A Little Christmas Panto
Can a little Cornish village panto convince a troubled Hollywood heart throb to act again?
Oh no it won’t! At least that’s what Zach Broussard initially thinks when the eccentric Anna Teague tries to railroad him into helping out with her community pantomime production in the run-up to Christmas. Zach has his reasons for leaving Hollywood behind, and his retreat to the remote village of Polcarne in Cornwall signals the start of a new acting free life for him.
But when Zach meets Anna’s daughter, Rosey – an ex concert pianist who has swapped Mozart for panto tunes – he starts to wonder whether he could change his mind, and not just about acting.
If nothing else, will the residents of Polcarne ensure Zach has a Christmas he never forgets?
Oh yes they will!
Purchase Link – https://mybook.to/alittlechristmaspanto
Author Bio –
Angela grew up in Cornwall, England and returns frequently from her home outside of Nashville, Tennessee to visit family and friends, drink tea and eat far too many Cornish pasties!
A lifelong love of reading turned into a passion for writing contemporary romance and her novels are usually set in the many places she’s visited or lived on her extensive travels. Thanks to almost four decades of marriage to her wonderful American husband she’s a huge fan of transatlantic romance and always makes sure her characters get their own happy-ever-after.
She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association. Her first novel ‘Truth and Consequence’ was published in 2006 and she’s now had over 40 novels published internationally and multiple short stories in women’s magazines.
Social Media Links – www.facebook.com/angelabritnell
www.twitter.com/angelabritnell
https://www.instagram.com/AngelaGolleyBritnell/
PG 13 Rating Below:
LISA’S READING – BLOG POST – RACHEL TOUR
Thank you so much, Lisa for hosting me on your blog today to chat about my new book, A Little Christmas Panto. As you might guess it features a pantomime and it’s set in a small Cornish village, similar to the one I grew up in. Although Rosey and Zach are the main characters I always equally enjoy discovering the secondary characters who really flesh out a story and bring it to life. One of my favourites in this particular book is Anna, Rosey’s mother. She’s a larger-than-life woman and would’ve taken over completely if I hadn’t been stern with her!
Here we see Zach meeting Anna for the first time:
‘Yoo-hoo, Rosey love!’ An Amazon of a woman with waist-length white hair was headed their way. The red cape that topped her swirling red and gold caftan caught in the breeze so she resembled one of Wagner’s Valkyries emerging onto the opera stage. He almost felt obliged to applaud.
‘Oh God, it’s my mother,’ Rosey muttered.
The woman nodded at her daughter before switching her attention to him. ‘Well, if it isn’t Zach Broussard at last. How’re you settling in, my ‘andsome?’
‘Uh … fine, thank you, ma’am.’ Her local accent was much stronger than her daughter’s but he got the gist of what she was saying.
‘I’m not the Queen! If this one won’t introduce me, I’ll do it myself. Kids these days don’t have any manners.’ A rumble of laughter broke free. ‘I’m Anna Teague and Rosey’s mother for my sins. I was only saying to someone the other day we haven’t seen anything of you around Polcarne yet. It don’t do a body any good to hide away, you know? We’re all some sorry about what happened to your poor wife but no one’s going to bother you here so you take as much time as you like to get yourself to rights again.’ Anna nodded at her daughter. ‘It’s worked for you hasn’t it, my lover?’
He sensed Rosey’s unease. More than most people he knew the horror of having his private life become public property. Whatever the older woman was hinting at, he didn’t need it flung in his face in this way.
‘Mum. We should go.’ The snapped warning stopped Anna Teague in mid-flow. ‘Bye, Zach.’ Rosey hooked her arm through her mother’s and almost dragged her away.
From that I’m sure you can already see the significant part she’ll play in the story and this second extract is a teaser for what Anna has in mind. Rosey is confused about Zach’s overreaction to her simply invitation to join her for a coffee.
‘What’s wrong, my love?’
‘Mum! I didn’t hear you come in.’ Anna and her mother were poles apart in most ways but they still knew each other through and through.
‘And don’t try to tell me you’re all right because we both know that’s rubbish.’
Rosey rested her hands on the keyboard to hide any tell-tale shaking. ‘Oh, it’s nothing really. I bumped into Zach again and he was coming in here for a coffee but he lost his nerve. I must’ve frightened him off.’
‘You’ll have to be patient, my ‘andsome. I’m sure you didn’t do anything except be your own sweet self.’ Her mum’s face creased in a warm smile. ‘No wonder he ran off. He’ll get there.’ Optimism was a cornerstone of her mother’s ebullient personality. ‘How about a nice cup of tea? We’ll sit down and make a plan.’
‘A plan?’
‘If we’re going to help that poor boy, we need a plan.’ A mischievous twinkle lit up her eyes. ‘By Christmas we’ll have him smiling again and with any luck sharing your bed. It’ll do you both a world of good.’
‘Bloody hell, Mum! My sex life or lack of it is none of your business. For heaven’s sake, forget whatever nonsense you’ve got in mind.’
‘It’s all right, dear. You can thank me later.’ Anna swanned out of the room.
Rosey rested her head on the keyboard and groaned. This would not end well.
Will it end well or won’t it? You’ll have to read A Little Christmas Panto to find out!
Thank you so much, Lisa for joining in with this great book tour and for allowing me to stop by and chat to your followers today. I hope you enjoy visiting Polcarne and the village pantomime – Oh Yes I Do!
Sounds like a great holiday read! Thanks for sharing it and have a splendid day!