Spotlight & Giveaway: How to Find a Romance in a Bookshop by Poppy Alexander

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Poppy Alexander to HJ!

Hi Poppy and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, HOW TO FIND A ROMANCE IN A BOOKSHOP!

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

Petra is a literary agent. Books and publishing are her whole world, leaving no time for friends, family and romance so – when her life blows up, after a social media gaffe to end all gaffes – she ends up leaving London for a six-month summer post in a little shop by the sea.
The only problem is, it’s a bookshop.
Ross had stunning success with his first novel. Dark, intense, talented but troubled (oh, and stunningly good-looking, did I mention?) he wants nothing to do with the publishing world ever again.
There is no second novel, okay?
And so, the story begins… Pain attracts, so – when Petra and Ross meet – a friendship was written in the stars, and all against a backdrop of the best little bookshop in Devon. If they can’t help themselves, then maybe they can help each other to find their way back to the life they should be living? Adept as they both are at messing up their own lives, they seem to have a talent for fixing each other.
But – just as they realize how they really feel about each other – life throws them a curveball, and sometimes – even with someone you love at your side – life’s curveballs can be too difficult to overcome…
 

Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:

“I meant bibliophile! I meant to say he was the publishing world’s greatest bibliophile…”
This is my opening line, and it made me smile, but – kind of – wince at the same time. A career-ending social media mistake is something that could happen to anyone, so it was an irresistible opening scene to write. I hope readers enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• This is a standalone story, but readers of The Battle of the Bookshops will recognize my charming, wonky Capelthorne’s bookshop, halfway down the steep little Portneath high street that runs from the ruined castle on the summit to the sea.
• Capelthorne’s has served the Portneath community for over a hundred years and – weirdly – although completely a creation of my own imagination, I found an eerily similar bookshop in real life! It was on the high street of a seaside town near me in Sussex, UK, and it was just before my first Capelthorne’s story was published. The twinkling glass panes in the bay window, the timber-framed exterior, and the low- oak-beamed ceilings in a succession of book-lined rooms were EXACTLY as I imagined! Spooky.
• In my head, if I could talk to Petra, I would tell her about Miranda in Shakespeare’s The Tempest. In the play, Miranda sees the island where she has been shipwrecked and declares “Brave new world, that has such people in it.” That courage and optimism, despite the odds, is exactly what Petra needs. If I was writing a The Tempest Fanfic then the Miranda and Caliban relationship would inspire me, so no surprises that I wanted to weave a little of that into this story. That said, it is not a retelling, just a little re-imagining to amuse me, and hopefully the readers too.
• Another theme in this book, which is there purely for my own amusement, is the light sprinkling of pirates. The south west of England, including Devon, is famous for its history of swashbuckling pirates, and Petra is a little bit smitten with the idea, which gets her into a certain amount of trouble…

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

Petra can’t open her mouth without putting her foot in it, especially because she finds Ross so disconcertingly good-looking. That said, what unites them both, tentatively at first, is their shared and deep love of writing and books. And then, of course, they are both objectively hot, especially Ross. Not that he thinks so, of course, and – in any case – being handsome has got him into a world of trouble before, so…

Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?

Oh goodness! Every single scene had me doing at least one of these three… Which to choose? I enjoyed writing the Petra/Ross meet-cute where – as above – Petra has fallen asleep on the train and has just woken up from an exciting dream about pirates:

“Wait! Don’t! Stop! I mean, don’t go!” Petra shouted desperately, as she scrambled for the door, having woken to see part of a platform place name outside the windows— a place name that definitely started with a “P.”
She threw her backpack onto the platform and launched herself after it, just as the whistle blew and the train started to pull away. Landing heavily, she lay prone and winded, trying to decide whether she had injured herself. After gathering her wits, she started to get up but froze as a voice bellowed:
“Stay down! Don’t move.”
Petra squeaked in alarm. What fresh hell was this?! Had she just thrown herself headlong into a police raid? A gun fight? At a little country railway station? What were the chances? Terrified, she hunched and put her arms over her head. Feeling a heavy hand on her shoulder, she jumped violently.
“Whoa, easy . . .” came that deep voice again with its very un- Devonshire Scottish burr. “That was a hell of a— actually, I don’t even know what that was— just take it really slow,” the voice counseled. “You could be injured.”
It was rather a lovely voice, she decided, authoritative and soothing. The kind of voice that made you feel safe.
“Where am I?” she asked, still not daring to move.
“What? Did you hit your head?” the man replied anxiously. “You’re in Portneath. O- kay— let’s not panic— what’s the last thing you remember?”
“Portneath? Oh, thank God for that. I fell asleep, thought I’d ended up in Penzance,” Petra chattered, feeling much better. Finally, something had started to go right. “Ow! Oof, ouch!” she exclaimed as she tentatively stirred, not at all enjoying having to put all her weight on her bashed- up knees, but then she urgently wanted to remove her right boob from whatever in her backpack had been sticking into it. Plus, it wasn’t practical to just stay there for what remained of the day.
“Here, let me . . .” A hand under her elbow propelled her to standing as if by magic. Strong too, eh? Very promising.
Petra turned to thank her savior but, as she caught sight of him, her jaw dropped and her eyes bulged in amazement. Well! This may not be Penzance, but who would have thought . . . “Omigod, you’re a pirate!” she blurted, thrilled.
The man— several inches taller than her, with an abundance of chestnut brown, wavy hair—may or may not have been handsome. It was hard to tell what was going on under the proliferation of facial hair, although the heavy brows framed a compelling pair of eyes. Entranced by them, Petra noticed they were—appropriately enough— the color of the sea on a stormy day. A long, greenish- but- might- once- have- been- black great coat, somewhat moth- eaten, and dun-colored wide- legged trousers tucked into thick socks and chunky black boots together lent a swashbuckling air. A thick black- leather belt with a brass buckle did not— sadly— sport a cutlass, but other than that, the picture was absolutely joyful.
“Um— no— not a pirate,” the man replied at last, apparently taken aback.
“Are you sure?” Petra pressed him.
“Yes, thanks.”
“But definitely dressed as one, though,” Petra doubled down. “Filming a movie?” she scanned the area for the usual filmmaking paraphernalia. “Actor?” she went on. “Maybe just an extra? Nothing wrong with that . . .” Wow, he had a fabulously piratical glower, she observed delightedly. He was totally wasted as an extra, for sure.
Although they did seem to be alone on the platform, which was weird. Usually filming meant crowds of people and tons of equipment.
“Nope,” he said. “Not a pirate. Not even pretending to be a pirate.”
“Children’s party?” she hazarded, slow to process what he was saying. Although, to be fair, he looked a bit too scary to be a kids’ entertainer.
“This,” he said heavily, gesturing at himself, “is not a costume. These are my clothes,” he emphasized.
“Then, why . . . ?” Petra was genuinely confused. Sure, he was missing the tricorn hat, she conceded. And the parrot. And the wooden leg . . . Doubt began to creep in. Could it possibly be that she had done it again? She stifled a groan. Nice start, Petra.
“And please stop jumping out of moving trains,” he added stiffly. “Because, as far as I can tell, you’re not in the movies, either. And get those skinned knees cleaned up, okay?” At that, with one last glare, he turned, striding down the platform, long coat flapping, his rear view radiating offence.
Petra groaned, hanging her head. There she went again, with her unerring ability to insult everyone. She should come with a government health warning. Although he need not have been quite so annoyed. It wasn’t like she had called him a pedophile or anything. He got off lightly. As far as she was concerned, being called a pirate was a compliment. And anyway, people shouldn’t go around with bushy beards and swirly coats. It wasn’t that much of a leap. Other people were bound to get confused. Maybe even people who hadn’t just been dreaming about them. Maybe.
Sighing, she hoicked her backpack up onto her back.
By the time she was ready to look for the station exit, he had vanished.

