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Introduction
I came across Cass’s writing earlier this year when I did a review tour for her book Escape to Polkerran Point. I immediately fell in love with her cozy romance style of writing that kind of wraps you up in a warm blanket, gives you a few laughs, and is akin to spending time with an old friend. Her books are comforting, thoughtful and enjoyable in their coziness. She has a new release coming out in August as part of that series called Christmas at Polkerran Point and I can’t wait to read it!
Cass began her writing life in Regency England, enlisted Jane Austen’s help to time-travel between then and the present day and is now happily ensconced in 21st century Cornwall.
Well, in her imagination and soul; her heart and physical presence reside in northern England with her ever-patient husband and Tig and Tag, their cute but exceptionally demanding moggies.
A bit of a nomad, Cass has called three countries home, as well as six different English counties, but her aspiration is to one day reunite with her beloved West Country.
In the meantime, she writes feel-good contemporary romances set in Cornwall and, in doing so, manages to live there vicariously through her characters and settings.
An Ambassador for the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation, Cass is also a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, the Jane Austen Society UK and the Society of Authors.
Christmas at Polkerran Point
Releasing August 22, 2024
Fate may have brought them together, but secrets seem destined to keep them apart… An accident and a lost passport mean Gemma’s six-month sabbatical to go travelling is not off to a strong start. She heads to Polkerran Point to stay at her aunt’s while her new passport is processed and to find temporary work in the meantime.
Enter musician Matt. Newly moved into a secluded, renovated mill – complete with a recording studio – Matt is preparing for his band’s big reunion tour. Focused on writing new music for the album, he needs a live-in housekeeper.
Even as sparks fly, Gemma can sense Matt’s keeping secrets and with her role ending once Christmas is over, will there be anything to keep her in Polkerran?
A cosy, festive Cornish romance for fans of Phillipa Ashley and Cressida McLaughlin.
Interview with Cass Grafton
Q: Let’s get started with an introduction. Can you tell me a little about how you first got into writing and what it felt like publishing your very first book?
A: I’d dabbled in writing bits and pieces all my life, but it wasn’t until I was freed up from the constraints of a full-time job that I found both the time and inclination to complete something.
I started off writing fan fiction, playing with other authors’ characters and settings, which became an excellent apprenticeship until I felt confident enough to create my own.
I published my first book just over ten years ago at a pivotal time in my life, when I realised that if I didn’t get my act together and publish something soon, then it might never happen.
Holding that first physical book in my hand, with my name on the cover was almost too surreal to believe. I still get a thrill now if I see one of my books for sale in a shop!
Q: Let’s start out easy – what are some of your favorite hobbies (other than writing)?
A: Reading, going for walks in the beautiful British countryside, dining out, cooking in. I used to love travelling, and having lived in the USA for five years and Switzerland for more than seven, we really indulged that love, but now we’re more than content staying closer to home and spending time in the favourite places we have in our home country.
Q: What’s your favorite unusual food combination?
A: Oooh, interesting question! When I was a child, I used to love making a sandwich (thinly sliced white bread, far too much butter) with tinned mandarin oranges! My parents thought I was very odd – perhaps they were right!
Q: What book (other than your own) do you recommend to everyone that they have to read?
A: Difficult, as there are so many fantastic reads out there, and every year there are so many more! I think I’d go back to a classic and pick Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice. It’s a short read, witty and not overly intimidating if you don’t normally read older books and the characters behave in a relatable way that resonates even today.
Also, not many people realise that the author’s first published novel, Sense & Sensibility, was – in effect – ‘self published’!
Q: Can you tell me a little bit about your writing process? Note taking; favorite place to write uninterrupted; etc?
A: I’m a morning person, so that’s when I always used to write (of late, I’ve found I can write any time of day, but I’ve no idea why it’s changed)!
I take copious notes, but I’m not much of a plotter. I have an opening, an ending and a general (about 200 words) idea of the outline plot, but that’s it. It doesn’t make for the easiest writing journey, but I’ve tried to plan more formally and it just doesn’t work for me! I’m forever sitting up in the middle of the night and grabbing my phone to tap into the notes app, which at least is more reliable than when I used to scribble it on paper in the dark. I felt I’d had the most amazing brainstorm only to wake up and find the words unreadable!
When I’m writing, I have to immerse myself fully in the setting. My current series is set in Cornwall, so I spend around eight weeks a year down there. I have a spare screen in my study which is permanently set to a live webcam for the coastal town which inspired my fictitious village, too, so that when at home I can watch the activity on the water and see the changes in the weather and the sea.
I also love writing in places like cafes or pubs, where there is subtle background ambient sound. I don’t find it a distraction at all, and if I’m writing at home, I always have music playing (usually a playlist I’ve created for my main character).
Q: Tell us a little about what inspired your latest release.
A: I’m writing a five-book cosy romance series for a publisher, Canelo. Two of the books are out, the last one being in February, but the next one is due in August and it’s set at Christmas.
The entire series is inspired by my love of romance and of Cornwall, and the latest release, Escape to Polkerran Point, is the story of Lauren – a high-flying, career-focused exec who is suddenly out of a job, a home and unexpectedly pregnant. I’m not sure what drove me to put her through all that, but I was inspired by the character herself to write a story about her when she appeared in the first book in the series!
Read my review for Escape to Polkerran Point
Q: Which one of your books was your most favorite to write?
A: Hmmm, for myself, it would have to be the first book in the Cornwall series. I initially self-published it as The Cottage in a Cornish Cove, but it was picked up later by Canelo, who commissioned the series and renamed it New Dreams at Polkerran Point. It will always have a special place in my heart as the first book I set in Cornwall, and I simply adored writing Anna’s story, as she makes a lot of the mistakes I did, so she’s very close to my heart!
I have also co-written, however, with one of my best friends, Ada Bright, and a close second as a favourite would be the first in our comedic tales of time travel and friendship (The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen), which feature an intrepid, time-hopping Jane Austen and champion female friendship as well. Again, we initially self-published this book but it was later picked up and published by Canelo, who commissioned a sequel.
Q: What advice would you give to a writer working on their first book?
A: Just keep going. It’s perfectly normal to sometimes be looking at a blank page, unsure where to begin, or to grind to a halt. Just keep putting one word after the other, one sentence after the other.
The word count will grow, and so will your story. Get that first messy draft done, and then you’ve got something tangible to work with as you craft it into the novel you want it to be.
Follow Cass
Cass began her writing life in Regency England, enlisted Jane Austen’s help to time-travel between then and the present day and is now happily ensconced in 21st century Cornwall.
Well, in her imagination and soul; her heart and physical presence reside in northern England with her ever-patient husband and Tig and Tag, their cute but exceptionally demanding moggies.
A bit of a nomad, Cass has called three countries home, as well as six different English counties, but her aspiration is to one day reunite with her beloved West Country.
In the meantime, she writes feel-good contemporary romances set in Cornwall and, in doing so, manages to live there vicariously through her characters and settings.
An Ambassador for the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation, Cass is also a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, the Jane Austen Society UK and the Society of Authors.
Looking for book recs…
Adventures in Literature 
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