Summer Season by Rebecca Cohen
Where's One of Your Favourite Places?
‘Summer Season’, my new release, is set in Cornwall in and around the Minack Theatre and a little town called Porthcurno. I have to admit that I love the south Cornish coast line with its stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean and beautiful cliffs and headlands. At one point in the story, Stuart takes Ryan for a moonlit stroll on Porthcurno beach, a place that has a very special place in my heart. Back in 1998, I headed down to Cornwall with my then boyfriend and his family to lend a hand behind the scenes for a play at the Minack. It wasn’t all work and no play, and we visited a beautiful beach which the theatre overlooks. We went for a paddle, hand in hand, enjoying the gentle waves when to my surprise he drops to one knee and proposes. I said yes.
It took us a few years to walk down the aisle, but in 2014 we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. So when the time came to give Stuart and Ryan a romantic backdrop for one of their dates, I had to use Porthcurno beach.
Buylinks: Dreamspinner | Amazon | All Romance | Barnes & Noble
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by Rebecca Cohen
M/M Contemporary/Actors
Dreamspinner Press
Blurb: A Treading the Boards Novella
A trip down to Cornwall is just what Ryan Penniford needs to recover from the daily grind of London life. Ryan and his amateur dramatics society, the Sarky Players, are traveling to Porthcurno to perform at the stunning Minack Theatre.
Stuart Box has returned to Cornwall after earning his PhD, and is killing time as he looks for a job back in London. Spending time with Ryan from the Sarky Players is a great way to take his mind off things.
During their first meeting, sparks fly, but not in a good way, and they must work to get past their initial hostilities to discover they have great off-stage chemistry. Stuart soon learns Ryan is not the superficial man people assume he is, and Stuart likes what he sees. The feeling is entirely mutual.
Pity Ryan is only visiting for two weeks, but both men want to see where this holiday romance might take them.
Bio and Links:
Rebecca Cohen is a Brit abroad. Having swapped the Thames for the Rhine, she has left London behind and now lives with her husband and baby son in Basel, Switzerland. She can often be found with a pen in one hand and a cup of Darjeeling in the other.
Blog: http://rebeccacohenwrites.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/R_Cohen_writes
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebecca.cohen.710
DSP author page: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/index.php?cPath=55_462
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Rebecca-Cohen/e/B007UEFIXS/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
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Excerpt:
Chapter One
STUART SPLUTTERED as he took a deep breath of sea air. He must’ve been away from Cornwall for too long if the once restorative powers of the sea made him sound like he had bronchitis. He lifted his heavy rucksack into a more comfortable position and set off down the coastal path and away from where he’d asked his friend to drop him.
No one had thought to tell the weather it was meant to be high summer—the gray sky threatened rain. The strong, warm wind buffeted Stuart, despite him being weighed down with the possessions from his now ex-house share. July in Cornwall could be amazing, but not today. The weather gods must be suffering from a hangover and were taking out their annoyance on the inhabitants of Porthcurno. Stuart stepped to one side to let a family of five pass by, the little boy taking great delight in antagonizing his two older sisters with a constant barrage of whys.
He should have asked to be dropped closer to the service road to his mum’s cottage, but he’d been away from the sea for so long and jumped at the chance for a twenty-minute walk following the coast. He hadn’t factored in the heavy rucksack on his back or the way the straps might dig into his shoulders. When would he learn not to romanticize the mundaneness of daily life? Maybe if he’d got his head out of the clouds, he’d have a job rather than be slinking back home to do his job-hunting. His PhD in molecular developmental biology was all very well and good, but it didn’t help his temporary employment chances in the Cornish tourist industry while he looked farther afield for an academic position.
As he approached the bar gate across the path to a small collection of cottages, he saw Malcolm leaning against the gate. “Back again, I see. Big Smoke too smoky for you?”
Malcolm had been a fixture of the village for as long as Stuart could remember. The only thing that seemed to change was the extent of the gray hair on his head and in his beard.
“Not exactly. But it’s always nice to be back by the sea.”
“I dare say you couldn’t have picked a uni farther from the sea if you tried.”
“London’s not quite that bad, Malcolm.”
“Well, your mum’ll be glad to see you. Talks about you all the time.”
“She’s always been one to bore the neighbors.”
Malcolm patted him on the shoulder and opened the gate. Walking toward the cottage brought back a flood of memories from growing up there and playing with Malcolm’s cheeky Tibetan terrier. Shirley, Malcolm’s wife, used to spoil him rotten, making Stuart chocolate chip cookies during their frequent babysitting stints.
“Your mum’s not sent me deaf yet, lad. Even after living next to her for all these years. Speak of the devil, ’ere she comes.”
Moments later Stuart was engulfed, not really caring that some people would consider him too old to be hugged by his mum.
Malcolm chuckled. “Careful there, Fi. You’ll break the lad.”
Fiona pulled away, and Stuart was powerless to stop her pressing a wet kiss to his cheek. “Nonsense, my little man’s made of sterner stuff. He won’t break from a mama cuddle.”
Stuart wiped away the bright pink lipstick, knowing complaining would result in a matching smear on the other cheek. Malcolm waved a good-bye as he headed for his own cottage. Stuart let Fiona lead him inside.
“It’s so lovely to have you home, Stuart. Even the cat’s missed you.”
“If Sprocket’s missed me, then it’s only because she had one less minion to open her food.”
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Giveaway:
$20 gift card for Amazon or Are, 2 ebooks from back catalogue (excluding Summer Season). Giveaway closes 21st October 2015.
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