Cover Reveal!

I’m thrilled to share the cover of WHERE THE SEA LAVENDER GROWS, my next novel, to be published by lake Union Publishing on 28th April 2026. Isn’t it beautiful? The artist has captured the salt marshes at sea lavender time perfectly.

Here’s an extract of the publisher’s blurb - you can read the rest by clicking on the image.

A woman restoring a historic cottage on the English coast uncovers a startling connection to the past in a haunting and bittersweet novel about art, loss, and love by the author of Closest Kept.

There’s a long story to tell about the writing of this book - all will be revealed in the coming months! - but for now, I wanted to share the Author’s note I’ve recently written and which will appear at the end of the book.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Every year in July I make a pilgrimage to the North Norfolk coast to see the spectacle of the sea lavender blooming on the salt marshes. An inspiring haze of purple flowers stretches almost as far as the eye can see, and it’s just wonderful to behold.

The salt marshes, particularly at this time of year, feed my soul. Standing there with my back to the car park, I sometimes feel as if I’ve gone back in time—as if I’m gazing out across the marshes towards the distant strip of the sea a hundred years ago. Two hundred years ago. There’s a strong feeling of being part of the past here, and this connection was one of the main inspirations for this story. Lilias was born and grew up in this place. It’s in her blood. Elise is a newcomer to this kind of landscape, as was I when I first moved to Norfolk twenty-five years ago. More accustomed to cities, woodland, and rolling hills, Elise, as I did, finds the salt marshes flat and eerie at first, changing as they do with the weather and the shifting tides, filled with the mournful cries of wading birds. Elise has come searching for something to heal her, and she finds it in the landscape and the people, both past and present.

Some books are written quickly. Others, like this one, take longer to get right. My characters and the salt marsh wouldn’t let me give up. They waited patiently for me to find a way to tell their story the way it needed to be told. I’m so grateful to them for that.

I’ve changed some place-names to give me more creative freedom, but if you’re ever in North Norfolk and want to find the landscape that was my inspiration, head for Stiffkey, near Wells-next-the-Sea, and drive down the rough road past the flint cottages and the campsite until you get to the little car park overlooking the marshes. If you time it right, the sea lavender will be in bloom, and you’ll be able to imagine Lilias and Elise walking there with their much-loved dogs.

WHERE THE SEA LAVENDER GROWS is available to pre-order now!