{"id":2456,"date":"2018-08-17T15:24:21","date_gmt":"2018-08-17T13:24:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/?p=2456"},"modified":"2018-08-17T15:24:21","modified_gmt":"2018-08-17T13:24:21","slug":"finding-inspiration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/?p=2456","title":{"rendered":"Finding inspiration …"},"content":{"rendered":"

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If you didn’t catch it, here’s the blog I did for Harper Impulse which explains a little about the background to the Berecombe books.<\/em><\/p>\n

Once upon a time, a long time ago, a very ordinary little girl from a very ordinary family climbed into the car and travelled south to holiday in a special town by the seaside. It filled her with magic and wonder. She loved it so much, she kept going back … and back!<\/p>\n

Hi, I\u2019m Georgia Hill and I write rom-coms and historical romance for Harper Impulse. I was that ordinary little girl and the place I was taken to, for the first time when I was five, was Lyme Regis on the English Dorset coast. Since then, I\u2019ve been lucky enough to travel widely. To places hot and sultry, toe-numbingly cold, to fun party places and destinations which were edgier. But I always went back to Lyme Regis as well. If I couldn\u2019t manage a trip at least once a year, I was not a happy bunny. I think I became slightly obsessed!<\/p>\n

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There is<\/em> something magical about being by the sea. If you\u2019re the energetic kind, you can swim, surf, fish, or simply walk along a quiet beach gathering shells and your thoughts. One of my favourite things to do is sit by the sea and watch its ever-changing moods. I live by the sea now and never tire of it. The ordinary little girl from the midlands is still in there, somewhere, and I think she\u2019s still clasping her bucket and spade!<\/p>\n

When hunting for inspiration for a new set of novellas, I didn\u2019t have to look very far. Berecombe, my fictional seaside town, is in Devon rather than Dorset but is firmly based on my beloved Lyme Regis. If you know Lyme, you\u2019ll instantly recognise Marine Parade (Berecombe\u2019s promenade) with its theatre at one end and harbour at the other and its steep main street. So, why didn\u2019t I use Lyme as my setting? The wonderful thing about making up a town is that I can add things I need. Lyme\u2019s notorious for landslips but, in Millie Vanilla\u2019s Cupcake Caf\u00e9: Summer Loves, I could set Mikey Love\u2019s beautiful house high up on Berecombe\u2019s cliffs without danger of it slipping into the sea! In The Little Book Caf\u00e9: Amy\u2019s Story, a character rents the same house – I love to reference favourites from other books.<\/p>\n

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I wanted to move Millie\u2019s story on and in The Little Book Caf\u00e9 novellas, the first of which is out in August, life finds her buying up the derelict seaman\u2019s chapel next to the caf\u00e9 and converting it into a book shop. It brought a whole load of new possibilities, story lines and characters while still using Berecombe as background. I can\u2019t seem to shake off Biddy though. She\u2019s one of Berecombe\u2019s eccentrics and pops up again and, if anything, is even naughtier!<\/p>\n

I love writing about a seaside town through the seasons. Berecombe is a completely different place when full of tourists and the sun is shining, to in winter when it\u2019s damp and foggy and the yacht halyards clank mournfully in the breeze. When the sea is rough and the wind bracing, you really need one of Millie\u2019s special hot chocolates, or to pop into The Little Book Caf\u00e9 and browse for a book to curl up with in front of a roaring fire. What a great excuse for a chocolate fix and a good read!<\/p>\n

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To research the new novellas, I spoke to some dedicated and enthusiastic independent book shop owners. It\u2019s not the easiest of business to run but they do it for the love of reading and books. And their shops are often at the heart of the community. I\u2019m really lucky to have three or four fantastic book shops nearby. When I was that little girl who discovered a whole new world in Lyme Regis, my other obsession was reading. It was a no-brainer to combine the two.<\/p>\n

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I hope you enjoy the new novellas, especially if you can\u2019t manage a trip to the coast this year. Let The Little Book Caf\u00e9 stories put a little bit of seaside sunshine into your life!<\/p>\n

Love,<\/p>\n

Georgia x<\/p>\n

Buying linky thing:<\/em><\/p>\n