of my latest story. It is the autumn-themed fourth installment in my series about Julianne, an event planner who lives in a gorgeous Cornish village. In the following scene, Julianne observes the popular ghost walk tour that has curious crowds flocking to the village as Halloween grows near.
"Step this way, ladies and gentlemen, and we'll begin our tour with a story. Tonight, in the shadows of an old Cornish pub, we walk in the direction of the original public house in this village, burned tragically by a fifteenth-century fire which claimed three lives..."
Several men and women bundled against the evening's chill were trickling out of the public house's door, following the guide dressed in an old-fashioned cloak and carrying an electric lantern. Despite the guide's creepy voice and story, some of them didn't look serious, with a few giggles and smiles among them, especially the two girls in puffy coats.
I stepped aside until they passed, but the last person out was a familiar face — Lady Amanda shut the door behind them, stopping short when she recognized me.
"Coming to join us, Juli?" she asked, wrapping her camel-colored pashmina more closely around herself. It matched the wool hat she was wearing, pulled down over her ears and the upper half of her long ginger braid. "It should be another exciting evening."
"Are you going along?" I asked. "It's three miles, isn't it?"
"It is, but since it starts at a pub and ends at an inn with a proper bar, no one complains," said Amanda, cheerily. "It takes the chill out of one's bones. Besides, I'm only seeing them to the old post road, then I'm turning aside and meeting Rosie for dinner off the Golden Perch's new tapas menu. Will's minding Edwin and Charles for the evening, so I'm enjoying a bit of freedom." She stepped out of the doorway as another patron went inside the Fisherman's Rest. "I'm sure Rosie wouldn't mind a third if you'd fancy coming along."
"Thanks, but I have a crowd to feed at home," I said. "I'm only stopping in for a bite to eat because dinner is delayed and I'm starving. I don't want my kids catching me raiding the biscuit cupboard at home."
"I'd stop with you, but I do like to watch the visitor's reactions to Gerard's little speech," she said. The guide was pointing towards the local clothing boutique, which I presumed was the site of something long lost in Ceffylgwyn's history.
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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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