Inspiration for Frozen Sea: The Bush Inn

Hello there, people of the blogosphere! Exams are all over and done with, and now (as the geniuses of the world agree) it is time for reading and blogging :)

I am kicking off this madness of new blogs that is to come with a mini series about where I get inspiration to write my current novel-in-progress: Frozen Sea. Yes, I am thinking about a new name. I am just really bad at coming up with new names for anything (let's hope that I get better by the time I have kids!) 

Frozen Sea is set in North Cornwall, England, in a fictional town called Seaview. Seaview is based on the Bude/Morwenstow/Stibb area, so if you are familiar to Cornwall, you will probably know which areas I am on about. Even though I created Seaview out of my own imagination, the places in the book are actually real, even though the characters aren't. I do get a bit freaked out, however, when I am strolling across Duckpool Beach, and I see a girl who looks exactly like Scarlet, or a boy who looks the spitting image of Isaac or Connor. It takes a lot of self-control to stop myself going up to them and asking for a picture.

I have been going to the same area in Cornwall since I was about five years old, and I go every single holiday. It almost feels like a second home. Because I visit Cornwall so regularly, when I write Frozen Sea, it feels so real. Therefore, I thought that I would visit some of my favourite places, which feature in the book, so they are as real to you as they are to me.

First up, is The Bush Inn. This is where Isaac works, and also where Scarlet is employed at the beginning of the summer. It is also the setting where Scarlet and Connor meet for the first time. It is an extremely atmospheric country pub, where I made many happy memories with family and friends. It is perfect for a cool drink after a long day surfing at the beach, or for a delicious evening meal in the restaurant. It is also the place where I first got inspiration for Frozen Sea, after being served by a girl at the bar who is the spitting image of who I would later base Scarlet on. With the pictures I have also included a little snippet of Frozen Sea where I have mentioned The Bush.

This is the outside look of the pub. Looks like nothing special in this picture, but if you could see more, you would be treated to a beautiful green landscape behind the pub! I didn't want to take a picture because of kids playing in the playground in the garden, so yeah.

My job at the Bush was beginning to get slightly more bearable as the days went by. I was busy, and that was good; being busy stopped me thinking about all the things I didn't want to think about right now.

This is just a little corner of loveliness. The special thing about The Bush is the fact that in every nook and cranny you are certain to find authentic vintage pieces that have probably been in the pub since it opened. It seems to make the whole experience a lot more real, and interesting.

The Bush Inn was just as I remembered it to be. Warm, homely, old; with slow droning music and delicious smells leaking from the kitchen.











This is a look at what the main bar section looks like. The flooring does make it look cold, but what you can't see is the huge furnace roaring further right!

"By the way, what's the job?"

"The Bush. Bush Inn. It's a really lovely place, you know."

I nodded, remembering. "Mmm. Wasn't that the place we went for my fourteenth?"

"Probably. That place is great for occasions. Isaac said there's a great atmosphere there in the evenings, and the staff are really friendly..."

Just another corner to appreciate. You're welcome :)

It was dark and gloomy but somehow not threatening; the lack of light just made the pub seem even more welcoming.

Here is the furnace I was talking about, just behind the table. Nothing better than the heat that comes from that thing, let me tell you.

The warm, familiar, slightly sweaty air hit me in the face as per usual as I entered the Bush one Thursday evening in mid August, the cool sea-salt wind from the car park disappearing just as quickly as my dignity as Isaac's face peeked out from behind the bar.





A little bit of the bar for you to see. Obviously I couldn't take a picture of the whole thing, as the woman was busy getting our drinks, and I'm pretty sure she wouldn't appreciate me taking a picture of her to be on the internet.

I looked down at the labels of the pumps. Sure enough, there was HSD. I grabbed a glass from the driftwood shelf over my head and quickly filled it up to the brim. The guy, about fifty or so and smelling faintly of car oil and detergent winked at me. "Thanks." He slid a fiver over the counter.












The entrance, which I think looks a bit like something out of the London Dungeons. I do love a good cobble.

My eyes wandered over to the crowd of families and couples enjoying a warm, late August evening in Seaview's best bar, chatting amicably and unaware of the broken life of the young waiter who, just last month, had been here laughing and smiling and... free.









Just an example of one of the many beautiful views you can expect from this part of Cornwall. Simply stunning.

Isaac would have loved this. He always liked the weekend rush, the busy, late summer evenings.













I hope that you have enjoyed this post. It's a little different :) Intrigued to discover Frozen Sea? Read it on Movellas: http://www.movellas.com/story/201302021250350886-frozen-sea

Tomorrow there will be another blog post on another setting that inspired me to write Frozen Sea :) Please do come back and check it out!