Summer Days at Cliff Top Cottage by Eliza J Scott

Today I have a summer themed book for you! Summer Days at Clifftop Cottage is on tour with Rachel's Random Resources and I'm thrilled to have a very interesting Q&A with the author to share with you. I hope you enjoy!


Q&A with Eliza J. Scott

Tell us about your book.

Summer Days at Clifftop Cottage is book 2 in the Welcome to Micklewick Bay series and is set in a characterful seaside town called, yep, you guessed it, Micklewick Bay! The series takes turns in telling the stories of a close-knit group of friends. This time, it’s Maggie Marsay’s turn. Maggie is married to Bear and is as madly in love with him as the moment she first set eyes on him when she was a student visiting the town years earlier. That relationship has never been tested, in fact, Maggie would say it has grown stronger with every passing year.

Things change, however, when her estranged cousin, Robyn, turns up on the doorstep of Clifftop Cottage in need of a place to stay. Maggie’s heart sinks for several reasons. Not only does her cousin’s arrival means she can’t share some exciting news with Bear she’s been keeping for their anniversary, but also because the last time she had anything to do with Robyn it resulted in her life being turned upside down. Robyn had a reputation for being manipulative and sneaky, and from the snippets Maggie’s heard from her mum over the years, there’s nothing that suggests she’s changed. Maggie’s gut feeling tells her she’s right to be worried when she realises Robyn appears to be turning Bear against her.

Maggie’s never been more thankful of her group of loyal friends who rally round and offer her some much-needed support.

Despite the drama Robyn creates, I’m pleased to say Maggie and Bear get their much-deserved happy ending!

 

Where did the idea for this book come from?

When it came to telling Maggie and Bear’s story I was faced with a slightly different romance to tackle as they were already together and their marriage was rock-solid. It was while I was thinking of an idea for them that a true story I’d heard about a family who had a couple of unexpected guest turn up on their doorstep popped into my mind. It was bad enough that these ‘guests’ had invited themselves to stay, without the fact that they were incredibly bad-mannered, outstaying their welcome very quickly. It didn’t help that they were thick-skinned and seemed oblivious to the hints to leave that were being dropped! It sounded absolutely horrendous for the homeowners. I wondered if I could tweak this to fit Maggie and Bear’s story. Cue Maggie’s estranged cousin, Robyn.

 

What is your writing process?

When I’m starting a new book, I begin by creating detailed profiles for my characters which is always fun and something I can add to as the story develops. I also like to have a crisp, clean notebook, ready for me to scribble down notes as I write. I tend to edit as I go along, which can make it feel like adding to the word count is slow, but it means that there’s not so much to do before the manuscript is ready to send off to my editor.

 

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I joke that I’m a plotty-pantser or a pants-plotter! By that I mean, I know how I want the story to start and end, along with a few of the plotlines in between, but I don’t actually plan it out in any great detail as I prefer to let the story take the lead.

 

The cover is beautiful! Did you get to choose the cover?

Thank you so much, I’m thrilled with it and love how summery it looks! I didn’t get to choose it, but my lovely editor, Kate at Storm Publishing, shared the early visuals with me in case I had any suggestions. It’s always exciting to see a book cover for the first time.

 

What books are you reading right now?

My paperback read is A Villa with a View by Julie Caplin which I’m thoroughly enjoying! It’s set in Italy and is full of sunshine, as well as some mouthwatering descriptions of food! My stomach is constantly rumbling as I’m reading!

My Kindle read is The Legacy of Halesham Hall by Jenni Keer. This is such a fabulous read, with twists and turns aplenty.

 

Purchase Links:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Summer-Days-Clifftop-Cottage-heartwarming-ebook/dp/B0CW19QPM4

https://www.amazon.com/Summer-Days-Clifftop-Cottage-heartwarming-ebook/dp/B0CW19QPM4

 

About the Author:

Eliza J Scott lives in North Yorkshire with her family and has wanted to be a writer as far back as she can remember. She is inspired by her beautiful surroundings and loves to write heartwarming stories based on romance and friendship with a generous dollop of community spirit and a hint of humour. She has written and self-published ten novels and has been an Amazon UK Kindle bestseller.

When she’s not writing, Eliza can usually be found with her nose in a book or working in her garden doing a spot of plot wrangling (of the writing variety), and battling against the weeds. The weeds, unfortunately, are currently winning but Eliza is undeterred. Roses are amongst her favourite flowers and she doesn’t need much of an excuse to visit a plant centre where a new rose always seems to mysteriously find its way onto her trolley much to her husband’s astonishment.

Eliza also enjoys having a catch-up with friends over tea and cake, as well as bracing walks in the countryside, rounded off by a visit to a teashop – for yet more tea and cake!

 

Keep in touch on social media:

Amazon author page: Eliza J Scott - UK or  Eliza J Scott - US

Website: Eliza J Scott

Twitter/X: @ElizaJScott1

Facebook: @elizajscottauthor

Instagram: @elizajscott

Bluesky: @elizajscott.bsky.social

Bookbub: @elizajscott


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