The Cornish Vintage Dress Shop

My guest blogger today is author Elizabeth Holland, whose new novel, The Cornish Vintage Dress Shop, is being published on October 10.

Why Do I Write Romantic Escapism?

by Elizabeth Holland

I’m no stranger to having a bad day. In fact, I’ve had a few bad years.

Finally, I feel as though I’m coming out the other side. However, during those darkest times, an escape was what I pined for.

Something to make me forget about the darkness inside my head. If only for a few seconds.

I found that escape in books. Since my teens, I’ve loved to pick up a book and escape into the imaginary world within. As I’ve got older, this love for reading has grown.

When I was at my lowest, I felt a burning desire to write my own world to escape into. That manuscript sits on my desktop and it’s a reminder of what I’ve overcome. Since then, I’ve continued to create my own worlds and I’ve found the joy of sharing them with my readers.

The Cornish Vintage Dress Shop is a mixture of escapism, romance, and indulgence. Cornwall is a magnificent backdrop for the story, with its dramatic and rugged coastline. The scenery leads itself to support the story. However, there’s more to it than a simple backdrop. I set the book in Cornwall because of its beauty and often romanticised reputation. If you’re having a bad day, it’s the perfect place to escape to (even if it’s just inside your head!). I hope to weave the description in such a way that you can smell the salty sea, feel the spray against your arms, and hear the seagulls squawking above you. Like The Vintage Bookshop of Memories, the shop in The Cornish Vintage Dress Shop is a character and will envelop you in its warmth…

‘Rosie had spent hours painstakingly deliberating over every inch of the shop.

Her past life as an interior designer meant she knew just how to make the shop into the welcoming time capsule that made her heart soar every time she stepped inside.

There was a herringbone floor, finished with a walnut stain, which was complimented by the dark wallpaper adorning the walls, covered with floral blooms in muted pinks, blues, yellows, oranges, and whites.

It was dramatic - the perfect backdrop to selling snippets of people’s lives. Velvet pink lampshades with tassels hanging from the ceiling flooded the shop with light.

Rosie had displayed the vintage clothes, jewellery, shoes, bags, and accessories in several ways.

From shelves made of driftwood, an up-cycled antique sideboard, and brass clothes rails. Each allowed the items to take centre stage.’

Rosie’s story is one of finding yourself and love along the way. After leaving her cheating husband, Rosie embarks on her dream of owning her own vintage clothes shop. She’s finding her feet when a handsome stranger turns up at her door with a clothing donation. Their lives are worlds apart and his ex-girlfriend will do anything she can to keep them apart. There are moments of heartbreak, sweet moments of friendship, and the odd sprinkle of humour…

‘“What tales do you have for us today?” asked Rosie. She took another sip of wine and settled into her seat. She’d only been living in Ives-On-Sea for six months and yet she felt she’d always been here. Rosie felt as though she belonged.

“I had a man turn up in an actual suit! He read the leaflet and took ‘wet suit’ a little too literally.” The table erupted into a fit of laughter.’

I hope The Cornish Vintage Dress Shop will be an escape for my readers. For those brief moments inside the book, their reality will melt away. We all deserve an escape.

To pre-order The Cornish Vintage Dress Shop, by Elizabeth Holland, click here.

Connect with Elizabeth Holland by clicking here