Author Article: Katie Fforde's 'A Summer at Sea' blog tour

Today I am thrilled to be hosting my stop on Katie Fforde's blog tour for her brand new book A Summer at Sea... which also happens to be my first post back in 2016, so welcome to everyone! I cannot wait to read Katie's new book, it sounds brilliant and I adore the gorgeous summery cover. Katie was kind enough to write me an article for my blog tour stop ,so please read and enjoy!

You can buy A Summer at Sea now.

"My Favourite Waterside Places by Katie Fforde

My favourite waterside place is a loch side.  If I was designing a garden for Chelsea, I’d use this lovely bit of foreshore.  There are trees, a huge selection of wild flowers – hare bells, scented valerian, orchids, blue bells – to name a few - not always out at the same time.  And a huge variety of rocks and stones.   Across the rippling water is an array of hills.  Beautiful.

Another Scottish favourite place is Crinan.  It stars, alongside a steam powered ‘Puffer’, in my latest book, A Summer at Sea.  It is in Argyl the bit on the map where Scotland splinters into islands.  The dark, peaty waters reflect the sky and mountains and across the way can be seen Jura, with its famous ‘paps’ and to the North is Scarba.   The Crinan canal joins the sea here providing locks, a harbour and pretty houses.  I’ve heard it described as the floor of heaven.

I also love Devon.  It always feels cosy in Devon, although I know it has huge, wild moorlands.   I think it’s the lanes leading to the beaches, high stone walls but covered in primroses and other wild flowers, it’s like travelling through flower-lined tunnels.   My favourite place is Dittisham.  My husband lived there as a very small boy and it’s perfect.  It has several really good pubs and restaurants, lovely walks and really good crabbing for the grandchildren.

And if only it wasn’t so far away from my family I’d have a cottage in Cornwall.  Somewhere with a good beach and some wonderful restaurants.  This applies to quite a lot of the county.   I love Lerryn, near Lostwithiel.  This is possibly because I can just remember watching the World Cup there, the year we won.  But it is beautiful, on a wide, shallow river that can be crossed with stepping stones.

One holiday, we had a very muddy walk to Mylor beach.   Rather than laugh at me slipping and sliding all the way back, my husband kindly offered to go and get the car.  I was so inspired by it’s beauty, I had to write frantic notes on a leaflet I’d picked up somewhere.  I wrote round and round the paper, the words pouring out, until he arrived.  I often wonder if I’d gone there on purpose to write I would have been quite so productive.  May be it was serendipity, I was there just at the right moment.  But it is a beautiful spot."

Thanks so much, Katie!