Readers should read this book….

Because sometimes we all need a place to escape to.
Petra and Ross are both trying to outrun their disastrous lives, and the little town of Portneath is a great place to run to – that’s because of the people, the landscape, the sea, the food, the houses and the books especially the books! When I write these stories, I fill them chock full of all the elements of life that I adore. Also, putting my characters through some of the challenges we all face helps me to leave my own problems behind for a while with the added benefit that – unlike real life – a “happy ever after” is guaranteed.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

How to Find a Romance in a Bookshop will be out in all formats on 18th August this year in the US and worldwide, with the UK paperback out the following month.
In 2027, there will be THREE new Poppy Alexander books, starting in January. If readers would like to make sure they don’t miss new releases, sneak previews, the occasional little giveaway and snippets about my writing life, they might want to sign up to my (granted very infrequent) e-newsletter via my website: www.poppyalexander.com.
 
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: A copy of HOW TO FIND A ROMANCE IN A BOOKSHOP

To enter Giveaway, please share this post on your Socials and Leave a comment below to this Q: What about this book has caught your attention…

🎉 Giveaway Rules 🎉
✨ Must be 18 years or older to enter.
✨ MUST leave a comment answering the giveaway question.
✨ Bonus Entry:Share this post on your social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) 
and drop a comment below letting me know you've shared it.
✨ Winner(s) will be selected at random.
✨ No purchase necessary—just enter and cross your fingers!
✨ If you win, I'll need your full name and mailing address to send your prize. 
This information will be shared with the author, publisher, or publicist solely for prize fulfillment purposes.
✨ Giveaway closes 3 days from the date this post is published.  
 

Book Info:

Petra doesn’t like books anymore—not since her career as a literary agent imploded after a social media typo went viral. Now she is stuck for six months, babysitting a little bookshop by the sea—surrounded by books that just remind her of her failure.

Ross McCloud’s award-winning debut novel blew the minds of the world’s literati, but that was five years ago. Now Ross and his keenly awaited second work have vanished. Something has gone wrong—horribly wrong—and Ross doesn’t want to talk about it.

Marooned in Capelthorne’s Bookshop miles from London, Petra can’t stop thinking about all the ways she has let people down. Then she discovers Ross lurking, incognito, in the second-hand books section. Misery loves company it seems, and a kinship tentatively forms.

In the meantime, the magic of the bookshop slowly begins to enchant Petra. Soon, her book recommendations assume legendary status; she is chairing the newly formed Beach Reads Book Club; leading a weekly writing group and hosting a series of popular talks and signings by local authors. She is even starting to read again.

Petra is also finding time to help her new best friend Jess—owner of a local telephone box library—to launch the inaugural Portneath Literary Festival. What better opportunity to put the Festival on the map—says Ross—than for Petra to unveil his second novel to the world there, before re-launching her career representing him at the Frankfurt book fair? What a comeback! But can Petra find the courage to help the man she loves?

Their love of books may be re-ignited, but is that enough to save them both from their own worst enemy—themselves?

Book Links: Amazon
 
 

Meet the Author:

Poppy Alexander is the author of The Battle of the Bookshops, The Littlest Library, Storybook Ending, 25 Days ’Til Christmas and The 12 Days of Christmas She wrote her first book when she was five. There was a long gap in her writing career while she was at school, and after studying classical music at university, she decided the world of music was better off without her and took up journalism instead. She takes an anthropological interest in family, friends, and life in her West Sussex village (think The Archers crossed with Twin Peaks), where she lives with her husband, children, and various other pets.
Instagram |