The Girl of Lost Petals and Possibilities
On holiday in Egypt with Sidney and Dean, young writer Maisie is—in her mind—on top of the world. Her long-labored manuscript is finally going to be published, she and Sidney are deeply in love, and the future looks bright on every level.
In one moment, however, it all changes. Tragedy leads to overwhelming loss that Maisie can’t even begin to process. As the world itself turns upside down, there’s no solace for Maisie from the growing sense that her wonderful future is finished.
No dream about to come true. No certainties of new chances in life.
No Sidney.
Even if the first two did not break her, the last one is determined to. It’s up to Maisie to find her strength and determination to find a new future, even if—unthinkably—it may be nothing like the one she dreamed of.
Purchase Link – http://mybook.to/girloflostpetals
Author Bio –
Laura Briggs is the author of several feel-good romance reads, including the Top 100 Amazon UK seller ‘A Wedding in Cornwall’. She has a fondness for vintage style dresses (especially ones with polka dots), and reads everything from Jane Austen to modern day mysteries. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, caring for her pets, gardening, and seeing the occasional movie or play.
Social Media Links –
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Twitter: http://bit.ly/1ME9ivJ
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a Rafflecopter giveawayEXTRACT
Thanks so much to Lisa for letting me share an extract from The Girl of Lost Petals and Possibilities with her lovely readers today! It’s the first book in a new series that brings back characters featured in my set of novellas known as ‘A Little Hotel in Cornwall’. Picking up where the previous series left off, it finds aspiring author Maisie still dealing with the revelation that Sidney, the handsome groundskeeper she’s fallen in love with also happens to be the elusive literary genius who inspired her own love of writing. The following scene finds them discussing the future of his work while on holiday in Egypt with their friend Dean.
“You know, Dean said when you came here, he would paint a canvas of the view and you would write. You didn’t bring a notebook with you, though.” I looked at Sidney. “Unless you’re writing in your head, I think you’re only here for the scenery.”
“I wasn’t lugging the typewriter up here, if that’s what you’re thinking,” he answered, with a smile that would have infuriated me with its humor any other time.
“I’m not talking about how you write. I’m talking about writing anything. Like the papers I spotted in the drawer under your typewriter.” That legendary Royal ‘MM’ had given birth to my three favorite novels in the world, and I had been holding my tongue for nearly two weeks now about the fourth, unfinished one lying in its case’s drawer. Finding it had been like finding a pocketful of candy that I was dying to sample.
“Ah, those,” said Sidney, hiding a smile. “I wondered when you would ask.”
“Did you?” He’d seen the look on my face when I read the name on the manuscript’s topmost page. He couldn’t expect me to ignore its existence, could he?
“I haven’t listened to those speeches about Alistair Davies without understanding what it would mean if you actually stumbled upon his manuscript,” said Sidney, his smile becoming a wicked grin now.
“And if I asked you about them?” I was being playful, in part, because I didn’t want to push him. I didn’t know yet if I had the right to know more about this secret, or if Alistair Davies was a side of Sidney that wasn’t to be shared — as emotionally crushing as that would be.
“About what? Characters? The story?” he asked.
“Maybe. For instance … are you going to kill off poor Leonard? Because don’t, if you can help it.” This first question of a few dozen popped into my head at random.
“I can’t tell you that,” he said, with a laugh. “Besides, you know as well as I do that’s not how it works.”
“I know, but I still had to try,” I said. “I’ve been waiting for answers for years, you know.”
“As has everyone else,” Dean contributed, raising his voice. Sidney rolled his eyes.
“So do you know what’s going to happen in the novel?” I asked him. “Or is that why there’s been no fourth manuscript?” Finding out that Alistair Davies had writer’s block would be the worst news for any fan.
“Perhaps it’s more complicated,” he answered, which was one of Sidney’s favorite replies to anything. He wore a smile of mystery, but I could see a tiny bit of trouble deep in his eyes. When he had talked about wrestling with himself internally, I had pictured something quite different from what I now knew as the truth.
