I honestly think the cover of A Cornish Secret by Emma Burstall is one of the loveliest I’ve seen this summer and I’m delighted to be chatting with Emma all about the book today.

My thanks to Melanie Price at Aria for inviting me to be part of these launch celebrations for A Cornish Secret.

Staying in with Emma Burstall

Hi Emma. Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag.

Hello and thank you so much for inviting me!

Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me. I rather think I know the answer to this question, but which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it? 

This evening I’ve brought along my brand new book, A Cornish Secret, which is the latest in my Cornish series, set in the fictional seaside village of Tremarnock. It’s published by Head of Zeus and is out as an ebook on June 1^st. The hardback and paperback will follow shortly.

(And I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy as it looks gorgeous.)

What can we expect from an evening in with A Cornish Secret?

Laughter, tears, interesting characters, stunning scenery and a few shocks and surprises along the way. I’m pleased to say that readers have variously described the Tremarnock series as ‘difficult to put down’, ‘heart warming’ and ‘wonderfully descriptive’ with characters that ‘hook you in instantly.’

(This sounds exactly my kind of read Emma. You must be very pleased with those responses.)

I like a good plot, so I try to include plenty of twists and turns with big emotional climaxes juxtaposed with scenes of the everyday, just like real life. Expect a bit of a rollercoaster and hang on tight, but rest assured that you’ll reach your destination safely in the end!

(I am DEFINITELY adding A Cornish Secret to my TBR immediately.)

What else have you brought along and why? 

This photo of me and my friends in our walking boots around a scallop shell means a lot to me because it helped to inspire the book. The seeds of A Cornish Secret were planted when we went on a memorable walking holiday together in Northern Spain. We trudged for miles in the footsteps of the ancient pilgrims along the famous Camino de Santiago towards the shrine of the apostle St James, ending our trek in the grand Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The symbol of the scallop shell can be seen all along the road and has come to represent many things, including the numerous paths leading from all over the world to just one point.

(This is a walk I’m really interesting in doing myself Emma. And my husband has recently learnt Spanish so he can do all the organising!)

The trek was hard work but also great fun. Of course we talked as we walked, and learned things about each other that we hadn’t known before. When I got home and found that a section of the Camino crosses Cornwall, I was incredibly excited. I did the walk myself and was delighted to spot more scallop shell signs along the way. After that, I decided that I wanted two of my Cornish characters to set out on a journey of discovery that would change their lives, and A Cornish Secret was born.

(Ooo. I didn’t know that. We can do a bit of the walk before heading to Spain. I’ll be scouring the Internet when you’ve gone home to find out more.)

If I may, I’d like to bring some snacks, too – some Cornish pasties as well as strawberry jam, scones and clotted cream to get us in the mood. Oh, and some Scrumpy. It’s quite strong so a little goes a long way!

You’re telling me. I’m not good with alcohol so maybe I’ll just stick to the food!

Thanks so much for staying in with me and telling me all about A Cornish Secret Emma. I’ve had a lovely time.

A Cornish Secret

Be careful what you kiss for…

Esme Posorsky is an enigma. For as long as people can remember, she has been part of community life in the quaint Cornish fishing village of Tremarnock, but does anyone really know her? She is usually to be found working in her pottery studio or at home with her beloved cat, Rasputin. But when an old school friend turns up with a secret from the past, nothing will ever be the same again.

Meanwhile teenager, Rosie, is excited to find a bottle washed up on Tremarnock beach with a message from a former German prisoner of war. While the rest of the village is up in arms about a new housing development, she sets out to find him. Little does she know, however, that her discovery will unleash a shocking chain of events that threatens to blow her family apart. Tremarnock may look like a cosy backwater, but some of its residents are about to come face-to-face with tough decisions and cold reality…

Published by Aria, A Cornish Secret is available for purchase on Amazon, Kobo, iBooks and Google Play.

About Emma Burstall

Emma Burstall was a newspaper journalist in Devon and Cornwall before becoming a full time author. Tremarnock, the first novel in her series set in a delightful Cornish village, was published in 2015 and became a top-10 bestseller.

You can find Emma on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @EmmaBurstall.  Emma has a smashing author website and there’s more with these other bloggers too: